Need cabinet construction help

So I want to build a box in my basement to grow plants in. The problem is I have very little experience doing anything like this.
I dont need this to be real stealthy, just lightproof and sturdy. It just needs to house a 400w light and 4 plants. Really a 3'Lx3'Wx3'H box made out of plywood with a door would be just fine.

Im planning on just buying a bunch of 2x4s and nailing them together as a frame then nailing the playwood on top of that.

I would love some input on the following questions:

1. What kind of wood should i get? If i just get a bunch of 2x4s and plywood will that be ok?
2. Any good plans out there that are really basic? Ive seen pharmacans thread and that cabinet is awesome, but a little more complicated than i think i can do.


I would love any help i can get im really new to this.

How big a cabinet do you want to build? Tell me some details of what your requirements and expectations are and I can probably help you out. ...and it doesn't have to be as complicated as he one I did the DIY thread on. LOL I've built some other cabinets out of plywood and 2x2's and they work great.

PC :smokin:

Well, eventually I want to have seperate cabinets for clones, a mother, vegging, and flowering, but for now I just want to build something to veg and flower 2-4 plants in. Once I gain more confidence in my carpentry skills Ill build a veg/mother/clone cab.

I have a 400w mh/hps lamp and was thinking that i would make the cabinet 4 ft wide, 2.5 ft deep, and 5 ft tall. I think this should be enough room for a simple dwc set up with 2-4 plants. The lamp is aircooled and i have a good fan and carbon filter. I also have all the dwc supplies and just bought a bunch of mylar.


I guess all i really need is a 4'x2.5'x5' box with a hole in the top for the exhaust, some hooks on top to hang the light and fan, and a lightproof door. The door will probably give me some problems, but i guess weather stripping helps make a lightproof seal? Stealth is really not much of an issue as the cabinet will be in my basement and no one goes down there, but i would like for it at least to not leak light or sweet sweet smells.


So thats basically what i need. I have a couple of seedlings that I just started that are gonna be needing a home in a week or so, so after Christmas Im going to get the wood and start building.

So you think a bunch of 2x2s and plywood would do the job? Im planning on putting this in a corner of my basement, could i just use the walls of the basement (brick) as two sides of the cabinet?

Thanks for the reply!

After or while building the cabinet, you should paint the inside white or get some mylar (looks like tin foil but way better; tin foil produces hot spots). It reaallyy helps reflect the light all over the plants, especially if you only have one light.

Just my .02 here...you have to be pretty honest about how handy you are. Building a wood box that will be free standing and can hold light fixtures, get drilled out for ventilation, etc., is not as easy as all that. I totally respect PharmaCan and his building skill...but, to be honest, you can get a wardrobe from Home Depot for around $100 that is good to go. It'll take less than an hour to build, and you'll need to add some padded tape to keep light out.

If you're near an IKEA, the PAX system is even better, IMO. 39â?� x 22â?� x 79â?� tall...the frame/door/hinges combo is around $125.

And, of course, there are Grow Tents. HomeBox, HydroHut, etc. These have vents and flanges built in, and can be set up in less than half an hour. These go for around $175 for a 39â?� x 39â?�.

It's fun to build your own stuff, and it's going to be a little cheaper, too. But it takes a lot more time and there's more margin for error. For me at least, I'd go with something pre-cut and/or set up Like I said, I saw that PAX system at IKEA (which comes in white) and thought, â??Man, could that be more perfect?â?�

Here is one that I just built in my basement, be careful, dark periods the temp drops by a good 20-25 degrees, so have a heater. This cab is 8 x 2 x 7 with 2 400w hps. also be careful of mold, mildew, and high humidity in a basement

Flow - Using the walls of the basement for walls of the box is not a good idea. Aside from the fact that it would be harder to build, you have a cold, dank wall inside your box and that's not good.

I'm going to be building a box very similar to what you want, starting in a day or two. I can do a DIY on that box and you can follow along if you want. If you want to get started right away, What I would suggest is that you have a floor board cut to exactly the size you want, then build a 2x2 frame on top of that. Then have your side panels cut, attach them, measure again for the front and back and have those boards cut. The reason I suggest having the plywood cut in stages is that you need to overlap the corners and you won't know the exact measurements until you have the side walls up. As a final step, have the top panel cut. (Depending upon a number of factors, the top piece may or may not be the same size as the bottom piece.)

...or you can do like Roughrider said and buy a pre-fab cab.

PC :smokin: