storge room under stairs

timefora_J

Hi, I'm trying to put together how I would go about boarding off the space under the stairs with a door at the highest end for getting in and out.

I imagine I would batten it off and then use either mdf or something similar to finish the walls.

I'm a still thinking about how put a door on it and what would be the best way to make it swing.

I'm not a carpenter at all, I'm handy enough with most diy stuff and would like a bit of guidance to make it go smoothly

Here is what I have so far in picure form don't laugh

looksee

Your pic is opening as a photoshop image on my computer, I think if you resaved it as a jpg it would be easier for people to open.

Your diagram is fine, but I am not sure mdf is the best material, especially for the door. I think I would be more inclined to go for timber cladding, like shiplap on a frame, but it does depend on the style of your house and staircase.

timefora_J

Sorry mate didn't realise about the image, just resaved it in paint as jpg.

mdf just came to mind as it can be bought it sheets. I just want it to look as clean as possible. Is gonna be paint same colour as hallway so it just blends in.

Would I just make a frame around the wall part and then seperate frame for the door ? I've tried to show it in the pic but is mspaint

antiskeptic

timefora_J wrote: »

Hi, I'm trying to put together how I would go about boarding off the space under the stairs with a door at the highest end for getting in and out.

I imagine I would batten it off and then use either mdf or something similar to finish the walls.

I'm a still thinking about how put a door on it and what would be the best way to make it swing.

I'm not a carpenter at all, I'm handy enough with most diy stuff and would like a bit of guidance to make it go smoothly

Here is what I have so far in picure form don't laugh

I've attached a couple of pics which might help. The understairs cupboard is made from MDF with pine trim attached (with a mitred edge). A skirting board also helps to diguise the slab looking nature of it. MDF is ideal material for the job - 18mm thick would be just about right hung onto a simple wooden frame.

Sorry about the blurred 2nd picture but hinging the door is straightforward enough - kitchen cabinet hinges would do the trick - although you might be best to use three of them given the door height. You can see also how the aforementioned pine trim overhangs the MDF door and so doubles as a door stop

looksee

Thats a very nice job antiskeptic, looks very well. My doubt about mdf is because timefora is effectively building a wall and there will have to be joins. It can be difficult to get a good finish with butt joins. You could put a trim over the joins of course, but that's not a finish I like - thats just a personal preference though.

timefora_J

Like what you've done there fella, the trim really helps to bring eveything together. You'd never know there was a door there.

Maybe I could use a bit of some filler, you know like coving filler and just put abit down on each join once its smooth over hopefully it should hide the join. The door should be the only join really noticeable depending on how straight I can cut lol.

I would prefer the cleaniest finish possible, will run a bit of skirting along the bottom and thats about it.

rosscarter

Storage under Stairs

The space under stairs provides wonderful place for storage. Install cabinets, shelves and drawers under stairs for storage. Use shelves to display decorative pieces whereas cabinets can be used for storage. Cabinets can be used for storing winter clothes and things which are sometimes used. Drawers could be used for placing books and toys of children.


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paddy147

A few pieces of 2 x 2 or 2 x 4,a bit of plaster board inside to box off your under stairs space,some skirting board and a nice but cheap door is all you need for some under stairs storage.

After all,its under the stairs,so its not like it has to look like a master piece,as no one will see it.

And if its for the likes of say the kids toys and a hoover,then the above is simple and cheap to do.

The storage space will get marked and scraped with kids toys and hoovers and brushes under it anyway,so cheap and cheerfull is the way to go here.

antiskeptic

timefora_J wrote: »

Like what you've done there fella, the trim really helps to bring eveything together. You'd never know there was a door there....


...The door should be the only join really noticeable depending on how straight I can cut lol.

Thanks..

That's because the trim slightly overhangs the edges of the MDF door on both sides and top so as to hide cut line (the MDF door was cut out of the panel making up the front of the unit. You can only see the cut line in the places the trim doesn't cover - the skirting board is the morst obvious place in the pic

Maybe I could use a bit of some filler, you know like coving filler and just put abit down on each join once its smooth over hopefully it should hide the join.

I would prefer the cleaniest finish possible, will run a bit of skirting along the bottom and thats about it.

There's an invisible join between two panels on the unit I made - at the corner where the front and side panels meet. The way to achieve it is the same in your situation (where two front panels will butt up together end to end) involves;

- ensuring there's a batten behind the join for both panels to rest against.

- pre-drill and countersink your screw holes before screwing the MDF panel to the batten. This to ensure you don't cause the MDF to bulge and delaminate . Don't position the screws too close to the edge - 20mm in from the edge is fine. Use slender screws (3mm say) and get them 1-2 mm under the surface

- apply wood glue between batten and MDF at the joint and on the two sheet edges that will butt together. Apply plenty of glue to the butting faces so that it squeezes out of the joint as you press the second sheet in against the first (which you'll have already screwed into position at this point).

- have someone/wedges-between-floor-and-sheet ready to help you keep the two butting sheets tight together whilst you screw the second sheet home. Angle the fixing screws on this second sheet slightly so that the point aims towards the first sheet will help pull the join together as the screws tighten up - but don't go wild - the point is to just "nip up" the gap (and avoid angling the screws in the wrong direction so as to pull the joint apart )


- make sure that the edges you're butting together are factory machined edges - not ones you've cut yourself. Pick undamaged sheets in the providers and preserve the edges for this join.

- sanding the joint when dry with a flat sanding block ..and that's that. No filling to do. A lick of paint that you won't see a thing. The glued joint won't crack on you in the future (provided that basic frame work is reasonably sturdy).

All the best..

paddy147

rosscarter wrote: »

Minimover http://www.minimover.com.au provide the mover and packer service, Truck hire services in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and all over Australia

What sort of post is that supposed to be???SPAM :rolleyes:

Thats fcuk all use when this is Ireland and we live in Ireland.