Type of wood to use for hood/canopy

[jmesmcm]

What type of wood should I use to build a hood for my halides? I was thinking of using marine grade plywood of some sort and then sealing the inside of the hood with west system epoxy to make sure it is well sealed and the plywood will not delaminate due to moisture over time. I am planning on applying veneer to the hood to make it look finished so the box itself does not need to be a solid or finished quality wood.

 

[jmesmcm]

Any input? Thoughts?

 

[bdhough]

Sounds good just make sure nothing flammable is within a couple inches of the bulb....

 

[waterdog]

I don't know what size of tank you have, but a great marine wood to use is called teak. It is kinda pricey, but it is naturally resistant to salt water. the make the deck chairs on really nice cruise ships (QE2) out of that stuff. I have never worked with it, but I hear it is really hard and can turn out nice if you have the right equipment. BTW, the color is a kinda greenish that would go well with the blue overtones of a SW tank. If you decide to go that way tell us how it worked out. HTH

 

[hip68]

i am curreently building my canopy. Im not sure of the panels that show as yet, but the frame is being made out of 2x4's. Should be more than sturdy enough i would think.

 

[donjasper]

I used MDF. Unless you're planning on having your hood underwater I doubt you'd need any special materials. I seriously doubt that any moisture would survive long enough to delaminate anything given the heat the MH will pump out.

 

[newreefers]

I just had my stand and hood built out of white oak.

 

[zanemoseley]

newreefers, where did you get those cool wood fish on your stand, I just made a oak stand and am ready to stain it, I hope it looks as good as yours, also did you use oak plywood for the canopy?