Custom stand diy question

[Hunt3r]

Im in a process of having my stand built. No experience of diy my own. My tank with be 36x18 and im thinking my stand would be 48 long 20 inch wide. Then my problem is the wood finish. My wife wants a rustic finish and i dont care as long as it holds the tank securely. Can you use laminate floorings like pergo for the finish instead of staining it? I was thinking subframe then ply wood then sticking the laminate over the plywood.

 

[trido]

Most laminate flooring wont hold up very long to the amount of water our stands are subject to. The seems might hold up if you glue them but any end cut that is not sealed will swell up like press board trim in a very short time. If you're having the stand built, why not skin it with a wood that matches your tastes? Hickory or Knotty Pine will both look plenty rustic.

 

[Greybeard]

As long as it's smooth, I don't see why not.

I like 'shelf' type stands, that extend out past the tank. My current tank has a foot wide shelf around 3 sides.

Note that the tank footprint needs to be considered in stand construction. You need support under the edges of the tank. Without it, you're going to get sag in the top.

 

[Hunt3r]

Ok. Make sense. Ill have someone built it. It’s just the wood finish we are having problem. I didnt think about the end part how to deal with it.

 

[OCD420]

Im in a process of having my stand built. No experience of diy my own. My tank with be 36x18 and im thinking my stand would be 48 long 20 inch wide. Then my problem is the wood finish. My wife wants a rustic finish and i dont care as long as it holds the tank securely. Can you use laminate floorings like pergo for the finish instead of staining it? I was thinking subframe then ply wood then sticking the laminate over the plywood.

You could do that so long as you install them vertically, have a top/bottom trim board, and use liquid nail to adhere them to whatever sub finish you decide on(1/4” total width minimum advised)... otherwise they will either sag or bow away from the stand over time.
There are literally hundreds of ways that you can achieve the rustic finish... you could just frame it with 1X4’s ran vertically, horizontally, or even diagonal if you want to increase the difficulty level.
You could lay down a layer of Luan and then finish nail/glue lath boards to it... this would be the easiest/cheapest method as you could do it with just a hammer and a utility knife(although I’d recommend using a cheap mitre box for cleaner cuts)... otherwise just score the cutline and snap.
Your best bet is to go to HD or Lowe’s and play in the molding and lumber isles... lay some stuff down and see what you like, I promise that you will know it when you see it.

 

[reefwiser]

What I have used is back splash from Home Depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fasade-...Wall-Panel-in-Brushed-Nickel-S67-29/202958334
This is PVC it is secured with industrial velcro to the stand easy to remove when working on the sump under the tank.