Bespoke fitted furniture

CaptainCook · 26-04-2006, 12:36 PM

Hi all,

I'm a self-confessed home cinema nutcase, who until very recently has been left to my own devices by the Mrs to enjoy my HC habit. I've been a serial lurker on this site, but thank you to those of you who regularily contribute as it's both informative and entertaining!

Unfortunately, she has now turned her attention to the sitting room (as we have finished renovating the rest of the house) and now she's seeking an "elegant solution" to house the plasma and the rest of the kit.

One of the Sunday magazines hosted an advert from Conquest-UK who seem to offer a bespoke fitted furniture service.

See this link for details (hope it works!): http://www.conquest-uk.com/rooms/ent.../lexington.htm

My old man is a joiner, and has offered his services to produce a unit of a similar design to the lexington. The issue is regarding the final finish. I don't really want a DIY brushed effect, but I can't see any alternative other than disassembling the finished unit and finding a friendly car body shop who would spray the components, that I could eventually reassemble back home.

Yes, I could use Conquest to do the entire job, but from their ballpark quotes it's either a few thousand quid with them, or a DIY job that may be several hundreds.

Can anyone offer any advice on obtaining a professional finish or alternative fitters?

Thanks

clockworks · 26-04-2006, 4:46 PM

Buy a compressor and spraygun, and spray it yourself. You should be able to get a decent portable compressor and spraygun for under £250 from somewhere like MachineMart.

Spray painting isn't that difficult. The hardest part is getting the paint viscosity and air pressure correct. A few hours practice on scrap material should be enough.

Once you've finished the job, you can sell the equipment through your local paper or eBay - should get at least half your money back.

CaptainCook · 26-04-2006, 7:17 PM

Thanks for the tip clockworks. £250 seems about right for a decent compressor and gun.

I'll have to be careful in the design not to expose too much "end-grain" of any MDF panels, as from experience these tend to soak up the paint like a sponge.

Got any further tips on sealing these those edges?

Also, if any other brave souls have gone down a similar route and want to offer any do's or dont's, feel free to shout out.

When I start the project, I'll open a thread in the DIY section.

Cheers

CaptainCook

shahedz · 26-04-2006, 10:03 PM

i had bespoke cabinets and shelves made from MDF by a company called jali on www.jali.co.uk (or .com) , you download the designer and put in the dimensions and shelves you want, and they cut it to size and send it to you flat packed, i then had it painted, primar first then the paint.

check out the link below for pictures i posted earlier

Discreet Installation-cabinet Required

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 11:45 AM

Thanks for the link shahedz. Your finished cabinets do look great.

For the money it's an absolute no-brainer. The designer software is downloading as I type. By the way, did they use cam bolt type fixings?

Now having used them, and with the benefit of hindsight, was there anything you would have changed in your original design? For example, extra supports for the shelves?

I think I'll order the units and bookshelves to fill-in each side of the false chimney breast, then ask my dad to knock together a fly-over with downlighters linking them together.

AMc · 27-04-2006, 12:11 PM

I have Jali cupboards fitted between the chimney breast in one room. IIRC they have cam bolts for the shelves, some pegs and you also need to do a fair bit of gluing. Mine were very large (bookshelves on cupboards) and my floor isn't flat (the house is >100 years old). This meant one of the cupboards didn't go together completely true which is a bit annoying but not Jali's fault.

Look carefully at their fittings for alcoves which remove the side trim at the skirting board level and extent the front side bars over the full distance. I chose this option but because I have skirting and picture rails I ended up with gaps anyway. In retrospect I would have been better off with the normal design.

I also made a schoolboy error and specified the wrong depth on one bookshelf which I had to bodge a bit to make them look even (there is a gap behind the shallower bookshelf).

One irritation with the designer software is you can't copy a unit and adjust just one dimension - you have to recreate from scratch. When creating two similar cupboards and two similar bookshelves to go either side this was a pain and lead to specifing the wrong trim on one. So choose their option to print, check and post you plans before manufacturing as it may save you an expensive mistake. They highlighted the trim issue - shame they didn't spot the depth error!

You will also get quite a shock when several KGs of flat pack MDF gets delivered. Their stuff is very heavy duty and you need some space to put it together!

Finishing took a while - mine were brushed with 2 coats of gloss which looks fine to me - but like all gloss took ages to do and ran a bit etc.

I'd certainly recommend them regardless - a good compromise between DIY and professional work at a fair price.

shahedz · 27-04-2006, 12:34 PM

Hi captain cook

to be honest i didnt put them together, so i havent got a clue about the fixings but hopefully AMC answered your questions.

i got the builder to install them and he done a fantastic job, he got some extra MDF and put the on the side so that they look like properly fitted,

with hindsight i would have matched the skirting, you can choose what height you want the skirting and had i matched it proerply it would have looked great, i wanted to paint the units white so they matched the existing skirting, but the females in the house out voted me on that , the builder ripped out the skirting round the sides and back of where the shelves would go so mine fit flush against the wall and have no gaps which i think gives it a slightly nicer look

i cant recommend them enough, extremly helpful. they did say if the unitts are more than 110cm wide the recommend a supporting pillar in the middle but mine were only 95cm wide, they are extremely strong. as you can see mine are loaded with books. but if you are loading yours with AV equipment i would recommend more shelves, if you want some pics of the internals or any extra pics drop me a PM and il email them to you,.

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 12:45 PM

Cheers AMc

Our house is a tad younger, and luckily the walls and floors are fairly true and square.

I'm gonna go for the alcove option, but I may have to scribe ever so slightly the side bar to fit the walls correctly. I'll also do this with the unit on the opposite wall, then the distance between the two units will determine the final width of the false chimney breast.

Without trying to drag this thread out much further, I couldn't see anything obvious on the Jali website to indicate the thickness of MDF they use. What thickness were your shelves?

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 12:57 PM

Cheers Shahedz

I've been tearing the skirting and architraves out as I decorate each room so I agree that incorporating the new "room" skirting into the units would help to integrate these units.

A base unit on one side will host the AV kit. The other side will be for DVD storage. The bookshelves on top of these units will probably be used for displaying a few decorative odds and ends.

shahedz · 27-04-2006, 1:31 PM

i'll measure the thickness tonight and get back to you, you can opt for a pillar inbetween the doors for added strength

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 1:46 PM

Slightly off-topic but just noticed the TDL RTL3's in your signature. I had a pair of these in mahogany a few years back and it's the only piece of kit that I regret selling. Lovely speakers.

shahedz · 27-04-2006, 3:17 PM

captain , i got them when i was 16! 9 years later i still cant bare to part with them, i love em, mine are the first edition with the full lenght grill but no plint, but the sound is fantastic!

by the way do you want me to take a close up of the paintwork on the shelf? i dont think you need a spray gun, because the builders done two coats or primer and 2 coats of paint and it is very , very smooth

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 3:23 PM

Yes please for the pictures.

My TDL's were the MK2's. Please don't bin em at any price!!

shahedz · 27-04-2006, 7:47 PM

Hi Captain

the MDF is 15mm thick, have attmepted to take photos but need to use the flash which causes a reflection il get some for you over the weekend .

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 8:07 PM

Thanks again.

CaptainCook · 27-04-2006, 11:49 PM

I've been having fun all night (I should really get out more) with the Jali Designer software, which is a doddle to use. Even the Mrs kicked me off the keyboard to get creative for a few minutes before the novelty wore off and she settled back down on the sofa to watch "House".

Anyway, I'm going to try and paste below the base and top shelving unit designs to show you what can be achieved. The screen images are fairly basic, but as was mentioned earlier in this thread, the printed images/plans are pretty good. I'll take the previous advice given and opt for the chance to recive a full set of plans to confirm the final dimensions. Combined price for the two including delivery (which is free) comes to the grand total of £343.

Base is 950w x 550d x 831h
Top is 950w x 250d x 1369h

I'll pass these under the old man's nose as a sanity check.

Multiply the costs by 2 to allow for it's mirror image on the other wall, add materials for the chimney breast, paint, downlighters and a replacement fly over and I should still be on course for less than a grand.

shahedz · 28-04-2006, 1:09 PM

Hi captain, the software i thought was brillaint too. real simple to use,

designs look similar to what i got done, as you are having AV equipment inside have you consider having the brass grill so you got ventilation and also you can control your AV gear with your remote control? i think the Brass grill is slightly more expensive but i think you should get it for below a grand, i got the same as you , either side of the chimmney and also 2 long book case, for £1142 , paid £350 to have it screwed togther , installed and painted, so got it all in for £1500 ,

the finsihed article in my opinion is extremly high and if installed properly you would think were built with the house,

would love to see how yours turns out with the lights etc so please do post pics of the finished article when finished

CaptainCook · 28-04-2006, 3:08 PM

Good point about the ventilation.

What about moving the bookshelves forward an inch from the back wall to allow the heat to dissipate out of the back of the base unit (providing I provide a cutout in the base back panel, which will also allow for cabling) then the heat will rise up the void behind the bookcase? The digitial cable box and the media box for the plasma tend to generate the most amount of heat, more so than the AV amp.

Perhaps I'm not turning it up loud enough!!

With regards to the remote control of the kit, I have a bit more to spend on "accessories", so was planning to play on the wifes idea of a discrete installation by purchasing an IR extender that will ping the commands from my pronto to the kit in the cabinet. I'll also buy a red-eye to finally allow control of the digital cable box.

One of the IR recievers I've spotted can be fitted into a hole drilled in the cabinet,which then passes the signal back to a distribution amp. There was a warning that if you have a Plasma you need a "plasma friendly" version.

Why?

hutters · 28-04-2006, 4:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCook

One of the IR recievers I've spotted can be fitted into a hole drilled in the cabinet,which then passes the signal back to a distribution amp. There was a warning that if you have a Plasma you need a "plasma friendly" version.

Why?

Plasma's chuck out a lot of IR. I had problems when I had NTL Digital - had to have insulation tape stuck over the receiver on the box because the IR from the plasma kept making it do weird things.

CaptainCook · 28-04-2006, 8:13 PM

Is this only when the plasma is in the "line of sight" of one of the IR receivers. In my scenario, the plasma will be set back behind the IR receiver both pointing out in the same direction.

Does that make sense?

I've only had a problem with IR once when I put one of the kids birthday cards infront of the IR on the plasma and the a command to increase the TV volume "reflected" the volume up to the maximum it would go. You never seen kids jump as high as they did that night.

shahedz · 29-04-2006, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCook

Good point about the ventilation.

What about moving the bookshelves forward an inch from the back wall to allow the heat to dissipate out of the back of the base unit (providing I provide a cutout in the base back panel, which will also allow for cabling) then the heat will rise up the void behind the bookcase? The digitial cable box and the media box for the plasma tend to generate the most amount of heat, more so than the AV amp.

dont see why that shouldnt work , sounds like a fine idea to me,

CaptainCook · 09-05-2006, 12:58 PM

Just a quick update. After finalising the dimensions for the furniture, I still had a slight snag in the design as the side fitting option (according to the software) was only available in a standard 18mm overlap. I have some surface mounted pipes in one of the corners that protrude 30-35mm from the wall so the 18mm side bar wouldn't be sufficent to hide these pipes. It was looking like a job for a plumber, forgetting the Jali route, or carrying out some further "customisation" of the cabinets when they arrived.

As a last resort I spoke to Jali and was gobsmacked that you can bespoke your finished software designs even further!!!

The chap on the phone basically said to send in the designs as is, but include some notes to highlight any further changes you need and they will sort it out. So I now have a 50mm overlap on the side bars, which will provide plenty of room for the pipes.

He asked what the cabinets were for, and when I mention AV kit, he said "Ah...you'll be needing some space at the back of the cabinet for ventilation". Again, it's not in the software, but if you ask them, they will build the cabinets and bookcases with a void at the back to allow for cabling and ventilation. This saves you from creating your own void, which could only be achieved by pulling the cabinets away from the wall a little.

Great service from Jali, but it makes you wonder how many people may have given up with their products not realising that a quick call would probably sort out any design issues.

shahedz · 09-05-2006, 6:55 PM

famtastic news mate. damn it, i didnt know you could customise them so much, how long do you think before you get them all delivered and put up

CaptainCook · 09-05-2006, 10:58 PM

Hopefully not too long!!

Should have the final order with Jali this week, but the assembly won't be for a little while as we've been skimming over the Artex in all the rooms to create flat ceilings and need to do the same in this room. Our friendly "spread" will be popping over soon to give the ceiling a once over, and when the mess is out the way, the build will begin.

The shopping list is getting fairly extensive (and expensive) now:

2 Cabinets
2 Bookshelves
1 New Amp
1 New DVD recorder
1 IR extender kit
1 Plasma wall mount
New downlighters for the cabinets and the ceiling
New carpet and curtains
New sofas
Paint and materials

and here's a question for someone (and I think I should get away with asking it here as it concerns the AV furniture) - If I replace my sub-sat system with in-walls and in-ceilings, probably with the monitor audio silver series that has a built in enclosure, would the bookshelves be rigid enough to flushmount the speaker into the back panel or would there be too much vibration from the speakers. If you refer to the image in my earlier post, imagine the speaker installed in the middle of the bottom shelf. Distance behind the cabinet isn't an issue as I've checked the mounting depth, and I can specify the shelf heights as required; just need to know if you think I'll have any issues.