Assembling the cabinet can be done by one person, but it goes faster
and is easier if you can get help. I suggest offering a beer (or other
cold drink) and the opportunity to play games when assembly is complete!
Dry fitting
This is an essential step if you want to make sure that things go
smoothly. It's a lot better to figure out that you have a miss-sized
panel now, rather than after you have already nailed three-quarters
of the cabinet together and are standing in the middle of the garage
with glue on your hands.
Square and plumb
You need to make sure that your cabinet is square and plumb during
assembly. Essentially this means checking that all the angles are 90
degrees and that the cabinet bottom rests squarely on the floor. You
need a carpenter's square for this. If you bypass checking this, or
don't use care, your cabinet may not sit flat on the floor, or there
may be gaps between some panels.
Nail and glue
Once you are sure that the parts all fit together, you will need to
attach the different parts together. I suggest using both nails and
glue, for strength. I have a brad nailer that drives 16 gauge, 2" brads,
which definitely made the process go faster.
Patching
If you have places where cuts left marks on the wood, or where you have
nail holes or hammer marks, apply wood putty to them. Allow the putty to
dry and sand it before painting. Making things smooth and flat goes a long
way to making things look nice.
"Sealing"
You need to seal the cabinet to prevent light leaks. The TV, marquee,
and other lighted components shed some of their light into the interior
of the cabinet. If this light "leaks" out or shows through the
gaps, the cabinet will look unfinished or at least unprofessional. In order
to prevent light leaks, I suggest applying caulk to all the
corners (in the interior) where panels come together. Be generous with
caulk!
Assembly Flash animation
Press "next" for an assembly walk-through
Once the cabinet is assembled, I suggest priming it and giving it at
least one coat of paint in the color you will eventually be painting
it.
