My DIY stand sucks
- Thread starter mikehawk
- Start date
Well... Its standing on its own. Its not lisping to one side or the other. And it hasn't burst into flames... so it cant be too bad.
Well, I re-did the trim and stained it. It's still drying, but I'm starting to think that painting it is the way to go.
I figured that the stain would kind of blend all the wood together, but it actually accentuated the differences in the wood. The left side is like a dark reddish color, the front is like pale and yellow, and the right is another color all it's own. And if that's not bad enough, the wood putty I bought doesn't match either.
When it dries I'll post pics and see what you guys think I should do. Keep the stain or slap on some paint.
I figured that the stain would kind of blend all the wood together, but it actually accentuated the differences in the wood. The left side is like a dark reddish color, the front is like pale and yellow, and the right is another color all it's own. And if that's not bad enough, the wood putty I bought doesn't match either.
When it dries I'll post pics and see what you guys think I should do. Keep the stain or slap on some paint.
on my 75 gallon diy stand i used a spray paint called fleck stone you can get it at walmart.
It has a stone look and feel and hides alot of imperfections. Looks great when done.
Just take my advice and use a base coat of about the same color or you will be spraying forever. Plus it can get expensive at 5 bucks a can.
I used latex paint for the base coat worked great .
I will take some pics soon to show you...
It has a stone look and feel and hides alot of imperfections. Looks great when done.
Just take my advice and use a base coat of about the same color or you will be spraying forever. Plus it can get expensive at 5 bucks a can.
I used latex paint for the base coat worked great .
I will take some pics soon to show you...
Okay, this is with two coats of stain on the outside, and one coat on the inside. And two coats of polyurethane on the OSB board. I got some pics of the hidden latches I was talking about. And I think you can some of the flaws I've been talking about, like the different shades of wood, the gaps in the trim, the wavy cuts, and everything else. It came out okay, but I'm just pissed at the quality I got in comparison to the amount of money I spent on it. Next time I decide to do a DIY stand, I'll wait until I know somebody with a table saw and a miter saw and all kinds of other tools that I didn't have when I made this.
Are those treated 4x4s I saw in one of the pics? I built a 55 stand a few months ago and I almost went that route until I learned that using treated wood was a bad idea. The treated wood is ussually still real wet and it needs a couple of months to dry or else it could have some warping from all the weight on it (according to a DIY site I read and the guy at the hardware store). I went with sistered 2x4s for my vertical supports. I dont have a dig camera but I ll try and borrow my roommates at some point and put some pics up. Mine just has a 55g on top and then i built a shelf in on the bottom for a 20g. It was a simple design but it came out well. Glad I didnt run into trouble on my first DIY bc id get frustrated and be hesitant to go after another one. Good job hanging in there on this one and getting it finished. Its looking good at this point, but you may want to let it sit for a while so those treated 4x4s you used on the corners have some time to dry out. It may be fine but Id hate to see all your work ruined if they warped a little under the weight not to mention if your tanked cracked.
I don't know man. The guy that wrote the plans that I followed didn't say anything about letting the 4x4's dry to prevent warping. And it looked like he threw his tank on there as soon as he finished. Besides; I bought the lumber for the frame about 2-3 weeks ago, and I'm not sure how long it was sitting at the hardware store, so I guess it's already been sitting and drying for at least a month. And the load is being spread out, too. How much would a 55 gallon tank weigh? ~500lb? That load is spread over the 6 supports (4x4's at the corners & 2x4's in the middle), I think it will be fine.
And just for ****s and giggles, I decided to weigh the stand. Holding it while standing on a bathroom scale it looked to be about 105-110lb.
And just for ****s and giggles, I decided to weigh the stand. Holding it while standing on a bathroom scale it looked to be about 105-110lb.
The water should weigh 450 lbs. I had read on one DIY tank site that treated lumber was dangerous for stand construction, but if its been drying long enough then Im sure its fine. If your hardware store sells wood pretty quickly then it may not have been there drying long, but if they have a slow turnover then maybe its been there a while. Hard to say how long that is but hopefully it will be good to go when you get it done. I got my wood from home depot and the guy there said they turn their wood over pretty quickly so all their 4x4s were pretty fresh. Its too bad they dont just sell untreated 4x4s. Try the carpet pad underneath and hopefully that will give you some room for minor warping without a disastrous result.
