Converting an Entertainment Cabinet to a Humidor

StogiesOnTheGreen

Hey guys, the title of the thread tells you what I'm doing, but I have a question for anyone thats knowledgable in this area. Before I line the cabinet with spanish cedar, do I need to waterproof the underlying wood with a polyurethane? I'm worried about moisture being trapped between the spanish cedar and the original wood and causing mold growth. Also, will using spanish cedar veneer give me all of the same benefits as using spanish cedar? I've been able to find a spanish cedar plywood for a decent price, but veneer is usually a little more inexpensive. Thanks for any input, and I am taking pics along the way and will add them to the thread when I'm finished.

xmacro

Can't answer most of your questions, but make sure the spanish cedar is KILN-DRIED.

IIRC, most spanish cedar linings are between 1/4" and 3/8" thick

wwestern

I know I've seen cabi say to use the spanish cedar plywood before.
Please keep us up to date on your project bro I've been half assed looking into this myself can't decide weither to go from scratch or trying to remodel something.

cabinetmaker

Use the plywood, don't seal underneath it because after you line it it'll never be able to dry. Polyurethane emits fumes for over a month. If you smell an open can of polyurethane ask yourself is that an odor you'd want on your cigars? Use solid lumber for trays and the like.

StogiesOnTheGreen

Thanks for the help guys. I'm trying to figure out as much as I can before I start. I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions and I'd rather ask simple questions than do it wrong and not only ruin the cabinet but also my cigars. wwestern: I've wondered the same thing. I looked into buying a cabinet, but then thought I should at least look into the possibility of converting something to save some money. Plus, I'm not the most handy when it comes to woodwork, but I do enjoy building something and getting use out of it.

Krieg

take some pics when u start your project!

edelrionyc

and when your done building it....

wwestern

StogiesOnTheGreen:

Thanks for the help guys. I'm trying to figure out as much as I can before I start. I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions and I'd rather ask simple questions than do it wrong and not only ruin the cabinet but also my cigars. wwestern: I've wondered the same thing. I looked into buying a cabinet, but then thought I should at least look into the possibility of converting something to save some money. Plus, I'm not the most handy when it comes to woodwork, but I do enjoy building something and getting use out of it.

Plus it's pretty awesome to have a piece that no one else does.

boydmcgowan

wwestern:

StogiesOnTheGreen:

Thanks for the help guys. I'm trying to figure out as much as I can before I start. I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions and I'd rather ask simple questions than do it wrong and not only ruin the cabinet but also my cigars. wwestern: I've wondered the same thing. I looked into buying a cabinet, but then thought I should at least look into the possibility of converting something to save some money. Plus, I'm not the most handy when it comes to woodwork, but I do enjoy building something and getting use out of it.

Plus it's pretty awesome to have a piece that no one else does.

yup, this'll be sweet man, definitely want to see some pics of this badboy along the way.

I'll also add my two cents here as well. Since you have the cedar issue taken care of, your next biggest thing is going to be the seal for any existing doors/drawers. Not that I have any suggestions, but just figured I'd throw out some food for thought. hahaha.

allright maybe I have one suggestions . . . . depending on the gaps, you could try some thin weather stripping maybe? I don't know. good luck and post pictures.

StogiesOnTheGreen

boydmcgowan:

wwestern:

StogiesOnTheGreen:

Thanks for the help guys. I'm trying to figure out as much as I can before I start. I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions and I'd rather ask simple questions than do it wrong and not only ruin the cabinet but also my cigars. wwestern: I've wondered the same thing. I looked into buying a cabinet, but then thought I should at least look into the possibility of converting something to save some money. Plus, I'm not the most handy when it comes to woodwork, but I do enjoy building something and getting use out of it.

Plus it's pretty awesome to have a piece that no one else does.

yup, this'll be sweet man, definitely want to see some pics of this badboy along the way.

I'll also add my two cents here as well. Since you have the cedar issue taken care of, your next biggest thing is going to be the seal for any existing doors/drawers. Not that I have any suggestions, but just figured I'd throw out some food for thought. hahaha.

allright maybe I have one suggestions . . . . depending on the gaps, you could try some thin weather stripping maybe? I don't know. good luck and post pictures.

The piece is going to be one large door (glass insert hopefully) that I plan on sealing with a combination of weather stripping and strong magnets to hold it shut. The drawer on the bottom won't be sealed, instead used for accessories and empty boxes. I figure once I get this far I may have to do some troubleshooting once it starts to come together and I see how everything fits.

wwestern

Bump any updates?

CAcigarguy007

StogiesOnTheGreen:

Hey guys, the title of the thread tells you what I'm doing, but I have a question for anyone thats knowledgable in this area. Before I line the cabinet with spanish cedar, do I need to waterproof the underlying wood with a polyurethane? I'm worried about moisture being trapped between the spanish cedar and the original wood and causing mold growth. Also, will using spanish cedar veneer give me all of the same benefits as using spanish cedar? I've been able to find a spanish cedar plywood for a decent price, but veneer is usually a little more inexpensive. Thanks for any input, and I am taking pics along the way and will add them to the thread when I'm finished.

I think Minwax quick drying wipe on poly will work fine and not emit much if any fumes after you let it air out a few days. Most humi's you buy online are made in china and they use much worse on them. I have re-done some rifle sticks with poly and they don't have fumes. In fact many folks don't realize that the much idolized tru-oil has poly in it, go figure? Poly it to seal out the old wood and any moister, dirt, and debris and you should be golden IMO. You can get 1/4 inch Spanish ceder planks from Rockler and cut them to size. Most veneer has a paper backing and that would cause me mold concerns, spend the extra and get the thinnest planks you can, assemble and let everything (adhesives, poly, stain ect) air out for a few days then lightly sand (with 0000 steel wool) to bring out booming cedar notes. You got the right idea and you should be golden IMO. Some pics when you're done would be awesome! Good luck!

CAcigarguy007

And a side not on weather stripping, I just did a new bin-a-dor and could only find some thick weather stripping at wally world so what I eventually did wat to turn it sideways and cut as near to the adhesive strip as possible. This will give you a thin and very customizable (read moldable) piece depending on how tight you stretch it. I was able to fully line my lid on my new 60qt Sterlight bin-a-dor doing this. I was even able to get into the very tight/thin corners and now I don't need much humidification to keep things proper. I had bought some traveling soap dishes to stick under the lid and traveling toothbrush holders which I drilled holes in to make credo-holders but I ended up tossing them as they were unnecessary and overkill. Again, good luck and have fun, building humis can be a really fun project.

DeadBoxJD

Instead of a poly, could you use a clear coat? They're typically lower in VOC's (the stuff that steels bad in paint/stains).

Plus with the sealing aspect of the corners and crease, you could use a clear silicone on the outside of the unit. This will create an airtight seal and not look as conspicuous as weatherstripping.

howtobass

Sounds like an awesome project! If you lined an area with cedar, ie: a box, would you want to caulk the corners so it is air tight?

The Colonel

I am following with great interest as my wife has decided a small oak cabinet in the dining room needs to be replaced ... and oh my... what ever should we do with that cabinet? Honey, I'll move it to the basement to make room for the new hutch...