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My 10 year old son bought himself a poster for his room at school last week and I had not long seen Adam's post on the light disc wall art and I said to my son Jax hey how about we make it look similar to one of these?
https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/How-To/How-to-make-a-light-disc-feature/ba-p/106005
So I said to Jax let's do this but we do this together, First thing was to measure the poster so we knew what size timber we needed. Second was to head to our local bunnings were we grabbed the following.
1 x 900 x 600 x 6mm sheet of MDF
1 x 12 x 30 x 2.7m composite trim
1 x packet 2m Grid Connect RGB LED strip
1 x can of quick grip
1 x can of gloss black spray paint
Things we had at home already
# Wood glue
# 16mm staples
# 4 in 1 wood sealer
# silicon
# thin masking tape
# small cable clips
So back home and first order was a lesson to Jax of safety in the shed with the tools and PPE, shoes were optional as you will see we are in QLD we breed them tough 💪
Jax measured out the sheet of MDF to the size of the poster and squared it up with my late Fathers T Square.
I then explained how to set up a straight edge to cut to and I did the circular saw cuts.
Jax then gave the edges and face a light sand, next he measured in 100mm from each side to then rule it off.
Jax then measured the measurement for the inside trim and once marked with my help it was off to the drop saw where he safely cut the 4 pieces.
After dry fitting the trim we glued the back edge and then stuck it down and taped it in place, it was then flipped over and Jax stapled the trim in place with the trimming gun.
Another sand and then it was time to paint with 4 in 1 sealer on the edges and back and once dry 3 coats of the black gloss spray paint.
Once it was dry we fitted the LED and driver and trimmed to length though we did move the driver later and notch the trim for the wires just due to shadowing.
With LEDs I always use silicone dabs and tape until dry as I find the tape never holds especially on timber.
We tested the lights and everything was good, I had already synced them to Grid Connect so it was a matter of just plugging them in.
From there we grabbed the poster and aligned it on the timber and held it 3/4 way up and with a piece of trim and the quick grip Jax sprayed the timber evenly and then the poster evenly then scraped gently the poster down, we then did the same to the other end.
There were some slight white shadow lines so I coloured them black with a sharpie so they blended in.
From here I found a picture wire hook and Jax screwed it on.
After that it was a simple hanging the picture as per guide by Adam.
https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/How-To/How-to-hang-just-about-anything/ba-p/87672
And then we added some cable clips to the power cable on the skirting to ensure it was tight.
I setup some automations for when it will run and when it won't all through Grid Connect.
And the final result is one happy 10 year old boy who loves his Picture / Smart Night Light
And I got some quality time with one of my kids.
Amazing project, @CSParnell and what an excellent opportunity to get your child involved! Jax looks really proud of his efforts, and rightly so, as he's done a stellar job.
I love the overall finish, and the lighting is fabulous. What a fantastic night light that I'm sure most children would be envious of.
Many thanks for sharing.
Mitchell
