# 155 Bowfront project Ikea style



## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

Here we go , I really hate building the first of anything, my perfection streak kicks in and figure out how much easier and better I could build the next one.

I am going to build the stand to match a set of IKEA book cases, 2 on each end and a row across the top.

I was planning on using solid core doors all the way around, but chickened out and used 2x4s for the back and sides, and the doors for the top and bottom.

So off to a good start

Bookcase









Doors and 2x4s









Laminating the front doors


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

The only thing better than a bowfront, is a _BIG_ bowfront :thumb: Looking forward to seeing how this set up turns out.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Looking forward to seeing this project!


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

Prep for paint


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

Cool. My 29 and 55 are actually resting on IKEA furniture. I know, I know.


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

Can I ask how you've Laminated the doors :-? did you use thinner ply & just glue the sheets together before bending them & holding them in shape until the glue dried ?


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

sweety said:


> Can I ask how you've Laminated the doors :-? did you use thinner ply & just glue the sheets together before bending them & holding them in shape until the glue dried ?


Exactly , I picked up the cheapest plywood they had a Home Depot , $10 a sheet 5mm underlayment, had them cut it to size For me and it took a gallon of glue , each door has 5 sheets each

Pm me if you need more info


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

opcorn:


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

Cheers ShortBus :thumb: Things like this interest me a lot, had a feeling on how you did it but thought I would ask to make sure i'm right. Look forwards to seeing the rest of the build as it's a little different than most i've seen


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

Very nice! Looking forward to your progress on this one.


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

another mistake :-? 
I primed they bare wood with a grey paint primer, and planned on painting it black
then went down to try to match up the paint color
on closer inspection big problem, over all it is more black than brown, 
the pic is just a good example of the problem










should have just stained them, it would match better
so I tried to get them to match the more black color
and the machine wouldn't do it, aaHHHHHHHh

I picked up a couple of stock colors to see which would match better,
The paints drying so we will see what looks better, again I really hate building the first of anything, Im not smart enough to see everything


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

All is not lost. Worst case scenario you sand it all down, prime it, and paint it again.

I will say though, I love to see the grain in wood so I probably would have opted for a stain.

That being said, what you have there doesn't look bad to me at all. Do you have a better overall picture?

And another thing to consider...you can always paint the bookshelves to match the stand.


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

I will have a better idea this weekend, when I can see how the doors look in the day time, I painted each door a different color and I will be able to see which one matches best

A good thing is that I only have to match the face frames of the book cases not the sides. Also I only have to satisfy my wife's eye and she will like or she won't .

If not its a 3-5 day delay, I was hoping to finish up this weekend and start adding water. But when it's done I will be glad to move on to the next thing on the list, filtration and lighting


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

Getting close , Paint done

Ordered the LEDs (LEDs + Drivers) for the sump and tank lighting, 
Plan on using floating plants to help with filtration, http://tinyurl.com/czvv4bz


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

Next will be the resealing of the tank, it doesn't leak so just freshening up the silicone


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

That's looking great ShortBus :thumb:


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

That stand is looking really nice! It's great to build something and be able to say, "I did that!" rather than just go out and buy an overpriced stand...says the guy who went out and bought an overpriced stand. :lol:


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