A house cannot be truly cozy and comfortable without comfortable furniture. However, built-in furniture made of natural wood, which is distinguished by its long service life and versatility, is very expensive. In such a situation, ordinary plasterboard, which is most often perceived only as a sheathing material, can help. But in practice, this is not so. You can easily make a multifunctional chest of drawers with your own hands from plasterboard.
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Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of gypsum board products is their multifunctionality. This parameter has already been noted, but the advantages are not limited to it.
- A plasterboard cabinet is an excellent replacement for expensive furniture, which is not inferior to it in aesthetics. With proper processing and stylish finishing, a product made with your own hands will look very impressive.
- Gypsum plasterboard is a flexible and versatile building material, from which you can make not only a wardrobe, but also shelves for various small items.
- A structure made of this material can be placed almost anywhere – in the hallway, bedroom, children’s room, toilet.
- The compartment can act as a partition. This is very convenient if you need not only to delimit the space, but also to preserve its functionality.
- A wardrobe made of plasterboard is durable. Such a design is capable of withstanding significant loads, so there are practically no restrictions in the use of such chests of drawers.
- Built-in plasterboard wardrobe with shelves saves free space. The structure can be easily built into the wall or into the corner of any room.
- Possibility to diversify the design. A sliding wardrobe created independently will make the interior extraordinary and more attractive.
It would be fair to note not only the advantages, but also the disadvantages of such chests of drawers. There are not many of them. Firstly, such a design can only be built-in. It cannot be moved. Secondly, you need to be careful when placing sharp objects in the compartment. The material will withstand their weight, but can be damaged if it is touched by a sharp end.
Choosing the design of a compartment chest of drawers
Before starting the installation, you need to decide on some important points. The first of them is the choice of location. This is an individual decision of each homeowner. When the location is determined, you can make a drawing of the walls and come up with a location for the chest of drawers itself.
The drawing can be done on a regular sheet of paper or you can use a ready-made one. However, the latter option is more complicated, because the ready-made work plan must ideally fit the parameters of your apartment.
In order to create a plan, you also need to familiarize yourself with the main types of such a design.
A plasterboard cabinet can be of different types:
- angular;
- linear;
- built-in;
- coupe.
The corner design is ideal for a small room. It will save space. The linear cabinet with shelves is universal. It can be installed in any room of the house.
If the room has niches, it is more reasonable to make a built-in wardrobe with large lighting. For example, it can be used as a dressing room. And a compartment chest of drawers with shelves will be an excellent solution if there is a lack of storage space. It can accommodate not only clothes, but also books, equipment or shoes. A compartment is the best solution for a small apartment.
You should also decide in advance on the features of the chest of drawers. It can have open and closed shelves. A plasterboard cabinet with closed shelves is the most practical, since you can store any accessories in it, but it will be more difficult to build such a frame.
If you are unable to decide what design your plasterboard cabinet will have, you can use the photos that are posted in this article.
Necessary materials and tools
To make a plasterboard cabinet with your own hands, you need to first prepare certain materials and construction tools.
In particular, for work you will need:
- gypsum plasterboard sheets;
- metal or wooden profiles;
- pencil;
- roulette;
- plumb line;
- spatula;
- primer;
- hammer;
- square;
- self-tapping screws;
- damper tape;
- plaster mesh;
- plaster;
- construction knife,
- antiseptic (if wood is used).
As you can see, the installation of such a cabinet requires a solid set of improvised means. There is no need to use any professional tools or complex equipment.
Step by step instructions
- Creating a drawing. You can make a drawing using a computer program or a regular sheet of paper. First, take measurements of the walls, and then record the dimensions of the future chest of drawers. All data on the room and structure must be immediately transferred to paper. In this case, you should take into account all aspects: from the outlines of the chest of drawers to the number and location of the shelves.
- Marking the work area. If the plan is done correctly, you can safely mark the walls in the room. For marking, you will need a regular pencil, a ruler and a square.
- Purchase of goods. At this stage, you need to decide what kind of frame you want to use. A wooden frame is more reliable and can withstand a high load. However, there are several inconveniences when using it. Firstly, wood is not cheap, and secondly, it requires preliminary treatment with a high-quality antiseptic. All other materials must be purchased based on the preliminary plan.
- Installing the base. To ensure that the plasterboard cabinet lasts a long time, special attention should be paid to the frame installation process. The base should be strong and reliable. First, the profiles are installed on the floor and walls. They are attached to the wall with screws. The distance between the profiles should not be more than 40 cm. A damper tape should be placed under each profile. It will prevent humming when using the chest of drawers. Before installing each profile unit, it is worth checking the structures with a level. The frame should be stable and level. When all the adjoining profiles are installed, you can proceed to installing the vertical and horizontal ones. All jumpers are installed from top to bottom.
- Installing the back wall. The need to form a back wall depends on where the drywall cabinet is located. If the wall of the room itself has a good appearance, then additional finishing is not necessary.
- Cutting sheets. Once the frame is installed, you can begin preparing the base material. The plasterboard should be marked and cut into pieces using a construction knife. Sheets with a thickness of 12 mm are usually used for furniture production.
- Sheathing the frame. It is enough to sheathe the frame from the outside, but many sheathe the inside as well. The sheets are attached with screws. The step between them should be two hundred millimeters.
- Priming. For this stage, you will need a special product. It can be found in any hardware store. The entire drywall cabinet must be thoroughly treated with primer.
- Preparing corners and plastering. To make the cabinet look aesthetically pleasing, each corner should be made even. A plaster mesh can help with this. It is attached with plaster when the entire surface is processed.
- Installing doors. When the base dries after plastering, you can take measurements of the surface of the future door. You should not make it yourself. Only a professional craftsman should do this work. It is better to order a ready-made door with guides. When it is delivered, you first need to install the guides, and then the door leaf itself.
How can you decorate a chest of drawers?
The sliding wardrobe serves not only as a storage room. It is the center of the interior and should look decent. How to decorate the finished product? The easiest option is to cover the surface of the structure with wallpaper in the color of the room's interior. It is best to give preference to washable wallpaper. They are very practical and can withstand difficult operating conditions. You can also use liquid wallpaper for decoration. With their help, beautiful patterns and figures are easily created. Such decoration will never go unnoticed by guests.
If the room is small, you can decorate and visually enlarge the space with mirrors. They are attached to the surface of the sheets with glue. You should not save on buying mirrors. They should be of high quality and not have creases. However, there is one significant drawback when using mirrors - they are easy to break and stain. If there are small children in the house, it is better to refuse this type of decoration.
Photo wallpaper can decorate a wardrobe made of plasterboard sheets in an original way. They are sold with a ready-made image, or you can order unique wallpaper with a self-developed design. Photo wallpaper resembles a thin film. Their service life is practically unlimited.
VIDEO: plasterboard cabinet, installation and white version.
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