Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:19 am
You didn't say what it is sitting on, wood or concrete.
MDF would be my choice. First MDF doesn't soak up moisture any more than other wood and in some cases less especially if it is painted or coated in some way. Second for price you will be getting the biggest bang for a buck if you use MDF. After all is is just a cubby hole storage unit.
Now when I say MDF I mean MDF not particle board.
If you were setting this on concrete you need to use treated wood.
Rule of thumb any wood that comes into contact with concrete must ALWAYS be treated wood.
To satisfy the above and still use MDF or PLY you will need to use treated wood furring strips to build this on. Or you could also make the bottom board all presure treated ply.
After that build up using MDF and give it a good coat of paint, clear finisher (Varnish, lacquer, shellac, Poly) or a good good coating of oil
(tung or boiled linseed) and everything should be find.
If I was building it from either ply or MDF I would be tempted to make the outside verticals from 5/8 or 3/4 the rest since you don't have any shelf span wide enough to cause sag I would do in 1/2 to give you more room and an attractive proportional appearance. Building it all from 5/8 or 3/4 works but you are using a lot of room up plus it is liable to look overbuilt (read as saying clunky)
MDF would be my choice. First MDF doesn't soak up moisture any more than other wood and in some cases less especially if it is painted or coated in some way. Second for price you will be getting the biggest bang for a buck if you use MDF. After all is is just a cubby hole storage unit.
Now when I say MDF I mean MDF not particle board.
If you were setting this on concrete you need to use treated wood.
Rule of thumb any wood that comes into contact with concrete must ALWAYS be treated wood.
To satisfy the above and still use MDF or PLY you will need to use treated wood furring strips to build this on. Or you could also make the bottom board all presure treated ply.
After that build up using MDF and give it a good coat of paint, clear finisher (Varnish, lacquer, shellac, Poly) or a good good coating of oil
(tung or boiled linseed) and everything should be find.
If I was building it from either ply or MDF I would be tempted to make the outside verticals from 5/8 or 3/4 the rest since you don't have any shelf span wide enough to cause sag I would do in 1/2 to give you more room and an attractive proportional appearance. Building it all from 5/8 or 3/4 works but you are using a lot of room up plus it is liable to look overbuilt (read as saying clunky)
