# Best material for top of self build stand?



## Robbie X (13 Apr 2017)

Hi all. Could I get some alternative suggestions for the top surface of a self-build aquarium stand?
I have been considering plywood but was wondering if there are other materials I could also consider that would be more suitable for this purpose?
Cheers


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## zozo (14 Apr 2017)

Ply wood is about the safest you can use.. Because it is made out of layers of veneer glued with the wood grain in crosspattern. And because any wood always reacts and works due to inveronmental conditions, temperature, air humidity and the humidity in the wood itself it can bend over time. If it does it will always bend from the middle towards the centre, inworths or outwords depending which side you put on top.

Like this





The plywood layers and the grain cross pattern prevents this, because every layer counteracts to the next.

This doesn't mean that using any type of other wood is out of the questions.. Once wood is fully dried and stored in a relative constand inveronment it stays rather as is. I builded my stand from 1¼" steel pipe topped with 4 cm thick fully cured douglaspine (very popular pine wood for furniture build) beams, 5 pieces screwed together, each next one oppisite grain direction from the other and machine flattened afterwords and sealed with varnish. Once fully cured (well dried) and sealed, with this thickness it is unlikely ever to bend again.

So it's a bit of a trust issue you have with the supplier of the furniture wood, if he says it fully curred you have to take for granted it is.. And probably in risk to have to do some mopping afterwards if it wasn't.

Anyway plywood is the saffest and easiest to use, almost all regular furniture is plywood decorated with veneer toplayer. But any good quality hardwood doesn't need to be an issue. You could reinforce an already excisting cabinet.

Any other material than wood based, you should make sure it doesn't react to much to inveronmental conditions like temperature. But i can't realy think of anything cost effective and easy to handle material as alternative for a diy project.. But a lot is possible, i have an aquarium standing on a cabinet with marble top plate. It's literaly rock solid..  And an aqaurium standing on a completely Cherry wood table.

Dimesnions and weight ofcourse also play a major role in how high the risk of failure is..


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## GHNelson (14 Apr 2017)

You could use kitchen work top!
hoggie


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## BarryH (14 Apr 2017)

Although I know MDF is heavily frowned upon, for the last few years moisture resistant MDF has been available at most outlets. It's a greenish colour to look at, tool wise, it works in much the same way as "ordinary" MDF.

On the Wickes website it lists the following:

Uses include general purpose joinery and boxing in. Ideal for kitchen and bathroom furniture and window sills. Particularly suitable for use in high humidity areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. Moisture resistant


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## BarryH (14 Apr 2017)

Meant to add to the above that I had a few offcuts of the moisture resistant MDF in different thicknesses and I dumped them in an old bucket that had stood outside for ever. I chucked them away after about a year "soaking" in the bucket and they still appeared to be quite solid with none of the usual MDF swelling.


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## KipperSarnie (14 Apr 2017)

I use particle board


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## Zeus. (14 Apr 2017)

Granite should be good IMO. Have it under one of my small tanks

Sent from my Mobile


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## Robbie X (17 Apr 2017)

zozo said:


> Ply wood is about the safest you can use.. Because it is made out of layers of veneer glued with the wood grain in crosspattern. And because any wood always reacts and works due to inveronmental conditions, temperature, air humidity and the humidity in the wood itself it can bend over time. If it does it will always bend from the middle towards the centre, inworths or outwords depending which side you put on top.
> 
> Like this
> 
> ...


Cheers zozo, the tank will be around 90x45x45 what thickness plywood would you suggest?


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## zozo (17 Apr 2017)

Robbie X said:


> Cheers zozo, the tank will be around 90x45x45 what thickness plywood would you suggest?



It kinda depends what structure you want to build to support this top, if you build a strong enough wooden beam structure giving the plywood suficient support 18mm would be more than enough. It only functions as a flat surface. 18mm is most used and regularly everwhere available.

See this, it's a 150 gallon stand, the top is 18mm plywood.. Little over the top compaired to your dimensions, but just scale it down in your mind the idea stays the same. 


But for example i builded a stand from steal pipes and scaffolding fittings for my 90x35x35 and the top shelf the aquarium rests on is only supported on the 4 outside corners. So i choose a 90x35x4cm solid wood top. In this case 18mm plywood would not have been enough support.  

First idea was to leave it open..


 

But later desided to close it up and added some side panels and some doors.


 

It's still not fully finnished, still have another idea, but would need to take the tank off to realize it. I did put it on a hold for now.


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## Robbie X (17 Apr 2017)

zozo said:


> It kinda depends what structure you want to build to support this top, if you build a strong enough wooden beam structure giving the plywood suficient support 18mm would be more than enough. It only functions as a flat surface. 18mm is most used and regularly everwhere available.
> 
> See this, it's a 150 gallon stand, the top is 18mm plywood.. Little over the top compaired to your dimensions, but just scale it down in your mind the idea stays the same.
> 
> ...



I'm waiting for a quote for the stand to support either 90Lx45Hx45W or 90Lx45Hx50W. Its going to be made from 3x3inch timber. It will have a central support cross beam also. Would 18mm ply do the job with a cross beam support?


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## zozo (17 Apr 2017)

It's not easy to say yes or no, not knowing the structure beneat it.. They way you describe it i would say, definitively yes. But best advice i can give, ask the person building the structure, if you trust him to know what he is building, then he knows what is strong enough to put on top.


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## Robbie X (17 Apr 2017)

zozo said:


> It's not easy to say yes or no, not knowing the structure beneat it.. They way you describe it i would say, definitively yes. But best advice i can give, ask the person building the structure, if you trust him to know what he is building, then he knows what is strong enough to put on top.


Cheers zozo. Can't wait to get started now but still debating the stand build and lighting. I really miss having an aquarium, I had more viewing time on my old aquariums than the TV lol


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## zozo (17 Apr 2017)

Robbie X said:


> Cheers zozo. Can't wait to get started now but still debating the stand build and lighting. I really miss having an aquarium, I had more viewing time on my old aquariums than the TV lol


Succes..  I second that, i do not have a TV, threw away the last one i bought 20 years ago and not willing to pay top money only to watch booring reruns in HD. That doesn't make sense, TV was my sleeping pil, snorring in less then 2 minutes.. Just have a laptop and a beamer on my vintage stereo for a movie now and then and 4 tanks and a bathtub pond in the garden for the life shows, and all that without any commercials.


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## Progen (20 Apr 2017)

Come to think of it, I haven't watched the telly for like the past 30+ years!!!


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