DIY projects thread

IMG_20200523_165551.jpg


New shelf in the kitchen to free up a cupboard. Made from a double layer of 18mm birch ply.
 
Done loads of projects around the house, but this is one of my favourites and always catches peoples eye when they come to the house.

Scaffold boards were free, the stain cost me £2 from a local place that re-cycles part tins and the brackets were £30 ish from ebay.

Beer pump I already had :)

1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
5.jpg
 
My latest job, a garden planter for the mrs. Knocked this together this afternoon with some reclaimed timber from my dad. Tomorrows job paint it.
IMG_20200524_182129.jpg
 
Just secured some free pallets but they’re at work and not sure I’ll be back in for quite some time!
where do people secure reclaimed wood?
 
I'm based on construction sites, rummaging in the waste timber skip is my new lunch hobby, the company i'm currently contracted with have a couple of live sites around my home town so i've tapped the site managers up to put to one side any decent pallets, rather than skip them.
 
Just secured some free pallets but they’re at work and not sure I’ll be back in for quite some time!
where do people secure reclaimed wood?
Apart from my dad, no idea. Although I got a big pallet when I had some doors delivered, which I wanted to use with a sheet of mdf on top to make a work bench but the mrs didnt want me keeping scrap wood or making a work bench due to dust in garage when doing any wood work :(
 
Nothing special here, but just tidied up my new mini-mancave in our loft conversion. Wanted my PS4, PSVR and other bits all nicely stowed away and cables hidden. Just needs a lick of paint.

IMG_4437.JPG


IMG_4436.JPG
 
Just secured some free pallets but they’re at work and not sure I’ll be back in for quite some time!
where do people secure reclaimed wood?
Take a ride around (Or a run, just exercising Guv'nor!) some local industrial estates, companies have stuff delivered in on pallets all the time, some they may re-use, some they may just want rid of, but Ask first! just a polite "Hi, I'm trying to keep myself busy while currently off work, I noticed you have some pallets outside, do you re-use them, or could I possibly beg a couple from you for recycling purposes?"
Odds on are a blunt No, but nothing asked nothing gained, right?

Next option: Local builds/extensions etc etc, if it's a small building co. they'll have to organise a skip to get rid of the usual crud that accumulates as the build goes on, and as they get stuff delivered, bricks, blocks, whatever, they'll also have an ever increasing amount of pallets to get rid of, guess where they go? correct, the skip, and they take up far more room in volume than the actual material it's comprised of, so any builder will bite your hand off at you willing to get rid of it for them for free! Again, Ask first! Final point on this one, pallets laden with heavy duty stuff like bricks are usually much newer, and also considerably better quality than the everyday kind that are used for transporting light-weight stuff.

There's also Nextdoor, just a couple of weeks ago, a neighbour on my local group asked if anyone had any pallets going free, within an hour someone got back to them saying the Co. he works for had loads they needed rid of, he even posted pics bless him, all good quality decent wood, and the best bit is, he asked if the neighbour would be home when he finished work, so he could drop off the pallets! :thumbsup:

Be careful also, you don't want any pallets that have been painted/sprayed red/blue/green whatever, these are food grade, or chemicals, or whatever nasty you can imagine. These grades of pallets (from memory) are always re-used. Thats a definite No-no!
 
I'd never really done any DIY before getting my own place 5 and a bit years ago, it's been a bit of a steep learning curve.

First job was to add an Led strip underneath the bannister (with the cable fished into the stud wall for a seamless look) to allow drunken me to navigate the stairs.
IMG_20160718_000024.jpg


Then I needed somewhere to throw my keys. Modified Ikea Lack shelves to perfectly fit the space. Since turned into a Lego Space shrine.
IMG_20200524_181359.jpg


Next was the garden. Ripped down this fence
IMAG0319.jpg

And built this one to just hide the oil tank and bins.
IMAG0024.jpg

Since then, I've fitted artificial grass and most recently removed the trees.
IMG_20200524_212054.jpg

Used a couple of decking boards for the border as B&Q didn't have any of the proper ones.

Every home needs some sort of bar. 2 Ikea Besta units screwed together with a solid wood worktop glued on.
IMG_20181223_130221.jpg


Home "office" space. Two Ikea Besta units with a worktop plonked on top (starting to notice a bit of a pattern here). Shelf made from a simple furniture board and a couple of L brackets.
IMG_20200524_181727.jpg
IMG_20200524_181727.jpg


That brings us onto the living room.
IMG_20181223_135120.jpg

IMG_20181223_135203.jpg

Too many bits in here to list them all but includes a 100+kg subwoofer and a baffle wall setup with pelmet/bass trap all the way round the room. I'm particularly proud of the skinny tables I made for each side of the sofa.
IMG_20181223_135155.jpg

The wood is offcuts from the bar worktop, legs are cut down curtain poles. They're a bit unstable on a carpeted floor tbh due to the height/width ratio, but are perfect for holding the essentials :beer:
 
My recent big job was "tidying" the garage which got a bit out of hand.
From this:
IMAG0281.jpg

To this:
IMG_20200524_181121.jpg

PVC wall paneling, Ikea kitchen corner units with the now obligatory worktop, LED lights, permanently plumbed in power washer and compressor in the lower corner unit. The only thing I didn't do was fit the vinyl floor, but I did help the guy doing it. The workbench is not quite finished yet.
 
I'd never really done any DIY before getting my own place 5 and a bit years ago, it's been a bit of a steep learning curve.

First job was to add an Led strip underneath the bannister (with the cable fished into the stud wall for a seamless look) to allow drunken me to navigate the stairs.
View attachment 1305626

Then I needed somewhere to throw my keys. Modified Ikea Lack shelves to perfectly fit the space. Since turned into a Lego Space shrine.
View attachment 1305625

Next was the garden. Ripped down this fence
View attachment 1305633
And built this one to just hide the oil tank and bins.
View attachment 1305634
Since then, I've fitted artificial grass and most recently removed the trees.
View attachment 1305639
Used a couple of decking boards for the border as B&Q didn't have any of the proper ones.

Every home needs some sort of bar. 2 Ikea Besta units screwed together with a solid wood worktop glued on.
View attachment 1305644

Home "office" space. Two Ikea Besta units with a worktop plonked on top (starting to notice a bit of a pattern here). Shelf made from a simple furniture board and a couple of L brackets.
View attachment 1305645View attachment 1305645

That brings us onto the living room.
View attachment 1305646
View attachment 1305649
Too many bits in here to list them all but includes a 100+kg subwoofer and a baffle wall setup with pelmet/bass trap all the way round the room. I'm particularly proud of the skinny tables I made for each side of the sofa.
View attachment 1305650
The wood is offcuts from the bar worktop, legs are cut down curtain poles. They're a bit unstable on a carpeted floor tbh due to the height/width ratio, but are perfect for holding the essentials :beer:
You have a keen eye Sir, if these are your baby steps into the world of DIY Woodworking, then we'll all need to get up to speed PDQ! Well done!

Edit: Oh, now I see the workshop! :thumbsup:
 
Take a ride around (Or a run, just exercising Guv'nor!) some local industrial estates, companies have stuff delivered in on pallets all the time, some they may re-use, some they may just want rid of, but Ask first! just a polite "Hi, I'm trying to keep myself busy while currently off work, I noticed you have some pallets outside, do you re-use them, or could I possibly beg a couple from you for recycling purposes?"
Odds on are a blunt No, but nothing asked nothing gained, right?

Next option: Local builds/extensions etc etc, if it's a small building co. they'll have to organise a skip to get rid of the usual crud that accumulates as the build goes on, and as they get stuff delivered, bricks, blocks, whatever, they'll also have an ever increasing amount of pallets to get rid of, guess where they go? correct, the skip, and they take up far more room in volume than the actual material it's comprised of, so any builder will bite your hand off at you willing to get rid of it for them for free! Again, Ask first! Final point on this one, pallets laden with heavy duty stuff like bricks are usually much newer, and also considerably better quality than the everyday kind that are used for transporting light-weight stuff.

There's also Nextdoor, just a couple of weeks ago, a neighbour on my local group asked if anyone had any pallets going free, within an hour someone got back to them saying the Co. he works for had loads they needed rid of, he even posted pics bless him, all good quality decent wood, and the best bit is, he asked if the neighbour would be home when he finished work, so he could drop off the pallets! :thumbsup:

Be careful also, you don't want any pallets that have been painted/sprayed red/blue/green whatever, these are food grade, or chemicals, or whatever nasty you can imagine. These grades of pallets (from memory) are always re-used. Thats a definite No-no!
All great ideas! I’ve just remembered a shipping company round the corner that has a big pile of pallets they offer out for free. I’ll take a look next time I’m passing.
Also a couple of extensions being built nearby too. Thanks!
 
So my prototype glass shelf lighting failed, as the led is shining through the glass shelf as a single light as opposed to illuminating the whole edge. This, I have found is due to front / rear edge being polished. The side edges are not (appear frosted), and if i try the light from the side, the opposite edge illuminates.

So I am looking at using an etching solution on the front edge of the glass. Has anyone used this before? Does it work well or is there a better option?
 
Painting nearly finished. Lining papered on the right hand wall down the stairs done. Wallpapering over the lining paper next then a new carpet (which I won’t diy)😁
F4883E5B-3571-4CCA-ACA6-A09C68FD1EAC.jpeg
 
Summerhouse almost finished today

Just a couple of little jobs to get done tomorrow

12’ x 14’ Summerhouse is from a local company
Tyvek wrap
40mm foiled kingspan for walls
25mm kingspan for floor
18mm moisture resistant chipboard sub-floor
Plasterboard
7 double sockets
WiFi controllable light switch
Electric panel heater
Paint
Laminate floor

Started in October last year. Not helped by the wettest winter ever!

FD728D26-2F12-4447-8256-CCBE59D8F375.jpeg

43CA5077-2AF9-4BF1-933C-D2F3F0F311E0.jpeg
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom