Hey all, been here reading and researching for a few months now - mostly on the growing aspect of things - also got a nice pile of equipment sitting in my place - 400W hps, some PL-L's, S&P fans, carbon filters, etc.
So, the last thing is building my cab. Done some woodworking and electrical, so I think I can handle it, but I'm no expert. Also, I'm anxious to get going. So yeah maybe I'm shortcutting a bit - I could research another few months and figure it out, but hopefully you folks can give me a couple points in the right direction and help jumpstart my hardware store trips.
The cab:
Flowering space will be about 2'x3'x6', cab will be another foot or two wider - ~5' - to accomodate ducting, equipment, and drying space. Containing fan noise is top priority (e.g., acoustic barrier material will go between the inner & outer walls and walls will be attached to framing studs with a layer of acoustic damper between).
Framing studs:
Saw some 1x3's, 1x2's, etc of Red Oak. Would these work? They almost looked like finish wood, cause the grain was so nice - no knots, etc. But they are still cheap (a buck or two or something for 8'). There was some pine and cedar stuff, too, but the oak seemed strongest. Is there something better I should use?
Outer walls:
These have to make the box look like an armoire. Thinking of those white melamine boards or pre-laminated mdf stuff I see in Menards etc. Anything that looks the part I suppose. Recommendations?
Inner walls:
From reading it seemed OSB might be the best. Checked it out yesterday, kind of a rough face on that stuff. Not really sure if I should use OSB or another type of plywood. Suggestions?
Joint sealing:
What I've read is that elastomeric acrylic latex caulk is what to use that can also be painted over and is safe for plants. Suppose I would put this along every joint of my inner walls and where the outlet face plates, etc meet up against the walls. Am I on track here?
Inner paint:
Going to do flat white, but also cover with white poly (so if it gets dirty I can rip it out and tack new stuff in quickly, cheaply, and easily). Not really sure what kind of paint to use? Latex I suppose, but is there any kind that's particularly useful here, maybe something water/mold resistant?
Electrical:
Should I just run hard conduit? Is there a flexible stuff maybe that's easier to work with that will be okay here? Should all my outlets be GFI (soil grow, maybe hydro one day though)? Should my 400w cab (probably closer to 800w with fans & supplemental fluoros, etc.) have its own circuit breaker? What would I need for that - I assume there are certain kinds of breakers and breakers need to go in some kind of panel I think (meaning a panel inside my cab, obviously there's the panel that my place's breakers are all in)?
I appreciate any help offered. Don't wanna seem like I'm coming in asking for all the answers handed to me, but I've already spent so so so much time here researching all the other stuff - lighting intensity, nutrient regiments, training styles, etc., etc., etc. And now everything is ready and the only thing holding me back is not quite knowing what to build my cab from (and where exactly in it to place this peskily large carbon filter, lol).
So, the last thing is building my cab. Done some woodworking and electrical, so I think I can handle it, but I'm no expert. Also, I'm anxious to get going. So yeah maybe I'm shortcutting a bit - I could research another few months and figure it out, but hopefully you folks can give me a couple points in the right direction and help jumpstart my hardware store trips.
The cab:
Flowering space will be about 2'x3'x6', cab will be another foot or two wider - ~5' - to accomodate ducting, equipment, and drying space. Containing fan noise is top priority (e.g., acoustic barrier material will go between the inner & outer walls and walls will be attached to framing studs with a layer of acoustic damper between).
Framing studs:
Saw some 1x3's, 1x2's, etc of Red Oak. Would these work? They almost looked like finish wood, cause the grain was so nice - no knots, etc. But they are still cheap (a buck or two or something for 8'). There was some pine and cedar stuff, too, but the oak seemed strongest. Is there something better I should use?
Outer walls:
These have to make the box look like an armoire. Thinking of those white melamine boards or pre-laminated mdf stuff I see in Menards etc. Anything that looks the part I suppose. Recommendations?
Inner walls:
From reading it seemed OSB might be the best. Checked it out yesterday, kind of a rough face on that stuff. Not really sure if I should use OSB or another type of plywood. Suggestions?
Joint sealing:
What I've read is that elastomeric acrylic latex caulk is what to use that can also be painted over and is safe for plants. Suppose I would put this along every joint of my inner walls and where the outlet face plates, etc meet up against the walls. Am I on track here?
Inner paint:
Going to do flat white, but also cover with white poly (so if it gets dirty I can rip it out and tack new stuff in quickly, cheaply, and easily). Not really sure what kind of paint to use? Latex I suppose, but is there any kind that's particularly useful here, maybe something water/mold resistant?
Electrical:
Should I just run hard conduit? Is there a flexible stuff maybe that's easier to work with that will be okay here? Should all my outlets be GFI (soil grow, maybe hydro one day though)? Should my 400w cab (probably closer to 800w with fans & supplemental fluoros, etc.) have its own circuit breaker? What would I need for that - I assume there are certain kinds of breakers and breakers need to go in some kind of panel I think (meaning a panel inside my cab, obviously there's the panel that my place's breakers are all in)?
I appreciate any help offered. Don't wanna seem like I'm coming in asking for all the answers handed to me, but I've already spent so so so much time here researching all the other stuff - lighting intensity, nutrient regiments, training styles, etc., etc., etc. And now everything is ready and the only thing holding me back is not quite knowing what to build my cab from (and where exactly in it to place this peskily large carbon filter, lol).
I'm at the planning stages of building a cab of very similar dimensions myself. I'm looking into using some adjustable steel storage shelving as a base frame in which to build around. They have 24"x48"x72" units with 5 shelves at Lowes for around $75 +/-. You don't have to use all the shelves which opens up options. You can cut plywood or paneling to fit the outside and bolt it to the frame to make it look decent. I've built such a cab to fit into a closet, but I didn't have to worry about looking pretty though 
