Refinishing (re-covering) a drumkit

(c) 2001 Stephen Mulholland This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Here's a step-by-step of how I refinished my kit.

The kit is a Pearl Session series, 22" X 16" bass drum, 10" X 10", 12" X 10", and 14" X 12" toms, finished in Sequoia Red Lacquer. It's a lovely finish, but I just fancied a change.

  The finish arrived less than a week after I ordered it from Phoenix, Arizona.  I'm in Northern Ireland, so the delivery time was very good. 

BUT- for anyone in the UK thinking of ordering from the US - you'll have to pay import duty, VAT and a Parcel Force handling charge, which adds a little to your costs.  The finish I ordered was Crazy Yellow, and it sure is yellow!  Sam also sent detailed instructions on how to do the recovering, how to remove old finishes and glue and how to remove eyelets, plus other good, useful information.  I didn't have to worry about removing an old finish, as I was simply putting the new wrap over the lacquer finish currently on the drums.   This was the main reason I ordered from Sam - using his hi-bond tape fixing method, I can keep the current finish intact and undamaged, in case I decide to go back to it after a while.

Here's a list of the tools I used :

• Electric drill
• Small hammer
• Electric screwdriver
• Small screwdriver
• Two sharp thin nails
• Workmate workbench
• Socket for removing airhole
• Towels for padding
• Window cleaner and soft cotton cloth for polishing the wrap once it was fitted