DIY grow cabinet wood question

extremophile420 · Jan 2, 2020

I decided to build a 180cm width, 200cm height, 60cm depth cabinet.

1- after reading many threads, i decided to go with plywood (other choices were OSB and MDF). Do you think this is the right wood decision?

2- my budgets allows me for 1/4" plywood coverings to cover the frame. Is 1/4" good for a grow cabinet? (longetivity, practicality, general grow environment), or should i wait until i can afford 1/2"? Does it make a difference in the long term? I dont really plan on upgrading, this will be my grow area for as long as it can last, so i want to build it right from the first time.

Koondense · Jan 2, 2020

Plywood is good, mdf is worst.

Osb are a cool option too.

You will have to apply some reflective material anyway, or paint.
Cheers

GMT · Jan 2, 2020

The thicker the ply the greater the heat insulation. If I could afford it, I'd build one from thin polished aluminium sheeting on a frame, to allow for better heat transfer, but in reality, whatever its made of, so long as the frame is solid, and you can get the heat out, you should be good to go. Hell you'd piss yourself laughing if you saw my set up.

Bud Green · Jan 2, 2020

The 1/4 will be plenty, as long as the frame is sturdy..

Try looking at panels such as masonite that have a slick surface for the inside..They make a glossy white masonite..
Easy to wipe down..

aridbud · Jan 2, 2020

I had a cabinet back in the early 2000's, looked like a nice custom built wine cabinet. Worked well for small incognitos grows (autoflowers). Used it for a year or 2, then passed onto med patient.

As Bud Green says, 1/4" ample. Cover with reflective insulation layer, make sure you have several PCU fans with carbon filters. LEDs or several dual T5's. Door, have a layer of foam insulation around door and latches.

Good luck!!

extremophile420 · Jan 3, 2020

Bud Green said:
The 1/4 will be plenty, as long as the frame is sturdy..

Try looking at panels such as masonite that have a slick surface for the inside..They make a glossy white masonite..
Easy to wipe down..

GMT said:
The thicker the ply the greater the heat insulation. If I could afford it, I'd build one from thin polished aluminium sheeting on a frame, to allow for better heat transfer, but in reality, whatever its made of, so long as the frame is solid, and you can get the heat out, you should be good to go. Hell you'd piss yourself laughing if you saw my set up.

Koondense said:
Plywood is good, mdf is worst.

Osb are a cool option too.

You will have to apply some reflective material anyway, or paint.
Cheers

aridbud said:
I had a cabinet back in the early 2000's, looked like a nice custom built wine cabinet. Worked well for small incognitos grows (autoflowers). Used it for a year or 2, then passed onto med patient.

As Bud Green Sr. says, 1/4" ample. Cover with reflective insulation layer, make sure you have several PCU fans with carbon filters. LEDs or several dual T5's. Door, have a layer of foam insulation around door and latches.

Good luck!!

I will get plywood for sure, moisture treated then painted flat white.

However my concern was thickness, as i dont want my grow box to last for a year or two then starts to give problems. I want as much longetivity within my budget. Is 1/4" able to handle years of growing?

Iamnumber · Jan 6, 2020

there are many different types of plywood. What wood is used and if the plywood is treated to repel water (this is usually done with better wood as coating already makes it more expensive). my vote goes marine grade plywood (treated against water as opposed to adding this protection myself)

Do consider the weigh as total surface area of cabinet will get fairly big and total weight will add up with thicker plywood.

also .. comparing two sheets of same thickness.. the one with more (thinner) layers will have better structural strength.

mowood3479 · Jan 6, 2020

CDX be preferable to osb but really either will be fine if u seal with a good paint

I'mback · Jan 6, 2020

extremophile420 said:
I will get plywood for sure, moisture treated then painted flat white.

However my concern was thickness, as i dont want my grow box to last for a year or two then starts to give problems. I want as much longetivity within my budget. Is 1/4" able to handle years of growing?

Having built many cabinets in my day, 1/4" is normally reserved for the backing, as that is simply a "cover" more or less. If it was me, and as you stated, you are after longevity. I would use 3/8". :tiphat:

I'mback · Jan 6, 2020

Iamnumber said:
there are many different types of plywood. What wood is used and if the plywood is treated to repel water (this is usually done with better wood as coating already makes it more expensive). my vote goes marine grade plywood (treated against water as opposed to adding this protection myself)

Do consider the weigh as total surface area of cabinet will get fairly big and total weight will add up with thicker plywood.

also .. comparing two sheets of same thickness.. the one with more (thinner) layers will have better structural strength.

... as in Baltic Birch plywood, available at any Home Depot

CannaRed · Jan 6, 2020

On my next framed build I'm going to use FRP.
Fiberglass Reinforced Panels.

Or Azek brand (or similar) PVC sheets. Same plastic that drain pipes are made of.

Easy to cut with a circular saw.
Both have higher fire rating than just plywood. Both are bright white for reflection, and are waterproof and super easy to clean. Just spray a cleaner and wipe down all the surfaces.

Frp has one textured side and one smooth side.
PVC smooth on both sides.
I'm not sure, but I think I remember they have some kind of antimicrobial action.
Frp is very thin, so you would still need a layer of plywood.

But the PVC comes up to an inch thick.

So far, I haven't found any negatives, such as off-gassing.

You can get both from Home Depot or Lowe's.

extremophile420 · Jan 6, 2020

I decided to go plywood.

Im trying to research how to setup ventilation since im going to split a cabinet giving me two 2x2 rooms for a perpetual harvest and the whole ventilation thing is over my head. Any tips?

Drop That Sound · Jan 7, 2020

1/4'' ply glued to 1" foam insulation board (with a foam safe adhesive of course) would make a great wall panel. Better yet sandwich it with another thinner panel and you basically have a SIP (structurally insulated panel) which you can design the whole box so it can all be dissassembled and easily moved if you wanted. Grow room SIPs sound pretty awesome to me! Add a waterproof layer to them and you got a nice box for sure.

Plastex wall panels are a cheaper alternative at only 20-22 bucks a sheet compared to 30-40 for the FRP @ HD & LWs. They are listed as suitable for food rooms but I haven't really baked em constantly with HPS light so not sure about off gassing.. it is made from recycled petroleum products I think. Either way I agree that adding a skin is the best way to go, way better and cleaner than paint.

Cheap vinyl sticky tiles on primer can make a quick floor that looks nice and can be mostly water proof in the box. Or use more FRP or whatever. Floors are the most important part of a grow setup IMO, I like to make them completely waterproof, even adding more flooring up the wall like a back splash.

You could possibly split the ventilation with a y-fitting and use one fan, and could even duct it all inside the box for a cleaner appearance. Maybe add a damper to restrict the flow on the assumed veg side. Easier to ventilate each space separately though. I would probably build a slim baffled light trap box into the lower section of each of the doors, or somewhere low in the box for the intakes. Sealed would be cool if you had room to add more equipment to run it that way.. Ventilation 101 thread here should have you covered.

bob_ross · Aug 26, 2020

I am doing the same exact thing. I rent an apartment and often have poeple over. So I need something more stealthier/silent. I am thinking of making (24in)x(18in)x(48in). I am thinking of making the structure out of 2x2 lumbar then use @Drop That Sound suggestion with 1/4 plywood with rtech insulation board (i think one of the side is already reflective)

@extremophile420 as for the ventilation, you could make a passive intake between the two chambers with some light blocker (if you running different schedule) and make one of the passive and suck through the other. Take a look at this guy, he has a small veg spot with passive intake into the main chamber. https://www.instagram.com/growfour/?hl=en

Drop That Sound · Sep 22, 2020

Funny thing, I'm sort of building a grow cabinet out of nothing but r-tech panels and duct tape right now. Actually i'm doing it inside my arched greenhouse that I had already made, which unfortunately loses good sunlight as of a few weeks ago behind the hill/trees until next spring. The foam box will barely be fastened to the existing galv. steel frame. Just propped up internally as to surround 4 medium size bushes, and leave a few feet of head room. I have about 4 weeks till finish so i'm sticking my well trained OD plants in there with a few 1000 hps lights, and only really using the panels taped together like a box temporarily so I don't light up the whole countryside, like in the movie Saving Grace lol. I could just cover with dark plastic\tarps, but I want the extra foam layer, and its cheap. I already have double layer for the actual GH film, so I can pump air in between the layers for more insulation. That plus the 1/2" insulation panel box it will be like triple buffered/insulated with all the different air zones that I can control. Have a dehumidifier to run inside the foam cab section during the night to keep them warm and dry.

Just taping the foam panels together alone, or with minimal framing is a decent way to partition off a temporary grow space or build a cab. I'm just doing it outside because the plants have been out with all the bugs, and the almost worthless greenhouse seemed like the best dry "storage area" to do it inside of.

Dion · Sep 23, 2020

extremophile420 said:
I decided to go plywood.

Im trying to research how to setup ventilation since im going to split a cabinet giving me two 2x2 rooms for a perpetual harvest and the whole ventilation thing is over my head. Any tips?

bob_ross said:
I am doing the same exact thing. I rent an apartment and often have poeple over. So I need something more stealthier/silent. I am thinking of making (24in)x(18in)x(48in). I am thinking of making the structure out of 2x2 lumbar then use @Drop That Sound suggestion with 1/4 plywood with rtech insulation board (i think one of the side is already reflective)

@extremophile420 as for the ventilation, you could make a passive intake between the two chambers with some light blocker (if you running different schedule) and make one of the passive and suck through the other. Take a look at this guy, he has a small veg spot with passive intake into the main chamber. https://www.instagram.com/growfour/?hl=en

Hey guys looks like we are all in the same boat

I'm also setting up a new cab

I've done a lot of cabs in my day so I would like to offer U some food for thought

Lightproofing the doors will cost U almost as much as a tent

I would suggest instead build a solid frame

Use thin as fuck malamine (even 3mm MDF is fine)

And stack a couple of 2*2 tents on Thier side

Ventilation flange
Calk
Weather striping
Blood

It all adds up

This is what I've done the last 2 cabs and its cost about the same and works way better

Assuming the cab is for stealth

If not then frame and panda film, doors still gonna fuck you

Another good option is a cheap small garden shed or garden storage locker assuming it will live in the garage

EDIT

Here is a veg cab I'm working on now, U lot will make much nicer ones as U will buy the wood for the frame not use random bits that arnt the same thickness

Pro tips: the 3mm MDF is easy to cut by scoring it with a razor a few times then it just folds and perfect cut

The malamine coating is pretty water proof and can be wiped down and bleached

Each sheet cost me $4 aus so like $3.20 us and I used 5 sheets so far

Would have cost me an extra $3 to make it 3ft wide (co of the precut sheet sizes)

Will use trim angle.and more sheets for a sliding door

Bmac1 · Sep 23, 2020

My first ever grow was in a similar sized wardrobe closet I bought off Craigslist for 10 bucks. I used foil tape on the seams and weather stripping on the door. It wasn't perfect but it was close. I then just hung a sheet of poly over the front to combat any light leaks still present.

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DIY grow cabinet wood question

extremophile420

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