Portable Storage Unit for Nail Varnishes or Paint

I have numerous bottles of nail varnish and paint for my miniatures lying all around my house. I wanted some form of storage unit that would allow me to store them all away but also be portable so I can carry them to the kitchen/craft table. The following is the Instructable of how I solved this problem. 

Supplies

Supplies required

MDF – 300mm x 300mm squares x 4 pieces - B&Q

For the Frame - Smooth planed square edge whitewood timber L2.4m, W 44mm and T 12mm x2 - B&Q

For the Shelf - Smooth White MDF plain moulding (L)2.4m (W)44mm (T)5mm - B&Q

Hinges - Aliexpress

Nails - 30mm length - B&Q

Acetate or Acrylic strips – for front of shelving - Acetate 290mm x 50mm or Acrylic 285mm x 3mm

3 x clasps - Aliexpress

Two handles - one for each side of the box - - Aliexpress

Rubber feet or Anti-slip underlay - Aliexpress

Handle (for the top of the box) - Aliexpress

Paint (of your choice) - B&Q

Map Paper (for decoupage) Essential Paper Packs - World Maps - www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk

PVA Glue for Decoupage - B&Q

Corner protectors (aesthetic choice) - Aliexpress

Screws - B&Q

Bolts Nuts and washers - 15mm length - B&Q

Tack - 15mm length - B&Q

Tools required

Wood Glue

Mitre box

Japanese Band Saw

Drill

Clamps

Cutting List

MDF Fronts - 4x 300mm x 300mm x 60mm

Pine Frame - 8x 300mm x 44mm x 18mm thick, 8x 264mm x 44mm x 18mm thick

Pine Shelf - 4x 285mm x 44mm x 50mm thick

Acetate - 8x 290mm x 50mm or Acrylic 8x 285mm x 3mm

Step 1: Ikea Kallax Storage System

I chose to go with the dimensions 300mm x 300mm for the box as I have an Ikea Kallax storage system in my bedroom (see above). I wanted the storage unit to fit inside one of the cubes so it could be neatly tided away. I had 300mm x 300mm MDF pieces cut at my local hardware store. These fitted nicely into one of the Kallax cubes.

Step 2: Cutting

Using a mitre box and a japanese band saw I cut out the required batons for the storage unit.

MDF Fronts - 4x 300mm x 300mm x 60mm thick - Pre cut at hardware store

Pine Frame - 8x 300mm x 44mm x 18mm thick, 8x 264mm x 44mm x 18mm thick

Pine Shelf - 4x 285mm x 44mm x 50mm thick

Acetate - 8x 290mm x 50mm or Acrylic 8x 285mm x 3mm

Step 3: Cutting Notches

On the 264mm lengths of batons we need to cut a 50mm notch across the width of the wood. This is to allow us to slide a shelf into place. Cut the notch out at 138mm from the bottom of the wood. This will give us enough height to house the largest of the nail varnishes.  

3A/ If you choose to use clear acrylic - create a notch in the wood down the length of the baton at 2mm in on the piece of wood measuring 264mm. The notches must accommodate the thickness of the clear acrylic so it can easily side down the wood and into place.

3B/ If you choose to use clear acrylic - Paint one side of the MDF pieces (the side that will be facing inwards) white and all the batons at this stage.

Step 4: Creating the Frame

Once the batons and notches are cut we can begin to join them together. We need 2x 300mm x 44mm x18mm and 2x 264mm x 44mm x 18mm. Screw these together to create a square frame. Make sure the notches made for the shelf are on either side of the frame.

4A/ If you choose to use clear acrylic – Before screwing the top piece of the frame together slide two pieces of acrylic down the grooved sides. Move one to the very bottom and keep one just above the notched area that was created for the shelf.

Step 5: Finishing the Frame

Nail the frame to one of the square pieces of MDF. I’m using nails on the façade of the box as I intend to decoupage the outside of the unit so you won’t see the nail heads.

Step 6: Adding the Shelf

Using wood glue on the notches that were cut out earlier slide the shelf (285mm x 44mm x 50mm) into place on all four sections and leave to dry.

6A/Slide the clear acrylic that was placed above the notch down so that it now rests on top of the shelf.  

Step 7: Repeating the Process

Repeat Steps 4 to 6 another three times until you get 4 complete sections.

Step 8: Adding Hinges

Now all sections are ready to be joined together with hinges. Please follow the diagram above as to where to put them.

Step 9: Adding the Clasps

Now all sections are hinged together we can fit the clasps. Please follow the diagram above as to where to put them. Three clasps will be sufficient enough to hold the unit together when carrying it.

Step 10: Painting the Box

I chose to paint the inside of all 4 of the box frames white. This will allow me to quickly see and select the colours I want.

Step 11: Decoupage

Decoupage or paint the outside of the storage unit. I chose to decoupage the unit with old map paper from Hunkydory.co.uk.

How to Decoupage – I mixed ½ pint of white PVA glue with ½ a pint of water. Once it was well mixed I started ripping up pages of the map paper . Using a paintbrush I pasted the paper to the outside of the unit. Once the storage unit was completely covered I left it overnight to dry. Once this coat was dry I then went over it again this time with just PVA glue. This gave it a varnish type finish. 

Step 12: Corner Protectors

I added corner protectors on the outside edges of the unit. I added these protectors 1\ to protect the corners and 2/ just for the look of them on the storage unit. 

Step 13: Adding Handles

Add handles to the two sides that face outward. I secured them using nuts and bolts. I also added a handle to the top of the unit again using nuts and bolts to secure them. This gave me two ways to lift and carry the unit as it becomes heavier.

Step 14: No Scrapes

I put felt underlay onto the bottom of the storage unit to protect any surfaces the storage unit rests on.

Step 15: Acetate Vs Acrylic

To keep the paint from falling out I used thick acetate cut into strips of 290mm x 50mm and nailed them along the bottom and above the shelf on either side of the sections. The clear acetate will also let me quickly and easily see the colour of the nail varnishes or paint. I used acetate instead of clear acrylic as it was purely a cheaper option and I had some lying around. I have added amendments to the steps in this Instructable for those who choose to use clear acrylic. 

Step 16: Final Product

And that’s it. This storage unit is going to house all my nail varnishes and I'm going to build a second one to house all the paints I use for my miniatures. This unit, as its portable, could also be adapted to create a Dungeon Master screen or for fly fishing fly storage. The possibilities with this storage unit are endless. I hope if you go on to make one that you post some pictures as I would love to see the results. Happy Crafting!!