Tile Top Plant Stand Plans

Free woodworking plans to build an inexpensive plant stand with a tile top.

I decided to add more plants to my home without first thinking about where to put them! So I came up with this simple yet attractive design for DIY plant stand that's easy to build. You can even build it with minimal tools or get the wood cut for you at the store. You can build one for as little as $8 or if you're building 3 of them the cost comes down to around $6 each depending on the wood you choose.
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Easy Way To Trim a Door

Here's an easy way to cut and install trim around a door that doesn't need a lot of measuring and gets you tight, accurate mitered corners. This is a little different from how most people I've seen measure and install door casing.

I was finishing up a little work in my laundry room and I thought it would be helpful to show others how I install door casing around a door. The way I install door casing doesn't create a lot of mess, is easy to install on your own and gets you good miters.

Door casing is the trim that you install around the outside of a door. It finishes the installation and covers any gaps or rough edges from where the drywall meets the door jamb.

It's available in a variety of styles, widths and grades. You can get expensive stain-grade hardwood molding or affordable composite or MDF molding. I went somewhere in the middle with this 5 pack of 11/16" x 2-1/4" Primed, Finger-Jointed Pine Colonial Door Casing.5 sticks of trim is enough to trim both sides of most single doors and the style matched my existing trim.

Finger-jointed trim is made up of smaller pieces of wood that have fingers cut in the ends that provide a strong bond when they are glued together to make longer lengths. This makes it cheaper to produce compared to whole pieces of trim. Since I was going to be painting the trim I didn't need more expensive stain grade molding but I still wanted to use solid wood, not composite.

You'll need to learn how to attach door trim if you're installing a new door, repairing damaged trim or changing the look of the trim in your home.

What You'll Need

Materials

• 5 pieces of door casing
• Finish nails
• Paintable latex caulk (white)

Tools

• Miter box or power miter saw
• Hammer and nail set or power finish nailer
• (at least 3) 6" or greater bar clamps
• Caulking gun
• Tape measure
• Pencil

Step 1: Measure Opening Width

This is the only measurement I take of the door. Measure the width of the top of the opening where the top piece of door trim will be installed.

To this measurement add 3/8". This will leave a slight (3/16") reveal around the door frame. This is the reveal I like to use. If there is a requirement to have a different reveal make the necessary adjustments.

If you want to be more precise you can set a scribe (compass) to 3/16" and draw a line around the door jambs to help line up the pieces.

Step 2: Cut Top Door Casing

Unlike other methods I've seen, I start with the top piece of trim first. I find this makes it easier to get tight corners and a good fit.

The top section of door casing has a 45 degree cut on each end. The width of the bottom portion is the width we determined in Step 1. In my case I had a 28" opening so I needed to cut at 28-3/8". When cut it will look like this.

Start by trimming one end of the casing stock to give it the appropriate 45 degree angle.  You don't need to measure anything for this first cut, just cut near the end of a piece to reduce waste.

Next, measure from the bottom of the 45 degree cut and mark for the length of the top (28-3/8" for me.) This is where it gets a little tricky because you can't just hook the end of your tape measure to the bottom of the miter. You have to hold it in place or what I usually do is use a rigid measure (drywall square or whatever is handy) instead of measuring tape. You also have to be a little more careful when making the cut because the mark is going to be on the outside.

I own a power miter saw but I decided to use my manual miter box which I discussed in my article How To Make Square Cuts In Dimensional Lumber. It takes a little longer to make the cut but the cuts are still accurate and clean up is a lot quicker because I don't have sawdust blowing all over the room. It's faster to make the cuts closer to the work area and all I needed was a small sheet of plastic to catch all the sawdust that falls straight down from the saw. No need to vacuum!

The door casing is positioned with the back down and the thick side of the trim against the fence. I used some small clamps to hold the casing tight in the miter box. One hand operated the saw, the other held the miter box in place. If you have a work table nearby you can clamp the miter box down. I'm using some of the Irwin Mini and Micro clamps that came in a set (Irwin Quick-Grip Clamp Set from Home Depot) which is an affordable way to get enough clamps for this project.

Repeat the above steps for the other side of the door. Use the first top piece as a template for the second top peice after you're sure it's the right size. Save the second top trim for later.

Step 2: Dry Fit The Top Trim

With the top piece of trim cut to size, test to see if it fits. Leave a 3/16" gap from the bottom of the door frame to create a reveal and center it over the opening. You don't need to be exact with your measurements. Just eyeball it and temporarily clamp it in place using at least a 6" clamp.

As you're dry fitting the trim, you might come across some high spots in the drywall edges or compound. Take the time to trim or sand them down to get a good fit with the trim.

Step 3: Side Trim

For the side trim we don't need to take any measurements. Take a long piece of trim and flip it over so the back faces out and the thick side presses up against the top trim with the bottom resting on the floor. Hold it square with the top piece. Using a pencil, mark where it meets the top of the top trim piece.

Transfer your mark to the front and mark the direction of the miter too so you don't make a mistake. Then make the cut.

Test fit the side trim. Now you can start making more precise adjustments to the top and side so the miter is tight and everything is lining up with a good reveal. Once you get it positioned, clamp the side trim in place.

Repeat for the other side.

Step 4: Adjust and Nail Door Casing

With all 3 pieces of door casing cut to size, make final adjustments to get the corners tight and the right reveal around the door frame. Clamp everything down tight and begin nailing.

I used a pneumatic finish nailer which made things go quickly but since everything is clamped in place it's not too hard to use a hammer and finish nails. Then follow up with a nail set to recess the head of the nail below the surface of the trim.

Use 18 gauge (or 5d if hammering) finish nails along the inside to secure the trim to the door jamb. Use 16 gauge (8d) nails to secure the thicker, outer edge of the trim to the wall framing.

Step 5: Other Side

Repeat the steps above to trim out the other side of the wall.

Step 6: Caulk and Paint

When you're done with all the trim you need to install,  use a paintable latex caulk along all the edges where the trim meets the wall or door jamb. Fill in all the nail holes and any gaps you might have in the miters if you didn't get a good fit. When the caulk dries you're ready to paint. I like using Benjamin Moore Waterborne Satin Impervo mixed with a bit of Floetrol paint conditioner for trim.

How To Build Frameless Wall Cabinets

European style frameless upper cabinets are easy to build with the right tools, are affordable and are used for a variety of projects from kitchens, to bathrooms, offices and more. When I first tried to find information on how to build my own cabinets I found it a bit confusing. In case it helps others I'm going to go over what I've learned over the years. In this post you'll find information on frameless upper cabinet construction and instructions on how to build them.

These basic wall cabinets have a very clean, contemporary look but frameless cabinets are versatile. By using nicer doors, adding some crown molding and light rail trim you can achieve a more traditional look.

You can save a lot of money if you build your own frameless cabinets. While building frameless cabinets isn't very difficult it is important that the cuts are accurate and the pieces as well as the assembly is square. Before you go crazy in your kitchen with a sledgehammer and order a large pile of plywood Try to build one small cabinet to make sure you're happy with your results.

What You'll Need

Tools

• Table saw or circular saw and guide for making accurate and square cuts in plywood.
• Combination square
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
• Kreg Shelf Pin Drilling Jig
• Rockler Concealed Hinge JIG IT System
• Power drill and 35mm Forstner Bit

Materials

You'll need 2 sides, one top, one bottom, one back, one or more shelves and one or more doors. 

Unlike my other posts, there is no cut list or cut plan because these are general instructions and the size of the cabinet will vary based on your needs. Instead I'll provide information on how to calculate the dimensions of the components you'll need to build your own cabinets to your specifications.

The type of material you choose will depend on where you will be installing the cabinets. In your kitchen you'll want to use nicer material than in your garage.

Material for Cabinet Carcasses

The cabinet box is also called the carcass. The thicker the material you use, the stronger the cabinet will be and the longer you can make your cabinets. 3/4" material is recommended but in some situations 5/8" or 1/2" can also work. Some woodworkers use different thicknesses for different parts of the carcass such as 1/4" backs inserted into a groove with 1/2" nailing strips, or 1/2" for the back and sides and 3/4" for the top and bottom. This is mainly done to save money. If you're only building a few cabinets for yourself you can simplify the process and wind up with stronger cabinets if you just use the same thickness material (3/4") for all the components.

Plywood is better than MDF is better than particle board. If you're using plywood it's important to note that plywood comes in different grades. One grade for the good side and one grade for the back side. A1 is the best appearance grade of plywood you can get. If you want to save some money you can choose to build the carcasses out of a lower appearance grade plywood such as B2 and use the A1 plywood for exposed ends and doors. Some even like to use melamine coated particle board for the carcasses with better plywood for doors and end panels. If you plan on painting your cabinets the grade of the plywood isn't as important. 

For shop cabinets in the basement or garage you might be able to find "shop grade" plywood at your local lumber mill. This plywood would have more defects in the veneer but still have a strong core. Many people even build shop cabinets out of CDX plywood. It's not very pretty but the X in the name indicates the glues used can handle a bit of exposure to weather which could be good in a garage.

If you're going through the trouble of building your own cabinets you're already saving a considerable amount of money and it makes sense to go with plywood in most instances. For the purpose of these instructions I'm going to assume the cabinet will be built with 3/4" plywood.

Material for Cabinet Doors

You can make plain slab doors out of the same material you use for your cabinet carcasses. In our case plywood. This will be the cheapest option and the one I'll be using in this guide because there are too many options and methods to construct cabinet doors to discuss here.

If you're not happy with a plain slab cabinet door a number of companies will make custom doors for you in a variety of styles at reasonable costs.

Step 1: Calculate Cabinet Component Dimensions

Before we begin cutting and assembling our cabinet we first need to determine what size cabinet we need. If you've ever gone to a kitchen showroom you've probably noticed that the semi-custom cabinets they offer come in some standard sizes. Since we're building our cabinets we can choose any custom dimensions we want to suit our needs. There are some limitations however. The material and thickness chosen will decide how wide a cabinet we can build. In most cases with 3/4" plywood about 42" should be the maximum width but narrower cabinets will have more stability.

Standard upper cabinet depth is 12" (including door) when over a counter. Deeper when over a refrigerator and has more support. The 12" upper cabinet depth leaves a 10-1/2" interior depth. Dinner plates are usually 10" in diameter but can up to 12". If you have larger plates, or want to leave room for larger plates in the future, make your cabinets deeper. In our tutorial we'll build a frameless upper cabinet that is 18" W x 30" H x 12-1/2" D. This will leave an 11" interior cabinet depth.

Our cabinet will be made up of 6 pieces of plywood. 2 Sides, a top and bottom, a back and a door. All will be cut from 3/4" plywood. To determine the size of each component we'll use the following formulas.

(For consistency the "height" is also the direction of the grain.)

Cabinet Side Dimensions

There are 2 sides and in most case the dimension runs vertically. The height of the side is the same as our desired cabinet height. Because we're using overlay* doors the width of the side is our desired cabinet depth minus the thickness of the door.  In our case we have:

Side height = 30" (height of cabinet)

Side width = 12-1/2" - 3/4" (depth of cabinet - width of door) = 11-3/4"

We'll need 2 11-3/4" x 30" pieces of 3/4" plywood.

(Overlay doors sit in front of the cabinet. Inset doors sit within the cabinet. For inset doors the width of the sides will be the same as the width of the cabinet.

Cabinet Top/Bottom Dimensions

The top and bottom pieces have the same dimensions. The width of the top/bottom is equal to the depth of the cabinet minus the thickness of the door. The height of the top/bottom is the width of the cabinet minus the thickness of each side.

Top/Bottom height = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

Top/Bottom width = 12-1/2" (cab depth) - 3/4" (door thickness) = 11-3/4"

We'll need 2 16-1/2" x 11-3/4" pieces of 3/4" plywood.

Cabinet Back Dimensions

The back of our frameless cabinet fits in between both sides and the top and the bottom. To determine the width of the back we need to subtract the thickness of each side piece. To calculate the height we subtract the thickness of the top and bottom pieces.

Back height = 30" (cab height) - 3/4" (top thickness) - 3/4" (bottom thickness) = 28-1/2"

Back width = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

We'll need 1 28-1/2" x 16-1/2" piece of 3/4" plywood.

Adjustable Shelves Dimensions

Depending on the height and purpose of the wall cabinet you may want to have one or more adjustable shelves. These are peices of 3/4" plywood that rest on shelf pins which are inserted in a series of shelf pin holes inside the cabinet.

The shelf is the width of the inside of the cabinet and extends from the back of the inside to 1/4 inch from the front.

Shelf height = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

Shelf width = 12-1/2" (cab depth) - 3/4" (door) - 3/4" (back) - 1/4" (space) = 10-3/4"

Cabinet Door Dimensions

Our cabinet only has one door and we are designing the cabinets to be full-overlay. This means that the door sits in front of the cabinet and covers almost all of the cabinet. In reality the door needs a little bit of space around it to prevent it from rubbing against adjacent doors or walls. 

The minimum space with most hinges is 1/16" so we need to subtract 1/8" (2 x 1/8") from each dimension. That will also give us a nice 1/8" spacing between doors from other cabinets too. 

Door height = 30" (cab height) - 1/8" = 29-7/8"

Door width = 18" (cab width) - 1/8" = 17-7/8"

If we were building a wider cabinet that required 2 doors we would still subtract 1/8" for the height but the width of each door would be (CabHeight - 1/4")/2. There would be a 1/8" space between the two doors and 1/16" space around the perimeter.

Now that we know what size pieces of plywood we need we can begin assembly.

Step 2: Assemble Sides, Top and Bottom

Should you use glue? Pocket hole joinery is pretty strong but glueing the joints in addition to screwing will give you a stronger more rigid cabinet. If you do decide to use glue, first assemble the cabinet without glue to make sure everything fits and lines up well. Then disassemble and reassemble with glue.

Edgebanding: Apply edgebanding to the edge of each of the 4 pieces that will be on the front of the cabinet.

Start by drilling pocket holes in the Top and Bottom pieces as shown and attach the Top to one of the side pieces.

Now attach the bottom to the side. Make sure the pocket holes are on the outside of the cabinet.

Attach the last remaining side, making sure everything is aligned properly and square.

Step 3: Cabinet Back

Double check to make sure the back of the cabinet is square and make sure it fits inside the back of the cabinet. If not, make adjustments to the back.

If everything fits together properly, is the right size and is square, disassemble the cabinet and repeat Step 2 above, this time with glue before inserting the back.

Drill pocket hole screws around the perimeter of the back and attach it to the rest of the cabinet as shown using glue.

Because we're using pocket screws we've built this entire cabinet without a single clamp. Normally a lot of long, expensive bar clamps are used when building cabinets or other furniture to keep the cabinet in place while the glue dries. One of the benefits of using pocket hole joinery is the screws act like clamps to hold everything together while the glue dries.

Step 4: Drill Shelf Pin Holes

Remove the fences from your Kreg Shelf Pin Jig and place it at the bottom of the cabinet as shown. The short side should be flush with the front of the cabinet. This will position the holes 37mm away from the front.

Use the second and third holes from the bottom to drill pilot holes for the hinge mounting plate.

Slide the shelf pin jig up to the top of the cabinet, keeping it flush with the front of the cabinet and drill holes for the top hinge mounting plate in the 2nd and 3rd holes from the top as shown. 

Now place the indexing pin in the bottom hole of the jig, slide the jig down to insert the indexing pin in the 1st Shelf Pin Hole drilled previously and continue your way up the side of the cabinet drilling shelf pin holes. Stop before you get to the pilot holes for the top hinge mounting plate.

Flip the shelf pin jig around and place it in the back corner of the cabinet so the short end of the jig is closest to the back as shown. Drill the 1st shelf pin hole in the last hole from the bottom. (We don't need pilot holes for the hinge in the back.)Then continue drilling the remaining shelf pin holes along the back using the indexing pin.

Repeat this step on the other side of the cabinet.

Step 5: Mark Hinge Bore Locations

On the back, hinge side of the door, mark 2 lines 3-3/16" from the top and bottom of the door. This is the center-line for the hinge bore.

Follow the instructions that came with your hinge boring jig (such as the Rockler Jig It Concealed Hinge Jig) to drill the 35mm bores for the cup end of the hinge. 

Finally attach and adjust your hinges so the door has an even overlay all the way around the cabinet.

Insert some shelf pins, and your shelf and the cabinet is done. Paint and prime, or stain and finish.

Better Box Fan Air Purifier

A better more efficient and odor eliminating homemade air purifier than just taping a 20x20x1 filter to a box fan. Sometimes you need to help clear the air in a dirty environment but don't want to use an expensive air purifier such as in a room after renovating and painting. Here's a cheap and easy way to build one.

Air purifiers can be expensive and you've probably seen articles recommending to just put a 20" x 20" x 1" furnace filter on a cheap 20" box fan and POOF! instant cleaner air for not a lot of money. It really does clean the air pretty cheap.

There's a problem with this though. These fans weren't designed to be run with a filter. The filter will restrict air flow which will put a higher strain on the motor causing it to use more electricity and in worse cases could be a fire hazard. The higher the MERV rating (cleaning efficiency) of the filter the more stress it will put on the fan.

Don't worry! You can still have your cheap air purifier as long as the filter area is increased to decrease the effect of air resistance. Instead of using one 20x20x1 filter we'll use two 20x25x1 filters which increases the filter surface area over 250%. It's a little more expensive because you're using two filters instead of one but the increased filter surface area also helps the filter last longer before it gets clogged up and we're saving on energy use compared to a single filter.

I can't take credit for the design, I found it via Marshall Hansen Design but I'm using different filters.

I recently remodeled my basement and there's a lot of dust (including drywall dust and sawdust) and fumes from paint, cleaners and other building materials. It's an underground basement and mold has to always be a conern too. Because part of the space will be my home theater in the future I plan to get a more expensive air purifier that's smaller and quieter such as this Fellowes Quiet Air Purifier AP-300PH with True HEPA Filter because it has great reviews, is reasonably priced and the replacement filters aren't that expensive or a Sharp Plasmacluster True HEPA Air Purifier or Blueair HepaSilent Air-Purification System if I find some extra Benjamins in the couch cushions. But I don't want to put that in the dusty environment right away because I'll have to replace the more expensive filters fairly quickly because the air is so bad. I also don't want to spend the money right now but I do want cleaner air now.

So I decided to get things going with a homemade air purifier that has filters that not only clean the air of particulates but also reduce VOCs and odors. Even after I purchase an air purifier I'll still have an air purifier I can use for other purposes like when I'm painting or cutting wood.

Also, don't forget to add more plants to your home. They're natures air purifiers. Not only do they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen but houseplants filter toxins and emit negative ions too!

What You'll Need

Materials

• Filtrete Home Odor Reduction Filter, 20-Inch by 25-Inch by 1-Inch, 4-Pack (only using 2 at a time)
• 20" Box Fan
• Cardboard (from the package the filters came in) or oak tag
• Duct Tape or Clear Cellophane Tape
• Optional  Plug-in Timer so the fan isn't running constantly without manual intervention.

Tools

• A pair of scissors or utility knife

Quick Info About Filters

The nice thing about this box fan filter setup is you can use any filters you want. If you are only concerned about large particles generated from something like cutting wood, you can use cheaper, lower MERV rated filters. If you're worried about finer particles from allergens such as mold, you can use a higher MERV rated filter. To understand more about what the MERV ratings mean have a look at Table 2 on this EPA article on residential air.

I chose to go with the Filtrete Home Odor Reduction Filters which are a new type of filter from Filtrete. They contain a lot of activated carbon to help filter out odors and VOCs.  They are rated MERV 11 and are equivalent to their 1000 MPR furnace filters. They should do a good job with even the fine drywall dust and the activated carbon will help a lot with odors. I bought a 4 pack for around $57 which gives me 2 sets of filters.

Filtrete Odor Reducing Air Filters

The filtering power of these Filtrete Odor Reducing filters isn't listed on Filtrete's website or on Amazon but I contacted them and found out that these filters have a MERV 11 rating and filter 90% of particles between 1-10 microns which makes them more efficient than the Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction Filters I've been using in my air conditioning for the past few years. Plus Filtrete packs over 180 grams of activated carbon to help reduce odors.

After I go through both sets of carbon filters I'm probably going to switch to the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Filter which does a much better job of filtering small particles. If odors are a problem I'll get some Cut-to-fit Carbon Prefilters and tape them over top of the Filtrete filters.

Okay, enough of the why, now for the how!

Step 1: Unbox The Filters

You're thinking "OMG! He's actually describing how to open a cardboard box?!?!?!" The best deal I found for these filters were on Amazon and with my Prime membership (or supersaver shipping) the shipping is free. Plus the packing box is going to be part of the filter so we need to keep in intact.

The box is sealed very well. Not only is it taped but the seams are also glued together. To get the filters out of the box I cut the top where it's perforated with a utility knife as shown.

Be careful not to cut too deep and damage the filters. Keep the box someplace safe to the side while we continue. 

Step 2: Hinge Filters

Start by taking 2 of the filters out of their plastic wrappers and lay them one on top of the other with the air flow arrows pointing towards each other. With the Odor Reducing Fitlers this means the black, carbon sides will be facing each other.

With the filters lined up, tape one of the short (20") edges of the filters to create a hinge between the two filters as shown.

I decided to go with white duck tape so it looks a little nicer but it makes it hard to see in the photos against the white cardboard filter frame.

Step 3: Tape Filters To Fan

Lay the box fan face down on a flat surface to mount the filters to the back making sure the bottom of the filters are about flush with the bottom of the fan and do not extend past the bottom.

Use a strip of duck tape to secure each side to the side of the fan.

Step 4: Cut and Attach the Cardboard

Cut out one of the large sides of from the cardboard shipping box, place it over the top of the of the filters and secure it with a strip of tape to the top of the fan. Position it so that it's pretty even over both filters but it doesn't have to be perfect.

Using a pencil, trace around the filters (while pressing down the cardboard so nothing moves) to mark where the cardboard needs to be cut.

Lift the cardboard up (the front piece of tape acts like a hinge) and cut along the lines to trim the sides. By the way, I really like these Fiskars Cuts+More 5-in-1 Multi-Purpose Scissors.

Repeat the process for the bottom cardboard. The other large piece from the box is seamed but it's taped and glued and very stiff so it shouldn't be an issue but you can run a strip of duck tape over the seem if it makes you feel better.

Also keep in mind that the bottom of the fan has feet. I positioned the cardboard underneath the feet and then pulled the feet out to tape.

After taping up the sides of the bottom cover to the filters, I added an extra strip of duck tape all the way around where the filters/cardboard meets the fan for added support. The rounded corners of the fan means there might still be an air gap there so check them and add extra duck tape if necessary. On the bottom there are also some holes, duck tape over those as well. Finally, replace the feet.

Step 5: Seal The Back

Where the hinged filters meet the cardboard in the back, add another strip of duck tape for support and to seal any gaps.

Give another look around the seams to make sure there aren't any gaps. If you find any, tape them up.

When using the fan, I always make sure that the cord isn't underneath the cardboard and instead is under the metal fan chassis, just in case something goes wrong and the cord overheats. Can never be too safe.

Replacing Filters

When it's time to replace filters, use a utility knife to cut the filters free but leave the cardboard in place. Then just hinge and attach the new filters.