attempting the impossible...?

[JoeyVivarium]

Hello All,

I've decided to build a new vivarium for our chameleon at home and came up with a corner-unit style wardrobe-type design that I've had to redesign 3 or 4 times now after talking to a number of knowledgable cham owners. Now that I have the design that I think will work, I've been told (by the girlfriend) that it's not allowed to be made out of MDF or plywood as that looks too cheap. She wants it made out of "real wood"

I'm struggling to find "real" wood in sections wide enough for this. I've attached a couple of diagrams to give an idea of size, it's got to be about 2m tall and I'm aiming for the front to be about 1.5m across.

Any help would be most appreciated.

 

[advancemaintenance1]

timber board available at wickes comes in various sizes big enough for your unit
it is pine but can be stained its as easy to work with as mdf but looks great

 

[JoeyVivarium]

Superb. Many thanks

 

[ColJack]

buscuit jointer and some glue and clamps.. make your own boards up..

alternatively, you should be able to get wide boards made up from most good timber places..

 

[dextrous]

buscuit jointer and some glue and clamps.. make your own boards up..

And hire a belt sander to get it perfectly smooth afterwards.

 

[HowlinWilf]

Your cheapest option for wide panels with wood-effect is melamine faced chipboard (MFC) - you can get it in oak, beech or maple-effect, and places like Wickes sell it in different sized panels and in different thicknesses.

Alternatively, you could consider using real wood veneer on MDF or ply (they come already veneered) - there's a wide variety of different woods and different thicknesses (between approx 20mm and 3mm) available. This is more expensive and you may have to buy a whole 8' X 4' sheet and get it cut at a local joinery etc.

The veneer option would require finishing with oil or varnish, but would look beautiful. The MFC option requires no finishing, looks pretty damn good and is very hard-wearing. You pays yer money and takes yer choice!