DIY ADA style cabinet VS buy a new cabinet

[ciaossu]

Hi Guys,

i'm thinking of DIY an ADA style cabinet. however, i don't know where to source for MDF board with cut to size service, anyone can recommend? and is it cheaper to buy a new cabinet or DIY myself?

[eviltrain]

MDF not really good with water. if you accidentally spills water on it and it will just crumble. best is to find it custom made.

[neverwalkalone]

Did my research earlier, and confirmed that most (all?) cabinets made locally from LFS are with plywood and then laminated. Plywoods will also suffer from water damage, though with laminates, it wont be as bad/as quickly damaged. Care should still be taken to wipe off spills though.

I'm glad to report I managed to do exactly what you've planned, and completed the job back end Dec10. I just haven't found the time to post in the DIY sub-forum. At least now I've committed this info publicly and will have to post it someday (soon!)

[ciaossu]

ya i know the disadvantage of MDF, i'm prepared to apply more coating + paint. anyway, you got any lobang for a 2ft x 1.5ft cabinet? or cabinet maker contact?

[ciaossu]

Hi neverwalkalone, care to share where you got your material and overall cost?

[neverwalkalone]

Ciassu, I bought my woods from Jalan Berseh (junction of J Berseh and Plumber). There was a previous thread on the woods here.

They sell plys in 4'x8', and you can get them to cut it; though it'll cost $1 per "run" (cut). If you want to get it all done exactly to the sizes you need, it's best you have a drawing done, and probably optimised to reduce the number of cuts. ($ . I'm fortunate to have a bro-in-law who's into woodworking and has the tools, so I had mine done into major pieces small enough to fit into the car and brought it home for further cuts.

Total costs depends on your design. I definately spent less than what I would have to get it custom made (from LFS or furniture shop), but then that wasn't my main idea - it's more 'fun' to DIY anyway (if you're the DIY type).

I'll share more details in the thread that I committed to posting on this. Hope I'll get round to it very soon...

[neverwalkalone]

Oh - forgot to add that you can get the woods from most shops that actually build furniture/supplies; I found a few at Industrial parks at AMK, Ubi and of course, Sungei Kadut!

[matt156c]

My 2 ft ADA style cabinet cost me $170 from a LFS. If you need the contact, PM me. Not sure if you DIY will save you any $$$.

Cheers

[ciaossu]

wow that's quite cheap, i was quoted for $5.50 a cut(run) =.=. i'm thinking of DIY a 2ft x 1.5ft tank cabinet and i've trouble deciding on the thickness of the wood. what would you recommend? thanks alot for sharing, hope you can create a thread and share with us as soon as possible =)

[neverwalkalone]

wow that's quite cheap...

I'm not sure if you're referring to brother Matt's $170 cabinet or the $1/cut as "cheap".. for a 2ft, it's about there, just under $200 for a plywood-laminate cabinet is what I've encountered too. For your 2ft x 1.5ft, I only know of East Ocean (Keong Seong @Havelock) that carries a 1.5ft width cabinet. Most 2ft ones are only 1ft wide.

If you're very firm on DIY, google search the various journals and you'll get a good idea of what it entails if you don't already know. I found all the info I needed that way. I ended with 18mm ply for my 3ft (for my 90cm x 45cm x 45cm "standard" CADE Optiwhite tank); though IMO 16mm ply would be just fine.

If you have all the tools/supplies (nails, woodglue etc) you need, you can definitely build the cabinet under S$200 - the 4ft x 8ft ply is only ~$35-38 (uncut), plus another S$20-38 for the laminate (depends on grade/colours/design), and door hinges @$2.50 each. I don't want to oversell the cost savings; DIY do end up costing more quite often....

I'll share more in my DIY post (ok, pressure building to get the post up)

[ciaossu]

I'm not sure if you're referring to brother Matt's $170 cabinet or the $1/cut as "cheap".. for a 2ft, it's about there, just under $200 for a plywood-laminate cabinet is what I've encountered too. For your 2ft x 1.5ft, I only know of East Ocean (Keong Seong @Havelock) that carries a 1.5ft width cabinet. Most 2ft ones are only 1ft wide.

If you're very firm on DIY, google search the various journals and you'll get a good idea of what it entails if you don't already know. I found all the info I needed that way. I ended with 18mm ply for my 3ft (for my 90cm x 45cm x 45cm "standard" CADE Optiwhite tank); though IMO 16mm ply would be just fine.

If you have all the tools/supplies (nails, woodglue etc) you need, you can definitely build the cabinet under S$200 - the 4ft x 8ft ply is only ~$35-38 (uncut), plus another S$20-38 for the laminate (depends on grade/colours/design), and door hinges @$2.50 each. I don't want to oversell the cost savings; DIY do end up costing more quite often....

I'll share more in my DIY post (ok, pressure building to get the post up)

sorry for causing the confusion, i was referring to your post. haha i shall post more question in your tread when it's up. =)

[neverwalkalone]

sorry for causing the confusion, i was referring to your post. haha i shall post more question in your tread when it's up. =)

Aiyo... Pressure Liao!

[ciaossu]

haha, no hurry man. just post when you feel like it. =D