DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

[FinsUp]

So... I'm planning to upgrade my 125 to a 180, and I was thinking about using kitchen base cabinets for my stand for a few reasons:

1. The tank is located right next to my kitchen, so matching the kitchen cabinets would make the whole area look more cohesive.
2. My tank is also my office 'desk lamp', and extending the cabinets underneath it out on either side would make for very sleek printer stand, file storage, etc.
3. I'm just not a huge fan of ordinary tank stands. Most of them don't look terribly well built to me.

The cabinets will extend well past the tank on either side, so there will be probably 2 'double walls' under the tank where the cabinets meet up, and the weight will be distributed across a larger area. I'm going to go with Ikea cabinets for both the kitchen and tank stand. (For those of you not familiar with Ikea, they are particle board, but not the cheapo crappy particle board that you'd see at Walmart or Home Depot. Ikea furniture would likely survive a tornado, IMO. The only way I'm not going with Ikea cabinets is if you know a secret handshake kind of place where I can get frameless hardwood cabinets for less. I have yet to find such a place.)

Here's my concern- will kitchen base cabinets work as a tank stand, or will they not be strong enough? If they're not strong enough 'stock', how can they be reinforced so they are strong enough? What are your thoughts? Has anyone done this? Have you had good or bad experiences with it?

 

[Cake_Boss]

Re: DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

I used to know a secret hand shake type place, but Joe's (buds, or someone) warehouse in Denver will prob be the cheapest. The only thing I'd do is put in some side bracing (so it collapse when leaned on), but then again, these things hold up granite countertops

So 180x8.5=1530lbs.

Depending on the granite, these are around 700lbs.

 

[xsocali]

I don't know if you want your printer or other computer parts that close to saltwater.

 

[Craigar]

DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

Even good particle board will crumble if it gets wet it would make me nervous personally

 

[Mav]

Just build a custom stand out of 2x4s cover them with wood paneling and find doors that match the new cabinets and stain to match. Best of both worlds

 

[09bumblebee]

Metal stand and get cabinet doors to match your kitchen. Use magnets to hold them on. This is a 180

 

[FinsUp]

Even good particle board will crumble if it gets wet it would make me nervous personally

Good point. I was thinking more about weight than about it getting wet, since I was going to use a stone (either quartz or granite) countertop, but it's definitely something to consider.

Just build a custom stand out of 2x4s cover them with wood paneling and find doors that match the new cabinets and stain to match. Best of both worlds

This is also an idea that's being kicked around. Might build a 2x4 stand, drywall in behind the tank, put kitchen cabinets on either side, panel the front with stained-to-match luan (sp?) and add doors to match, since Ikea sells the doors separately.

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

Re: DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

I have a bunch of near near kitchen cabinets, pecan finish, if you go that route. Lmk

 

[FinsUp]

Metal stand and get cabinet doors to match your kitchen. Use magnets to hold them on. This is a 180

price?

 

[FinsUp]

I have a bunch of near near kitchen cabinets, pecan finish, if you go that route. Lmk

Can you post a pic of them? Are they frameless/European style (where the doors cover the whole front part of the cabinet)? If so, pm me how many you have and sizes.

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

Re: DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

Can you post a pic of them? Are they frameless/European style (where the doors cover the whole front part of the cabinet)? If so, pm me how many you have and sizes.

Ok. I will see what i have...not near them right now.
That should have read "near new"...you probably knew that though.

 

[FinsUp]

Ok. I will see what i have...not near them right now.
That should have read "near new"...you probably knew that though.

hehehe, yeah, I translated from Webspeak to English.

 

[kmellon]

Might be a little expensive, but if you build the 2x4 or steel frame and you find the cabinets taht you really like, you could take the whole front face including the doors off the the base cabinets and attach them to the frame. Just make sure the frame isn't larger than the base cabinet front that you want to use or you will have gaps that will need to be dealt with.

 

[FinsUp]

I might be better off finding an unfinished stand and just having it stained to match. Or doing the stand out of 2x4s and 'skinning' it in drywall or stained to match luan, then putting the cabinets next to it, and doing the countertop across the whole thing to tie it all together.

 

[ReefCheif]

Cindy,
I cannot stress this enough as I sell / design Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. You can surely use a kitchen cabinet for a tank stand, but keep 2 things in mind.

1. Do not use a particleboard cabinet, youll want something constructed from 3/4" plywood
2. Youll still want to brace it from the interior

If your wanting something custom I could probably help with that, wouldnt be incredibly cheap, but could definantly save you money over buying a custom cabinet(s) retail.

 

[FinsUp]

Cindy,
I cannot stress this enough as I sell / design Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. You can surely use a kitchen cabinet for a tank stand, but keep 2 things in mind.

1. Do not use a particleboard cabinet, youll want something constructed from 3/4" plywood
2. Youll still want to brace it from the interior

If your wanting something custom I could probably help with that, wouldnt be incredibly cheap, but could definantly save you money over buying a custom cabinet(s) retail.

We should talk. I'm within a month of remodeling the kitchen, and it sounds like I should get a quote from you on the whole job, to include the fish stand/desk lamp/office area.

 

[ReefCheif]

Certainly, we cant set something up for sure.

 

[MichelCleark]

Well, make a good plan for a kitchen remodeling. If you really want a quality cabinets then don't go for a big names. The same quality cabinets you can get from different online store and at cheaper price. Last year I done a kitchen remodeling and bought a kitchen cabinets from The RTA store. They have a wide range of cabinets and prices are also cheaper than the market price.

 

[FinsUp]

Well, make a good plan for a kitchen remodeling. If you really want a quality cabinets then don't go for a big names. The same quality cabinets you can get from different online store and at cheaper price. Last year I done a kitchen remodeling and bought a kitchen cabinets from The RTA store. They have a wide range of cabinets and prices are also cheaper than the market price.

The RTA store?

 

[Dbarnes]

DIY stand- kitchen cabinets

I would defiantly go with a steel stand and doors to match, it gives you much greater access underneath And IMO are far more durable. I woulndt trust a cabinet over time, even a solid built 3/4 cabinet.