Tank stand re-design.

[sammel88]

Hi There,
I have recently purchased this tank, quite the bargain actually. I would like to make some changes though. So Im wondering if any one has any hints. The idea I have is to sand it back and paint it in high gloss white. Any pointers on this would be helpful. The biggest challenge though is that I would like to build it into a cupboard. I went with a already built stand because I have little experience and wanted to be sure it would hold the weight but any ideas for changing it into a cupboard would be very much appreciated!

 

[Pooneil]

Painting should be fairly straight forward. I'm assuming that it is just woodstain and not varnished... either way, give the surface a light sanding to give a good key, remove any loose material, ideally give it a wipe over with some Methylated Spirits. I would then give it a coat of Zinsser B.I.N. Once that is dry give it another light sanding and you're ready to paint.

That design looks a bit prone to 'lateral stress', so making it in to a cupboard would only help. I would fix some board – 12mm MDF should be fine or 18mm off the same sheet as doors – to the back and sides, and to the front face of the two corner uprights, flush with the 'inside' face... if you see what I mean.

You then need some doors. Simplest would be two 'surface mounted' doors – these I would do in 18mm MDF – using concealed hinges (the type you normally get in kitchen cupboards).

You need a special drill bit for concealed hinges which you can buy for about £5. Or maybe 'Easy Mount' would be better. I've never used Easy Mount, so can't say anything about their quality etc.

Hope that helps.