DIY Canopy And Stand

[jgoal55]

Is there a specific type of wood you all use? Treated? Untreated? etc.

 

[wbrown]

treated wood will not finish the same as kiln dried 'regular' wood due to the lack of time between the chemical processor and the store you'd buy from, and the overall moisture content.
3/4" plywood will support a pretty impressive amount of weight when assembled into a cabinet. Properly sealing and finishing the interior and exterior of the cabinet will have as much benefit as using treated wood by virtue of not allowing moisture to enter the wood.

 

[ryanh487]

i've read that treated wood is actually treated for bug prevention, not water damage, and i know from handling treated lumber that it does not seem to be as straight or perfect as a lot of non-treated wood. putting 2-3 coats of kilz primer on the inside of the stand and then staining the outside and coating over that with 2-3 layers of clear coat should take care of any water-proofing issues. you may also want to design the base of the stand to hold a few extra gallons of water in the event of a sump overflow and either seal the seams or just put some pond liner down to provide a 2-3" deep resevoir in the stand. pond liner degrades in salt water, but only after years of submersion, not from occasional spills.

 

[jgoal55]

Thanks guys....I like the pond liner idea and was actually thinking of something like that but wasnt sure how.

So basically, you guys are saying to use untreated wood right? and then make sure that it's finished well.

 

[wbrown]

pond liner is a good idea, or you can look for commercial construction sites using rubber roofing (most) and score a few stray pieces for free.
EPDM pond liner and EPDM roofing is the same product, different color on top.
Shower pan liner from Home depot is the same product too BTW; just buy what you need and seal joints with a little contact cement.
Untreated wood is the ticket, seal either with clear or paint all edges to make waterproof.
If you are using paint, just get some laquer sanding sealer and apply, sand, then paint over it. If you stain, stain, sand, apply sanding sealer, then topcoat with clear.
Just get everywhere.

 

[grouper therapy]

Treated lumber is pressurized to different levels for different applications. The treatment is actually a fungicide. Water does not rot wood but the fungus that it breeds will. Treated lumber is not a product designed for finish work. It is highly unstable so far as warping.

 

[jgoal55]

awesome....good to know guys. thanks so much.