Official Cheap Mod Thread

[Guard Dad]

Originally Posted by gaveup

There's interest....

What materials are they made from?

The skirts are made from a 50% plastic/50% wood blend (think Trex patio decking) that can be fabricated with wood working tools and is pretty much water proof and warp proof. It was painted with Rustoleum dark gray automotive primer and finish coated with black Plasti-dip spray.

The material is readily available at Lowe's home centers. I got a 1"x12"x12' plank for $50. It's wood grained on the face and textured on the back side. I used the back side and applied 5-6 heavy coats of primer on the back side (which became the finished side in this application), I sanded (220 grit between coats, 320 grit for the final sanding) lightly between each coat until the texture was filled in and the surface was smooth. I sealed the underside with some satin black paint I had on hand and finished the top with two cans of plasti-dip spray.

It is attached with a combination of plastic trim clips and 6mm bolts with washers and nyloc nuts, also available at Lowe's.

To reduce weight as much as possible I eliminated as much material as possible from the unseen areas and I used a router to reduce the 5/8" thickness (like almost all lumber items listed as 1" it's actually only 5/8") to 3/8" everywhere except the exposed edges of the plank which were left at 5/8".

If you are short of cash, have some spare time on your hands and have access to some tools this might be the mod for you.

If anyone wants to check them out PM me. A DIY will be posted soon.