Labelling the parts

You have to clearly label each board because you will work on them individually and one after the other. This will enable you to put them back together correctly after painting, staining and predrilling, i.e. when preparing for fitting.

Predrilling the rear panel

First of all, mark the drilling positions on the front of the rear panel.

To do this, place the side panels on the rear panel in the positions they will be screwed together in later. Mark the edges of the side panels on the inner surface of the rear panel.

Now mark the positions where the two holes are to be drilled at a distance of half the thickness of a board (=9.5 mm) from the outer edges and about 30 to 40 mm from the longitudinal sides. Predrill the holes with a 4.5-mm wood drill bit and countersink them on the rear side deep enough to ensure that the screw heads no longer protrude.

Screwing together the rear panel and side panels

Clamp the side panels to the rear panel in their exact position with two screw clamps on each. To make sure that the MDF does not tear when the screws are driven in, also predrill the screw holes in the side panels. Drill the edges of the side panels with the 3.5-mm wood drill bit through the holes on the rear panel. Now you can connect the rear panel and side panels to form a substructure using the cordless screwdriver and the wood screws (4 x 35 mm).

Drilling the dowel holes

Since our light fixture is 1200 mm in length, it is a good idea to make four to five dowel holes. For the corner joint, we recommend using a drill template, or dowel templates and marking points as they are known. Measurements and markings alone will not be sufficient to position dowel holes precisely enough so that they lie exactly flush with each other.

Use the drill and an 8-mm wood drill bit to drill five dowel holes in the facing edge of each head and base board, and copy their positions with dowel templates to the rear sides of the front boards. A dowel template is a metal pin with marking point. You insert this pin into the holes on the front side so that you can transfer their positions. To do this, you press the predrilled workpiece in position so that its edges are exactly flush with the surface of its counterpart.

Drilling the ventilation holes

Fluorescent tubes also generate heat. For this reason, you should drill five holes with a diameter of 20 mm in each head/base board. Mark the hole positions in the middle of the boards. When doing so, clamp the boards on an offcut or on square timbers, so that the work surface is not damaged if the Forstner drill bit comes out through the bottom.

Gluing the angle pieces of the facing

Apply glue to the dowel holes and the glue surfaces of the head/base boards and then insert the wooden dowels. Once you have also dabbed some glue into the holes in the facing, join both pieces together. Press the joints together with clamp clips until the glue has dried. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions.

While pressing the joints, use pieces of scrap wood as buffer blocks to distribute the pressure evenly and avoid leaving unsightly pressure marks on the workpieces. Always wipe away any excess glue immediately with a damp cloth.

Drilling the cable outlet and the holes for wall mounting

The standard diameter for a socket hole is 68 mm. In our design, the light fixture is positioned directly on a wall power outlet, so we have used a drill and holesaw to drill an appropriately sized opening in the rear panel.

You should also take this opportunity to drill two holes for wall mounting in the upper third of the rear panel. Use a 6-mm wood drill bit to do this and countersink the holes.

Clamp the rear panel on two square timbers or an offcut when drilling, so that the work surface is not damaged if the holesaw or wood drill bit comes out through the bottom.

Sanding the wood surfaces

First chamfer the front edges of the facings with sanding paper with a grit of 150 or 180 at a 45° angle to create a small bevel. Use your sander to sand all visible surfaces in the direction of the wood grain, first with coarse sanding paper (grit of 150, 180) and then with fine sanding paper (grit of up to 240).

Wipe the surfaces afterwards with a barely damp sponge to remove the dust. Some loose wood fibres may protrude while the wood is drying. You can remove these with sanding paper with a grit of 180. The wood is now ready for surface treatment. Tip: Make sure that the sanding paper is sharp enough to remove the wood fibres properly, not just flatten them.

Staining the surfaces

Staining refers to the process used to colour the wood. The wood stain can be applied with a fine spray system. After the stain has been applied, the surface of the wood remains unprotected until wax or paint/varnish is applied.

First read the manufacturer’s safety and handling instructions thoroughly. Make sure the room you are working in is well ventilated and not used for smoking, eating or drinking.

When staining with the spray gun, carefully cover your work surface with sheeting or old newspapers. We also recommend working with a face mask, protective goggles and gloves in a well-ventilated room. Place the angle piece that has to be stained on two square timbers or trestles, so that it is "floating", so to speak. You can test the staining process on a sample piece.

Spray the wood stain using even, parallel strokes that overlap by about four centimetres until the visible side of the angle piece is evenly coloured. To do this, you have to change the position of the angle piece slightly during staining, so that the edges also get enough paint. Carefully put the parts to one side until the surfaces have dried completely.

During this process, wood fibres may protrude (as they may have already during the rinsing phase). You can gently remove these after the paint has dried by using sanding paper with a grit of 220 or 240 in the direction of the grain.

Painting the front angle pieces

A wide range of paints is available, of various types and price categories. The main criteria in choosing a paint should be its workability, the technical equipment you have at home, and the surface quality and durability you require. Ask for advice at a specialist retail outlet. Also cover the work surface carefully when painting, and wear a face mask, protective goggles and gloves.

The walnut-coloured, stained front angle pieces are treated with a high-quality polyurethane paint consisting of two components, which is applied using the spray gun. To make this paint, mix base paint and hardener according to the manufacturer's instructions and fill the spray gun with the mixture. It is then best to adjust the spray jet at the nozzle and the paint flow at the setting wheel using a test board. Depending on the direction you are spraying in, set the spray jet to horizontal or vertical for surfaces and tapered for edges.

Now apply a thin first layer of paint. Start with the edges (lift the angle piece again slightly to do so). Then paint the surfaces using even, parallel strokes.

After sanding again using sanding paper with a grit of 240, use the same base paint for the second coat as you did during the priming stage. This time, you can apply a slightly thicker coat of paint. Start again with the edges and then work on the surfaces using even, parallel strokes.

Screwing the perspex with front angle piece to the facing

Predrill the milky perspex pane, which has already been cut to size, using the 4.5-mm steel drill bit at five screwdriving points at both the top and bottom.

Then place both front angle pieces face down, align the perspex pane inside them and connect it using pan-head screws (4 x 17 mm). Use washers to achieve greater pressure distribution.

Installing the fluorescent tube

Use flat head screws (4 x 35 mm) to fit the fluorescent tube to the rear panel.

Mounting the substructure on the wall and screwing on the facing

Fit the substructure to the desired wall using fixings. To do this, mark the holes for drilling on the wall at the same positions as the holes in the rear panel. Use a detector to ensure that there are no electrical cables or water pipes in that particular part of the wall.

Depending on the wall construction, use a drill or rotary hammer and 6-mm masonry/concrete drill bit to drill the holes in the wall, then extract the dust and insert the fixings. Now use a cordless screwdriver to turn the screws required to hang the light fixture.

Finally, slide the facing onto the substructure and fix it from above using two flat head screws (4 x 35 mm). Refer again to our tip about screwing together two pieces of wood.