# DIY ADA Stand



## Hoppy

How much will this cost, including the formica? My guess is about $75-$100. But, it will be a higher quality than most purchased stands, and can be just the color and size you want. Plus, the satisfaction of making it is a big factor.


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## gotplants

Formica was $67 for an 8x4 sheet. They don't have grey at most large stores like Home Depot in my area but I was luckily able to get the grey shade I wanted at a wholesale supplier that had pretty much any color available. The higher quality plywood was around $40-$50 for 2 sheets. The contact cement was around $15.


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## James (Western Canada)

That looks like good quality plywood. The stuff they sold me was "good one side".....should really be called "one side not as bad as the other". Good job it was going to get covered in Formica/arborite, as it would have been a TON of work to get it nice enough for paint on the outside.

Anyways, nice work! 

James


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## Hoppy

This is a very good instructive post showing just how simple a stand can be made, but still look like an expensive one bought from an ADA supplier. I'm looking forward to next steps in the construction.


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## vincenz

This looks great, want to see how it looks like after it's all covered up.


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## sc91006

Excellent post, looking forward to more updates.


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## GraphicGr8s

Looks nice. Couple of things I noticed. You have all butt joints, no dadoes to support the bottom shelf all the way around. Also no glue I can see just the screws to hold it together. I've also never really seen a stand with a toe kick. Except for the "fun" of it would it have been cheaper to just buy a kitchen/bath cabinet?


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## vincenz

GraphicGr8s said:


> Looks nice. Couple of things I noticed. You have all butt joints, no dadoes to support the bottom shelf all the way around. Also no glue I can see just the screws to hold it together. I've also never really seen a stand with a toe kick. Except for the "fun" of it would it have been cheaper to just buy a kitchen/bath cabinet?


You mean to say you don't brush your teeth in your aquarium??? :icon_surp


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## sockfish

Sleek and clean looking. Nice job!

sox


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## gotplants

GraphicGr8s said:


> Looks nice. Also no glue I can see just the screws to hold it together. I've also never really seen a stand with a toe kick. Except for the "fun" of it would it have been cheaper to just buy a kitchen/bath cabinet?


There is glue supporting everything. Holes were screwed where the screws will be placed. Then the pieces were glued together and screwed in to hold. I didn't have any clamps so the screws sort of acted like clamps. 

Also, if you look at the ADA stand, there is a toe kick on it. People usually just put a piece of plywood under the stand. Without the toe kick, the door would have a hard time opening properly, especially on carpet because the door is supposed to go down all the way to the end of the stand. 

I'm not sure if it would have been cheaper or not to buy a kitchen cabinet but I wanted an ADA style stand. I don't think they make kitchen cabinets looking like ADA stands..


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## gotplants

Updated today!


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## GraphicGr8s

gotplants said:


> There is glue supporting everything. Holes were screwed where the screws will be placed. Then the pieces were glued together and screwed in to hold. I didn't have any clamps so the screws sort of acted like clamps.
> 
> Also, if you look at the ADA stand, there is a toe kick on it. People usually just put a piece of plywood under the stand. Without the toe kick, the door would have a hard time opening properly, especially on carpet because the door is supposed to go down all the way to the end of the stand.
> 
> I'm not sure if it would have been cheaper or not to buy a kitchen cabinet but I wanted an ADA style stand. I don't think they make kitchen cabinets looking like ADA stands..


Sorry. When I first posted I didn't see wood glue on your list. I saw the contact cement but not wood glue. And lo and behold there it is on the right side of your build in the very first photo. Did you change that photo? 

Yeah I had to google ADA style stand to see what it looks like. Basically just a simple, nondescript box. No embellishment whatsoever.


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## wastedtime

Great job on the stand. I really like it , the toe kick was a nice addition.


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## gotplants

GraphicGr8s said:


> Sorry. When I first posted I didn't see wood glue on your list. And lo and behold there it is on the right side of your build in the very first photo. Did you change that photo?


Yeah, I added wood glue on the list when you mentioned it haha. I forgot to put it there. And no, the picture was there since I first put this thread up.


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## GraphicGr8s

gotplants said:


> Yeah, I added wood glue on the list when you mentioned it haha. I forgot to put it there. And no, the picture was there since I first put this thread up.


Don't know how I missed it. It says Titebond right there on the stupid bottle. 

Not my style of stand but it looks like a good build. I hate anything formica. Only thing I would suggest is to add a cleat on the underside of the bottom shelf. Just glue it and screw it. It will give added strength that's not there now.


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## gotplants

That's a good idea. I was a bit worried of the tank falling over due to the toe kick because the stand won't be nailed to the back of the wall. I tried leaning on the front and stuff to see if it would move/tip and it didn't so far.


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## sayurasem

I have some question, I'm planning to make diy stand for my mr. aqua 12 gallon long.

I have everything drawn, so I will be having 2 doors because of its length.
I would like the stand to be 36L x 9W x maybe 30 H? something like that, still thinking how tall the stand should be... I'm only 5'8"

So question on "higher" quality plywood? may I know the difference?
Sorry, very noobie here on carpentering... never took wood shop on middle/ high scool D:


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## gotplants

30 inches is standard for everything, including bathroom counters and stuff. My stand is 30 inches including the toe kick I created. Even if your tank was a 55 gallon, the stand would ideally be 30 inches tall imo. But anyway, as for plywood quality, the lower quality plywood is usually warped and the higher quality is more straight. When getting plywood, try going for furniture grade plywood because it's more dense.


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## GraphicGr8s

sayurasem said:


> I have some question, I'm planning to make diy stand for my mr. aqua 12 gallon long.
> 
> I have everything drawn, so I will be having 2 doors because of its length.
> I would like the stand to be 36L x 9W x maybe 30 H? something like that, still thinking how tall the stand should be... I'm only 5'8"
> 
> So question on "higher" quality plywood? may I know the difference?
> Sorry, very noobie here on carpentering... never took wood shop on middle/ high school D:


Higher quality plywood is smooth both sides. The outside veneers are usually a hardwood. My library is oak both sides. The interior plys have no voids so when you cut it you're not going to see anything but plywood. It also has more plys to it making it more dimensionally stable. Even in quality plywood there is different grades which mostly pertain to how the top veneer was cut. You can get rotary which is the cheapest. It's like unrolling the log like a roll of paper towels. You can get rift sawn and also quartersawn. 

Regular plywood is usually pine. You can count on voids in the plys and patches in the top veneer. Also there will usually be 3-5 plys. One side will be sanded. Usually.

The big box stores won't (at least none of the ones near me do) carry a plywood labeled "Furniture Grade" Just get the hardwood (oak, or birch) It works fine. Here it's about $45 per sheet.

If you want a really smooth wood for putting formica on try MDF.


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## AaronT

GraphicGr8s said:


> If you want a really smooth wood for putting formica on try MDF.


I know a lot of people have used it, but I'd worry about moisture around MDF. I would think a marine grade plywood would be ideal, but perhaps overkill.

Nice build on the stand.


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## GraphicGr8s

AaronT said:


> I know a lot of people have used it, but I'd worry about moisture around MDF. I would think a marine grade plywood would be ideal, but perhaps overkill.
> 
> Nice build on the stand.


Marine grade plywood isn't necessary at all. 


MDF stands up to the elements. Most of the signs you see around are painted on it. And they're outdoors. Norm even built a mailbox post out of it on NYW. Don't confuse it with particle board.


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## carpalstunna

If you are concerned about moisture, there is a product called CPES. I use it alot in boatbuilding applications. It will waterproof any kind of wood. Its an epoxy/solvent mix that soaks into the wood and waterproofs it. 

Also marine grade ply is a rip, anyone who has done marine work knows that exterior grade ply with CPES will outlast marine by 20 years. Its just marketing anything marine is more expensive, marine ply is no more waterproof than regular ply it just has fewer knots and voids in it where water can sit.


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## aquanut-john

GraphicGr8s said:


> Marine grade plywood isn't necessary at all.
> 
> 
> MDF stands up to the elements. Most of the signs you see around are painted on it. And they're outdoors. Norm even built a mailbox post out of it on NYW. Don't confuse it with particle board.


0

I think you might be mistaken. Norm (New Yankee Workshop) uses MDO, NOT MDF. 
MDO is Medium Density Overlay. MDO is a plywood with resin impregnated paper surface. It's mostly waterproof and very smooth. Works well outside. 
MDF is a wood flour and resin mix. Not waterproof. If water sits on it, it will swell up and fall apart.

MDO is usually only available at a specialty wood supplier. MDF you can get at any big box hardware store.

MDO cost 3 to 5 times MDF!

Only one letter different (O vs. F) but really different stuff.


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## GraphicGr8s

aquanut-john said:


> 0
> 
> I think you might be mistaken. Norm (New Yankee Workshop) uses MDO, NOT MDF.
> MDO is Medium Density Overlay. MDO is a plywood with resin impregnated paper surface. It's mostly waterproof and very smooth. Works well outside.
> MDF is a wood flour and resin mix. Not waterproof. If water sits on it, it will swell up and fall apart.
> 
> MDO is usually only available at a specialty wood supplier. MDF you can get at any big box hardware store.
> 
> MDO cost 3 to 5 times MDF!
> 
> Only one letter different (O vs. F) but really different stuff.


I both stand and sit corrected! Listen, I can't be right 100% of the time.

Note to self: No more errors until 2013.


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## Hoppy

GraphicGr8s said:


> I both stand and sit corrected! Listen, I can't be right 100% of the time.
> 
> Note to self: No more errors until 2013.


You were right in the first place. MDF isn't waterproof any more than wood is. But,it doesn't swell up when wet. I have used it indoors and out with no problems. Wood trim for exteriors is MDF. Most wood strip siding is MDF. I have use MDF for tomato stakes and it didn't swell even though it was damp or wet all summer. 

The problems with MDF are that it will take a permanent set if it is stored so it is bent in any way, I doesn't hold ordinary screws very well at all, and most of the tensile strength is in the hard surface layer, so some joints won't work well. You can't use a piece of 3/4 inch thick MDF as a shelf unless it is supported every foot or so, or it will permanently sag. But, if the load on a MDF part is all vertical it is as strong as most wood. If you cut a groove across a MDF panel (for a tongue and groove joint, for example) the panel is very weak in bending at the groove location.

About high quality plywood: oak veneered plywood can be as poor quality as non furniture grade plywood, and the veneer is only about .010 inch thick, so it adds no strength at all. Birch veneered plywood is far superior if you plan to paint it, since the wood doesn't have large pores like oak does. Birch plywood made of all birch plies is the best there is - often referred to as Finish Birch Plywood (from Finland) or Baltic Birch Plywood (from the Baltic States) or Russian Birch Plywood, the cheapest I have found.


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## GraphicGr8s

Hoppy said:


> About high quality plywood: oak veneered plywood can be as poor quality as non furniture grade plywood, and the veneer is only about .010 inch thick, so it adds no strength at all. Birch veneered plywood is far superior if you plan to paint it, since the wood doesn't have large pores like oak does. Birch plywood made of all birch plies is the best there is - often referred to as Finish Birch Plywood (from Finland) or Baltic Birch Plywood (from the Baltic States) or Russian Birch Plywood, the cheapest I have found.


I would say that poor quality oak/birch, etc plywood is the exception not the rule though. I've bought from both a specialty lumberyard and the BBS. 90% of the time the stuff from the BBS is just fine. No. You're not going to get the quartersawn stuff. But the amount of plys and the lack of voids in the plys is still good. I've yet to run into a void in any of the BBS stuff.

Oak, whether plywood or solid would need to be filled. Especially if you want an ultra high gloss, super smooth finish. But that is true of mahogany and other woods also.

Yes. You need to be careful when sanding plywood. You can sand through the top veneer.

Finnish Baltic Birch.

We now return you to your irregularly scheduled programming. Hi Jack over.


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## salmon

very nicely done. great design!


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## Hoppy

What are your secrets for handling that floppy fragile sheet of formica? I had more trouble with that than anything else when using formica. All it takes is a minor slip and the stuff breaks.


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## gotplants

I didn't have any problem with the formica sheets breaking. The formica can be rolled up and all but if you bend it to a certain point, that's when it breaks.


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## gotplants

The stand is finally finished today. I'll be posting up pictures soon.. Also got a DIY Garden Mat haha.


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## gotplants

UPDATED!! Finished stand!!


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## gotplants

Filled up the tank. 



CAUTION - Do not make a toe kick!! The front of the tank is really unstable because of it.. Since it was the first diy stand I made, there were many mistakes, this being the biggest one. When building an ADA stand, build it normally and put a 3/4" piece of plywood underneath so the door will be able to open. Don't make the toe kick! I now have to put a piece of wood to support the front end in case the thing gets shaken so it doesn't fall and create a huge disaster..


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## GraphicGr8s

gotplants said:


> Filled up the tank.
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7100019051/
> 
> 
> CAUTION - Do not make a toe kick!! The front of the tank is really unstable because of it.. Since it was the first diy stand I made, there were many mistakes, this being the biggest one. When building an ADA stand, build it normally and put a 3/4" piece of plywood underneath so the door will be able to open. Don't make the toe kick! I now have to put a piece of wood to support the front end in case the thing gets shaken so it doesn't fall and create a huge disaster..


I don't think the toe kick is the problem. Kitchen/bath type cabinets have toe kicks and they are stable. I have had no problem with tanks on top of them. I'd look into the surface you have the tank on. Rug? Or the way your cabinet sits on the flooring. If you actually look at a cabinet most of them have to be shimmed so the cabinet isn't really sitting on the flooring with all four sides touching.


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## prototyp3

gotplants said:


> When building an ADA stand, build it normally and put a 3/4" piece of plywood underneath so the door will be able to open. Don't make the toe kick!


That's how ADA toe kicks are made. Not sure where you got the design/dimensions for your version, but it is significantly different than ADA's.


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## Jason Baliban

gotplants said:


> *Do what this guy did -* http://www.projectaquarium.com/plantedAquariumArticles_ADAAquariumStand.aspx


Smart guy, that guy.

jB


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## jcgd

This is the bottom of my ADA sand built to ADA specs. How could it possibly be unstable? The bottom right pic shows the reveal and the door goes against the edge forming the final reveal where you can see it lacking.


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## gotplants

I think kitchen and bath sinks don't fall forward like that because they're pretty much stuck to the wall. The door is pretty heavy on the ADA stand and when I opened the door and tilted it to the front a bit, it would fall forward. This is what happened when there was nothing on it. Thankfully the stand doesn't fall forward now that the tanks weight is on top of it..


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## gotplants

prototyp3 said:


> That's how ADA toe kicks are made. Not sure where you got the design/dimensions for your version, but it is significantly different than ADA's.


I thought the ADA stand were made with a toe kick like that. I pretty much just went by this and some printings of jB's stand : http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_25_45&products_id=339

If you compare that stand with mine, the bottom area looks kind of similar so I thought I was on the right track. The stand seemed to be fine and stable with it until the door was added.


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## jcgd

Maybe it's simply the weight of the door. You've got the general idea, just the ADA stands have 3/4" reveal around the whole bottom, but he front reveal is created when the door is added. From the pics it looks like you added the reveal at the front, and now the door makes another. 

Whateva, it looks good anyway! As long as it stand upright... Otherwise the logistics of tank maintanence could be interesting.


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## AaronT

gotplants said:


> I think kitchen and bath sinks don't fall forward like that because they're pretty much stuck to the wall. The door is pretty heavy on the ADA stand and when I opened the door and tilted it to the front a bit, it would fall forward. This is what happened when there was nothing on it. Thankfully the stand doesn't fall forward now that the tanks weight is on top of it..


I've seen an ADA stand in person and the doors themselves are very light. I suspect they are hollow core.


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## gotplants

I finally put a tool rack in my stand after a month haha.. It's an 18' magnetic holder that I got on sale for $4.00. Instead of screwing in the tool rack, I simply put some double sided tape on each end and the middle. It's not going anywhere and it was a lot quicker and easier.


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## sayurasem

Smart idea!


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## sayurasem

hmmm update maybe hehe


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## pandamonium

i build a stand similar to ADA. maybe i should call it ADA inspired haha. i didnt use a toe kick and it stands well. im on carpeting though so its a little shakier but nothing too bad. nice stand!


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## fplata

You can always use a small strap and anchor the stand to the wall. I guess that is the prudent thing to do if you have kids


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## alphabeta

what hinges did you use? What overlay?


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