Making a stand for an aquarium, how to do it yourself
The aquarium is considered to be a fairly popular design, allowing you to decorate the room and enjoy the beautiful view of beautiful and calm fish. It is important to provide him with proper care, and at the same time, it is definitely determined where the product will be located. It can be on the floor if it is large, but usually a small structure is acquired. For her, most often a stand is made under the aquarium with her own hands, since the purchased models have a high cost. With independent work, you can choose what material will be used, what dimensions the cabinet will have, and other important issues are also solved.
Content
The choice of materials and accessories
The manufacture of cabinets for an aquarium requires the preliminary creation of a drawing and an assessment of the requirements that apply to it. The aquarium is always filled with water, and it can contain from 100 to 300 liters of water, so the cabinet on which it will be installed should easily cope with such a significant load so that there is no possibility of falling.
Before creating such a cabinet, the requirements for it must be taken into account:
- must easily cope with the planned loads, so you should first decide whether an aquarium of 200 liters or more will be installed, and it is recommended to make a product that can withstand a little more load than the weight of the aquarium;
- there must be special reinforcing elements installed vertically under the lid, which ensures no sagging;
- if a large aquarium of 200 liters or more is selected, a metal frame is certainly made, which takes up most of the load from the structure;
- the attractive appearance of the bedside table is an important parameter, so it should fit well into the interior and have an interesting design.
The most popular materials for creating such a bedside table are chipboard, natural wood or MDF, and if the aquarium is too heavy, a special frame made of durable metal is additionally made.
If the capacity of the aquarium does not exceed 100 liters, then the use of plywood and wooden blocks is considered optimal, therefore, materials are prepared for work:
- wooden blocks;
- plywood, moreover, so that the cabinet for the aquarium turns out to be strong and durable, it is recommended to choose sheets with a thickness of 10 mm;
- self-tapping screws, and fasteners designed for working with wood are considered the best choice;
- waterproof paint, and you need to make sure that there are no harmful substances in the composition, since the product coated with this material will be used in a residential area;
- decorative rail;
- varnish and drying oil.
Often, even a bedside table designed for installing an aquarium is equipped with various additional elements, such as shelves or drawers, and in this case, you should choose high-quality, attractive and reliable accessories that will be convenient to use.
Drawing preparation
Before direct work, it is important to make a special drawing, according to which all stages of the process are implemented. If there are no skills in independently drawing up a drawing and diagram, then you can use special programs, and there is also the opportunity to find suitable ready-made drawings.
During the creation of the drawing, the basic questions regarding the future design are solved:
- dimensions, and they must be optimal so that you can easily install an aquarium of a certain shape and size on the product;
- shape, as it can be a standard curbstone or angular, as well as triangular, rectangular or asymmetric;
- height, and it is desirable to choose this parameter so that the process of cleaning and changing water in the aquarium is simple and does not require removing the product from the stand.
After the drawing is completely ready, you can begin the direct process of creating such a bedside table.
Parts preparation
How to make a curbstone under an aquarium? The procedure begins with the preparation of different parts of this design, which will then be attached to each other. The process of creating parts is divided into stages:
- in accordance with the drawing, patterns are applied to the paper, which are then carefully cut out;
- they are firmly attached to sheets of plywood or other material selected for this work;
- marking is applied to the material;
- Using a jigsaw or other tool, all details are cut out;
- stiffeners are prepared, which can be metal or wooden, and their height must be optimal for use, so they often have to be cut or sawed.
In the process of preparing parts, the previously made scheme is surely used to be sure of the absence of errors, and also to prevent distortions. To guarantee an ideal work result, it is recommended to take into account some expert advice:
- holes in the back wall will certainly be made through which electric cords and a hose will be connected to the aquarium, and this solution guarantees a neat design in which there will be no ugly details;
- stiffening ribs are certainly made, which are mounted along the entire length of the bedside table, and it is advisable to leave a distance of 40 cm between them, and their main purpose is to give the entire structure reliability, so even with significant loads it will not bend;
- a sufficiently large distance is left between the doors and the countertop, since if the bedside table still does not withstand serious pressure, a situation may arise when the top sags a bit, so you won’t even be able to open the door to gain access to the internal contents of this interior item;
- if you plan to install a really heavy aquarium, then it is advisable not to make legs for the stand and not attach it to the wheels, so it is installed on a hard and even surface on which a rubber mat or polystyrene is laid in advance;
- do-it-yourself pedestal for an aquarium is standardly equal in height from 60 to 70 cm.
To make the design not only durable, but also attractive, it is recommended to sheathe it with natural wood, plastic panels or other decorative materials.
Assembly
The next stage in creating an aquarium product is to assemble the elements obtained, which are components of the structure.This process is considered quite specific, therefore it is recommended to use the help of a second person, since it will take certain heavy objects to be kept on weight for a long time, and it is impossible to perform these actions alone.
The entire assembly process consists in the implementation of sequential actions:
- special grooves and ridges are prepared for the back wall, for which they are cut with a saw or an electric jigsaw;
- the same elements for fasteners are made in the bottom of the future bedside table, in its sides and cover;
- two parts of the upper corner of the back of the product are glued together, and the resulting workpiece will be mounted behind a special module designed to create high-quality illumination;
- the straps are pulled together with clamps, after which it is necessary to wait until they are completely dry;
- special socle bars are screwed to the bottom of the nightstand, and for their formation it is recommended to use high-quality and properly dried wooden bars, the thickness of which will be more than 40 mm, since the whole cabinet with a heavy aquarium will rest on them;
- plates designed to secure the middle cover are screwed to the inner sides of the side walls;
- the leading edges of each part must be installed so that they are level with the edge of the middle cover and the bottom of the product;
- then the inner central partition is taken, which is glued to the middle cover and bottom;
- the back wall is inserted into the corresponding groove of the bottom;
- one side wall is attached to the bottom, after which it is fixed to the middle cover, for which dowels and high-quality glue are used;
- the back wall is connected to the side using the existing grooves and spikes;
- a corner is attached to the top of the sidewall, for which dowels, mounted on glue, are also used;
- it is on this corner that the upper part of the product will rest;
- the second sidewall of the bedside table is attached in the same way;
- the following steps involve assembling the top box of the structure;
- It sets an interesting highlight;
- the resulting box is fixed to the bedside table, and for this it is recommended to use the piano hinges, as they make it possible in the future to simply tilt this box if necessary.
Thus, it is quite simple to build a special bedside table designed for an aquarium, and this process does not take much time if you approach it really responsibly. It is allowed to use other materials during operation, the procedure will be similar, but the methods for preparing different parts will differ.
Installation
The resulting bedside table, designed for an aquarium and having high strength and stability, must be correctly installed, for which it is important to determine the optimal location. Additionally, the site where this design will be located is certainly prepared. To do this, the following actions are performed:
- the place is carefully prepared, for which it is important to make sure that it is perfectly flat and resistant to high loads;
- the site is cleaned and leveled if necessary, since the presence of even minor transitions is not allowed;
- direct sunlight should not fall on the selected area of the room;
- the necessary equipment for the aquarium is purchased in advance, which includes a filter, compressor and heater;
- a rubber mat or other lining is placed on the prepared area, withstanding significant effects;
- the product is being installed.
Thus, it is important not only to take care of creating a quality nightstand, but also to prepare a place for its installation.
Door mounting
Often there are nightstands with drawers or compartments inside. To access them, you should make high-quality and easy-to-use doors. The whole process of their installation is divided into stages:
- blanks for doors are made, for which the purchase of a joinery is the best choice, and the size of the doors should correspond to the dimensions of the resulting blank;
- for loops, marking for the nests is applied;
- holes are made to fit the size;
- the doors are fixed to the hinges on the side of the nightstand, for which it is desirable to use four hinges;
- handles are attached to the doors, making them easy to open and close.
Doors can be created from other materials, and it is advisable to pay attention to their decoration, so that the facade of the nightstand looks really attractive and interesting.
Countertop
A special worktop can be placed on top of the bedside table, which can withstand severe influences and is easy to clean. It can be made of different materials:
- wooden will go well with the bedside table itself;
- glass provides an unsurpassed view of the entire structure;
- metal withstands significant impacts;
- plastic can be presented in different colors and shapes, but it is important to make sure that special high-quality plastic was used for its production.
The countertop can go a little beyond the borders of the obtained bedside table, which will add attractiveness and uniqueness to the design. Thus, it is quite simple to make a stand designed for installing an aquarium yourself. Photos of the finished results are located below, so it is possible to create a variety of designs that differ in dimensions, colors, internal contents and other parameters. In the production process, you can use different materials, and you do not need to use specific or complex tools. Due to independent work, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on getting a quality and reliable cabinet. This will result in a design that fits perfectly into the room and suits the tastes of homeowners.
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