Wouldn't call myself a woodworker per se, but I made a custom built-in
reddit.com/gallery/t47vro
reddit.comPosted Mar 1, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC
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reddit.comThe real crime here is how over and under sized the cubby for the TV is. Should have made it at least 18 inches wider.
The pro move would be making your TV look so small getting a nicely fitting one would become a priority that your SO would allow.
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The TV in there right now is a 65" and the cubby is just short of 6' wide. With that space we could go up to a 75" but I just got permission last year to buy the TV, so the wifey wouldn't allow it 8-)
Did plan for the future though
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Al ok good. I made mine and planned for 75” TV as well.
Hard to guess the size of the TV due to scale. I thought you had a 55” tv in there.
Enjoy the new built in!!
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The whole build looks really good, but I agree the proportions of the TV cubby are distracting. Given that most TVs are roughly a 16:9 ratio I would have preferred something a little closer to that. He could also put a little strip of wood under the TV to hide the cables.
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Exposed cords after all that work? You could hide those pretty easy with a little piece of cable run painted to match the wall.
Even better but a lot more work would be a false back on the tv cubby that you could fish all your wires through.
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Good eye! I jumped the gun with the pics. I still have a couple more cables to run and I bought a conduit for the cables that will contain them all when done. I hate wires just as much as anyone else.
I also cut an access hole in the back of the counter that gets filled with a piece of the same size that can be removed and provides access for future runs as well.
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Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I know they can be a pain the ass, but it’s so satisfying when they’re all tucked away nicely.
Also, great build. I love built ins like this. Makes the space feel so much more complete and cozy.
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Agreed! When we bought the house we found that wall just lacking with a basic entertainment stand. It really transformed the space nicely and is super cozy now.
Even though it's electric, my daughter is already excited for next XMAS lol
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Haha. Electric is ok. I had to move the stockings away from our fireplace when Santa came so that the candy didn’t melt.
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That piece of romex hanging down in your basement is bothering me...
Awesome job on the built-ins though!
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if you saw my basement you'd probably die (from horror, nothing sinister)
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Hah! You know... i've never noticed that until now. The house is brand new and we took possession in December. Haven't spent much time in the basement but will likely finish it in the summer. Now to go and secure that wire... 8-)
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What fireplace is that? I looked at one at menards that needed to be mounted on surface not recessed like yours. I’m looking to install like you did. Thanks
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The one we went with is a Kennedy Paramount II that I ordered from Costco in Canada. We looked at a few different models, but settled on this one because it allowed a for a recessed mount and had very little bevel around it. Some of the others we looked at had 4-5" of bevel and I didn't want that much black space
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Awesome thanks.
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Coming from someone who owns a high end custom cabinet shop, for not being a woodworker I’d say you did great! A few things I would have done differently but not even worth mentioning. Great job and great potential for future projects!
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Thanks! That means a lot. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless to start this project. With the price of the wood and cutting into a brand new wall my anxiety was through the roof.
Out of curiosity, if you don't mind... What would you have done differently? I learned a ton during this project (i.e didn't event know face framing was a thing before I started) and would love to learn more.
One thing I did toss around was how to do the shelving. I read some pieces about using a dado to inset the shelving to provide better support, but I wasn't all that comfortable with that and went with pockets instead since nothing of real weight is ever going to go on those shelves.
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I made a bookshelf/desk combination and used dados. I have always regretted that decision because I later wanted to move the shelves and now I can't.
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I was literally about to type this as one of the things I would have done differently. I do adjustable shelving in all of my living room built in units.
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Looks great dude! Awesome job
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Nice!
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Well done! Am jealous!
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Is that a real (gas) fireplace? I assume it is. Very cool.
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Nope! That is electric. It does have a heat function, but I doubt we will use that often.
More just for the aesthetic and give the space a cozy feeling.
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Oh! Even better. Now I really want one.
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This looks exactly like what I want to do. Did you get plans online or work it out yourself?
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I planned this out myself for the space I had. The entire thing is 12' wide X 9' tall.
Before I started the project I looked online for some samples and read through a lot of them. Youtube also has a lot of good videos that will give you the overall idea of the work that needs to be done.
From there, I drew a rough idea on paper for a general idea and then created a Sketchup plan with all of the measurements I needed. Sketchup was great because it allowed me to ensure I had all of my measurements correct and identify anything I wanted to change before starting any cuts.
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That's really helpful thanks. I'll have to try and get my head around sketchup. I have tried a few times but it never clicked. Thanks.
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What type of wood did you use? I means is it particle board or MDF? I need to make similar type of this. But not sure. Should go for MDF or Particle boards. Thanks.
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This is made from 3/4" Baltic Birch plywood, framing lumber, and Poplar for face framing.
You could prob use MDF for this, but I always find that way to messy to work with. I wouldn't use particle board though. Not sure that would hold the structure all that well
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That's awesome! Put some ither
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Did the ikea cabinets already have painted doors, and did you just match the colour for the rest?
I worked in a cabinet shop that works with melamine and am starting my own shop but this sub makes me really want to venture into wood. I’m going to be building a similar unit to yours and I think I’ll make it my first venture into plywood. What did you use to paint it all?
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The Ikea doors were painted - you can actually see the door leaning against the wall in one of the last pics. They only had the grey in stock, so I bought that and gave them a light sand. From there I primed with Zinser Bin primer that has good adhesion and coverage and then painted it all the same as the wall colour (Benjamin Moore Latex)
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How did you attach the poplar to the ply?
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Those are attached using glue and a Brad nails. Then the gaps are filled with wood filler and sanded smooth
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You’re gonna regret this buddy! In 15 years when we’re watching tv on bubbles you’re gonna feel preeeeetty stupid!
jk great job!
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Most of this is from scratch except for the cabinets and doors. I bought 2 Ikea Sektion base cabinets (36X15) and then the doors that match that. I am no cabinet maker, so this made things much easier.
I then bought sheets of baltic birch plywood and framing lumber in 2X4 and 2X6 for all of the framing work (bottom platform and fireplace insert). Then I faced the shelving in poplar by ripping 1X4 strips in half and cutting to size.
I would say the overall difficulty of the project wasn't that bad. Just make sure you have a good plan in place before you start as that saved me a ton of headaches that I wouldn't have accounted for otherwise
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Great job on the cabinets. Cringe on the electric fireplace. :( (I’m in the fireplace industry lol).
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Thanks! Yeah, I get that 100%
I would have loved to have a gas one in there, but that was a bit too much for us
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I'd call you a woodworker for sure.
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Hah! Thanks! This was the first project of this size I have ever taken on. In the past I've made a couple of tables from framing lumber, but that's pretty much it
yep. wood seems pretty worked to me.
Yep, he’s definitely graduated to team woodworker. Wear the label with pride u/Digonator.