Cheap Cheap - ugly iron stand converted to a nice wooden cabinet/hood

[griffin_pak]

I found a 45 Gallon tank with an iron stand outside. The stand was rusting, and the tank had the most amazing mineral deposits. CLR and some sanding took care of that. However I wanted to make a DIY cabinet and hood. Since the money was tight, I opted to add paneling to the iron stand. This project took me a day and cost me about 40$.

This is what i found!!!






Materials used:
1X 8by4 plywood 15$, got it cut at Home depot.
Glue 4$
1X L wood to hide joints. 11$ (see pics)

So instead of buying a 300$ hood and stand, by a cheap iron stand and add paneling to it!!
Pics attached below, a work in progress!


The glue I used, very important! I initially planned to use a glue gun


The materials, 1/8 or 3mm thick wood - supposed to be used for paneling but with drywall support, however the stands metal beams are good enough support.


Attaching the front panel


The aquarium with 2 shoplights T8 and T5


The sides go on


View from the front, there is some messy glue but that will be covered later


Some more


Almost done!


With the L joint wood



Now for the hood.
The hood is super low-tech and simple. and quite fragile, however it rests on top of the shop lights






That little cup holds Flourite, just a water test I guess



And the finished product





ANY COMMENTS/CRITIQUE WELCOME!
I did post a diary, though i would post is it in the diy section

[epicfish]

Damn that's nice!

I have a stand just like your old iron one...Hm.

[kittytango]

looks nice but is there a way to put stuff inside the stand? I don't see any door?? GREAT JOB though!

[p3purr]

Wouldn't the CLR leave a residue on the tank? Even a trace could prove fatal to aquarium pccupants.

[volatile]

Great job griffin_pak! I really like it. That thing looks better than 99% of the retail stands I see available. All it is missing is some doors so you can store stuff inside.

Just my personal preference but I thought it looked much sleeker and sexier before you added the "trim" on the edges?

[griffin_pak]

Originally Posted by epicfish

Damn that's nice!

I have a stand just like your old iron one...Hm.

yup one day and about 40$ is all it takes.
I have no diy skills at all! I suck with tools, but I guess I read up on a lot of diy articles online, and to tell you the truth it all comes down to whats available to you! I was lucky enough to find this nicely finished wood at my local homedepot, the regular price is still 15$!!! (it supposed to be used for paneling and comes in a huge sheets)

[griffin_pak]

Originally Posted by kittytango

looks nice but is there a way to put stuff inside the stand? I don't see any door?? GREAT JOB though!

yes sadly I am not that good!!
I wanted to put in doors at the front , but that would have driven up my cost by quite a bit! the decorative handles cost 20$+ each at HD!!!!

[griffin_pak]

Originally Posted by volatile

Great job griffin_pak! I really like it. That thing looks better than 99% of the retail stands I see available. All it is missing is some doors so you can store stuff inside.

Just my personal preference but I thought it looked much sleeker and sexier before you added the "trim" on the edges?

Thankyou!! YES I liked it without the L wood as well, it doesnt show in the pics but you could see glue and the iron stand in the corners, hence the trim

Wouldn't the CLR leave a residue on the tank? Even a trace could prove fatal to aquarium pccupants.

yeah i didnt use that much clr, i used bleach. And I know ppl get freaked out by bleach, but the fact of the matter is that bleach = chlorine. It evaporates away!!!! (incase there is some left after rinsing about 50 times!)

[volatile]

Originally Posted by griffin_pak

yeah i didnt use that much clr, i used bleach. And I know ppl get freaked out by bleach, but the fact of the matter is that bleach = chlorine. It evaporates away!!!! (incase there is some left after rinsing about 50 times!)

After rinsing the tank multiple times you could always fill it up with water and add Prime or some other dechlorinator to remove what is left of the bleach to make sure it is completely gone.

I forgot to mention that I like how you used different sized/width pieces of paneling. It looks very cool and contemporary.

Petco has metal stands similar to yours on their website. I'm a total idiot with tools too but your post gives me hope that one day I can try this =P

[newshound]

you did a great job!

now that is thinking on a budget.

too bad you didn't make the paneling alittle higher and lower on the base adn the hood to hide the black plastic tank edging.

[griffin_pak]

Originally Posted by volatile

After rinsing the tank multiple times you could always fill it up with water and add Prime or some other dechlorinator to remove what is left of the bleach to make sure it is completely gone.

I forgot to mention that I like how you used different sized/width pieces of paneling. It looks very cool and contemporary.

Petco has metal stands similar to yours on their website. I'm a total idiot with tools too but your post gives me hope that one day I can try this =P

actually the panel was about 15 feet by 10 feet. I got it cut at HDepot, they say that the first 3 cuts are free, but they never charge anything lol, I think i got the guy to cut about 25 different cuts!!!

[griffin_pak]

Originally Posted by newshound

you did a great job!

now that is thinking on a budget.

too bad you didn't make the paneling alittle higher and lower on the base adn the hood to hide the black plastic tank edging.

aha!! another fellow Canadian!
Yes I shouldve thought of that!, hopefully the next project will take care of that.
Thanks for the kind words.

[chonhzilla]

thats pretty smart!!

[reybie]

I like!

[customdrumfinishes]

at home depot and lowes they sell some 4x8 luan sheeting thats 1/4"thick.
its 10.00 a sheet and looks just like 7ply birch plywood. would work the same way as this but have to be stained or painted.
good idea with the paneling looks good and cheap clean up!