DIY router box cover

Sometimes it's easy to look at all the design magazines and think "what do they do with all their real life stuff?"  Like printers, and cable boxes, and wireless routers for their computers.  Sometimes they probably just take them out for the pictures or have special closets to hide away all that stuff, but in our house that's not reality.  So, I'm slowly finding ways to work around those things that aren't that aesthetically pleasing, but are necessary to everyday life.  I mentioned before how we installed an IKEA bookcase to work with our living room electronics and then I used foam board  to hide the cords in my office.  Now, it's time to tackle something that has always bugged me.  The router in our office.  It's a small little thing and something most wouldn't even notice, but it bugged me.  So, I set out to do something about it.

I started out with:

2 pieces of wood from Hobby Lobby (3/8 x 36")

1 Union Jack Aluminum Sheet (I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon)

  Rustoleum Gold Metallic Spray Paint

I decided I was going to create a small box to conceal the router.  I chose the aluminum sheet due to the fact that most electronics due better with good air circulation.  There are lots of different patterns of metal sheeting to choose from, I just preferred the union jack.  

First, determine the measurements you need to have in order to conceal whatever it is you are trying to conceal.

Then, measure and mark your wood. I just used my miter box to cut the pieces to the size I needed them to be.

You are going to create two frames.  I forgot to take a picture of them, but you'll be able to tell what I mean from the pictures below.  I just stapled the frames together on both sides to hold them together.  It would be great if you also created 4 vertical pieces to connect the two frames (I ran out of wood), but it's not really necessary because the metal sheeting holds everything together.  

So, then just measure and cut the metal sheets down to the size you need them to be.  The package recommends using tin snips to cut the sheeting, but I just used an old pair of scissors and they worked great.

Then, I used a little hot glue to attach my metal pieces to the two frames.  One problem I ran into was the hot glue got a little thick and dried too fast.  It might be better to use super glue or E6000.  This box isn't going to be moved or handled much so I think it should hold up fine.   

After I attached all the metal pieces, I gave it a coat of gold metallic spraypaint and put it in place.  It's not perfect, but it works well for us.

I also updated the filing cabinet with some Gold Leaf Rub 'n Buff.  It was actually my first time using it and I was pretty pleased with the results.  The hardware on this cabinet cannot be removed so spraypainting it wasn't an option.  It's a little hard to tell the difference in the pictures, but on the left you can see the nickel finish and on the right is the rub 'n buff finish.  It's a little change that makes a big difference in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert at storing electronics so please use your own discretion when it comes to storing your electronics.