Are you planning to build a DIY humidor ? There could be any reason to build a diy humidor including cheaper alternative or custom looks and features.
You might have already used a professional cigar humidor which is usually capable of maintaining cigar humidity along with regulating the temperature of cigars.
They usually come in various designs, materials, and features. On the other hand, A DIY humidor is for people who would like to make their own humidor from scratch in minimum cost.
In this article, we are going to cover a tutorial with simple steps of creating your own diy humidor.
Factors To Consider While Constructing A DIY Humidor
Style
You can make a DIY humidor of any style you like such as traditional or contemporary. It is important to choose a style that will work with the space you have available.
Materials
You will need several types of materials for a humidor, depending on what materials you choose. You can build a humidor with wood, plastic, or metal structure. You might also need a variety of tools including an electric drill, saw for cutting and drilling holes.
Most DIY Humidors are built with wood, since it is cheaper and easier to work with.
15 Steps To Build A DIY Cigar Humidor By Yourself
To build a DIY humidor follow the steps mentioned below:
- Find an air-tight box. A medium carton, shipping box, or old cigar box works great. It should be about shoulder height for you and about 30″ (width) x 10″ (depth) x 12″ (height). The main goal is to find something that is airtight so that you can’t see light coming through it.
- If you have a large box then cut two to three inches off one end. You can make it higher or shorter depending on the size of your preferred cigars, but make sure it’s long enough for your smokes to lay flat without being folded over or smashed into the other cigars.
- Cut some holes in the bottom of your box. Make sure these holes are a little smaller than the typical size of the cigars you want to store in the humidor. Securely seal the ends of the box with duct tape. (If you want, you can cover up any old or torn areas on your box with some new duct tape or even painter’s tape).
- If your box doesn’t have a cover on it already, then make a cover out of some thin cardboard. Make it only slightly bigger than the inside dimensions of your box so that there is not much room for air to get past it and into your humidor.
- Make sure your box is about 2″ above the level of the bottom of your humidor, or whatever you want to keep the cigars in.
- When the box is fully sealed and there are no holes in it, then mark where you want to cut some smaller holes for ventilation. This will make it easier to add a humidifier inside.
- After marking the spots where you are wanting to put your holes in your box, then use either a utility knife or a drill/screwdriver to make those cuts.
- Fill your box with a small amount of water. The goal is to get the inside of the box to at least 70% humidity (or more). It’s most important to have 70% humidity in the box when you first open it so that none of your cigars are ruined by being too dry. Some DIYers just make sure their box gets above 70% and then add a humidifier after they have sealed up their box. This way if any humidor solution escapes from their humidifier, it won’t cause damage. If you want to use a more hygienic humidifier, then using one that has an automatic shutoff would be best on this step so that you are not over-humidifying your cigars. If you get 70% humidity, there is no harm in using a hygienic humidifier. You can set it to the low setting or leave it off altogether. If you don’t want to mess with the humidifier and still like the idea of 70% humidity in a box, then you can use an old towel or a few pieces of old newspaper in the box to absorb any excess moisture that may be released into your humidor. Make sure you put your towel/papers right on top of the cigars and not inside them.
- Dampen your paper towels with some distilled water so that they are damp but not dripping wet. Remember, when your box gets to about 70-75 % humidity you can take out all of the papers that you put inside.
- Get some Spanish cedar – this is what is going to be used for the lining of your DIY Humidor. You can cut it into the size and shape needed for your humidor and then use either glue or some staples to hold each piece into place. Make sure you don’t get any glue or staples on your cigars.
- Securely attach the Spanish cedar lining to the inside of your box with glue and or staples.
- For extra decoration and protection from spills, place some felt lining between the glass and the Spanish cedar layer. The purpose of the felt is to protect the wood from scratches as well as to provide a buffer between the glass and wood.
- To complete your DIY Humidor, add some Spanish cedar dividers to keep your cigars from being crushed together. You can use some pieces of wood or metal to make dividers for your humidor. You can also use a few of the larger chunks of Spanish cedar and place them in between the cigars to keep them from getting crushed. Once all of your Spanish cedar is cut into shape, then attach it with some glue and weigh it down with books or rocks until the glue has dried.
- Once all of the pieces of Spanish cedar have dried, then you can use a good quality screen knife to cut, trim and smooth out your box. This will make sure your box is nice and smooth. Put some glue into a syringe (or needle injector) and then attach it to your cutter to get a nice even finish on your box. If you don’t want to use glue on your DIY Humidor, you can also just use wood stain to cover up any imperfections in the Spanish cedar.
- When all of this is done, then you can fill up your new DIY Humidor with some premium cigars, just like you would fill up a normal humidor.
DIY Cigar Humidor - Pros And Cons
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A great way to repurpose an old chest or dresser.
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Cheaper alternative to professional humidors available in market.
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You could customize it's looks to match it with the furniture set.
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Basic materials required to build a DIY humidor can be found easily in your nearby home improvement store.
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Can be made with custom size to hold up to 300 cigars or more.
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You could store other things such as sunglasses and pocket change.
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It could be the perfect gift for a cigar enthusiast.
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Free-hand skills required may be beyond the ability level of some individuals. The project requires both woodworking and carpentry skills
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Final piece may be a little larger than desired as the humidor will need to be cut/measured perfectly.
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Large rolling cabinets take up a lot of space but can be made smaller by using small drawers inside.
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Feel and Finish of a professional humidor might still look better than a DIY humidor.
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For larger storage requirements, cigar cabinets could be a more suitable option.
DIY Humidor Vs Professional Cigar Humidor
The professional humidor is a safe and luxurious storage for your cigars, but not every cigar smoker can afford one. A professional humidor can cost anywhere from $100 to $2000+ depending various factors (i.e., natural cedar vs synthetic). The average price of a DIY humidor costs $40-80. The basic difference between a professional and DIY Humidor is the construction of the housing – a DIY humidor will be made out of wood whereas a professional humidor will be constructed out of excellent quality cedar which is perfected to its best.
Is DIY Cigar Humidor Worth It?
Technically, yes. However, it is wise to spend extra few dollars on a professional humidor or you could also hire a contractor to build custom one for your needs.
A DIY humidor will work just fine if you want to store up to 300 cigars. If in case, you want to store more than that, it is suggested to go for a professional cigar humidor.