https://thedayidiy.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-07-17 https://thedayidiy.com/blog/getbent monthly 0.5 2025-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b7450f45-b7aa-4391-8e45-78af46b59ab9/dividers.jpg Blog - Get Bent - In case the main event wasn’t enough, which it rarely is in my case, I decided to throw in some bonus features. Again stealing from my truck bed drawers, I decided to add some removable plexiglass dividers to the drawers. This was easy to do and can really help organize the small things. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1752697125946-QD2JMMUD8S5DEURA7J7U/shelf.jpg Blog - Get Bent - The shelf is cut at a curve and the front lip is formed to that curve The shelf is cut at a curve and the front lip is formed to that curve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1752697124908-AN64FF6QN8AYCKGNVN65/drawer.jpg Blog - Get Bent - The drawer sides form the curve that the fronts will bend to https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1752697112408-2UV42IIOF332RZ3J6RAB/kerf+cutting.jpg Blog - Get Bent - two stretchers attached to the back of the door keep the curve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/e62e1c1f-04da-48eb-a9db-e0a16e29fda9/Carcass.jpg Blog - Get Bent - In order to make the cabinet sides I traced the curvature of the sides onto a piece of cardboard and then traced that onto 3/4” plywood. I used pocket screws to attach them to the framing in the trailer and also to attach stretchers to connect the sides together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b211c373-82be-4a7a-af17-49e987c0e76a/dry+fit.jpg Blog - Get Bent - As everything was going to be painted I glued and nailed my pieces and then filled in the nail holes. Pro Tip: If you royally fuck up a previous project and then have a ton of expensive cabinet paint left over try, to convince your client that same color just so happens to be the perfect match. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/57c06473-80ad-4779-bf54-cd5a622cd452/pump+moved.jpg Blog - Get Bent The first thing I did was make more usable space by moving the water pump that was once on the floor to the wall above the heater. Then I put some blocking in the wall bay so that I could slide the fridge into the wall to make it fit, but not so that it was going to crash through the thin wall during a hard stop when that suicidal deer walks in front of traffic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/fefee92f-115d-42e4-aea5-b365e325ea7a/20250527_100700.jpg Blog - Get Bent - To make the cabinet front facing parts I cut one panel that would cover the entirety of the cabinets. I then kerf cut that piece before using a track saw to cut out all my door and drawer fronts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/964e9ed2-f2f9-4f06-972c-a84d6157191f/scroll+saw.jpg Blog - Get Bent - I installed shiplap on the walls and thought I was finished. But it was the evening before the owner was coming to pick this up and I just had the feeling that something was missing. I couldn’t tell if I was reflecting on my life or this camper but then it hit me: it needed some artwork. So I spent the next several hours making a scroll saw piece for above the sink. I worked on it until about 1AM fueled by large amounts of caffeine and angst. And it was totally worth it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a5e1f74a-4002-479d-a397-d18756b51df1/Before.jpg Blog - Get Bent - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9f1d35e8-e853-4539-a3e2-7344f3db5060/20250603_121303+censored.jpg Blog - Get Bent - Even so I was still left unsatisfied. That was until I cut an opening in the countertop for the sink and stove combo. As I stared at the cut out piece sitting on top of my trash pile I had the realization that maybe this piece, like myself, is not trash after all. Maybe it can serve a purpose. So I rigged up a cleat system underneath the countertop that I could slide this cutout into and it would serve as another countertop. I also had to cut a decorative notch in the door to make this happen. This piece slides underneath the fridge when not in use. The cleat and the door both help support the countertop and it was surprisingly sturdy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c47aedb8-1df1-470e-abba-c6bebeb7b479/power+strip+and+lights.jpg Blog - Get Bent - Above the fridge I replaced the old outlet with one that has USB charging ports. I also added LED lights under the shelf as well as a power strip mounted out of sight. The LED lights change colors and flash and do fancy stuff that I figured the owner would appreciate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/5e4af802-74b3-4b7e-bdd4-622800653e9b/IMG_3392.jpg Blog - Get Bent - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b3567ff9-4246-4acb-bb9e-610c1501ebec/20250527_163841.jpg Blog - Get Bent - When someone gives you creative authority it is important to not waste the opportunity to get weird with things and experiment. The goal was to create more countertop area for a very limited space. In order to accomplish this, I stole a concept from some truck bed drawers that I built a few years ago. I made drawer lids out of countertops to give this camper a strong pull out game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c882d393-973f-47bb-951d-c200ccd8b101/drawers+out.jpg Blog - Get Bent - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/ineedspace monthly 0.5 2025-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746066916799-VD6VZD5HGWNC3HB99I7F/20250213_114303.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746066916581-3PGYJP3UZG5UKSHQZ6M5/20250214_104730.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746067014379-321L7H81L2TD1R4XP6SE/20250415_112120.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/70fe590d-9ea3-4b47-864e-5136a95d571c/20250408_144216.jpg Blog - I need my space - Also consider what utilities you have mounted below your floor joists when you’re deciding to drywall or paint the ceiling. this person wanted the ceiling drywalled and it was more than irritating to drywall behind and around everything. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ee1a6d07-2eb3-4e52-b5e0-807eefa38a1d/3+done.jpg Blog - I need my space - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746154534296-28HCJHBBK1TP63ZM37AR/20250315_163335.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746154555793-LTNVVNNZZTH1P6IE608O/20250321_142549.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3cd6e884-7013-4e2f-a13c-3a4fb57180ec/20250418_114250.jpg Blog - I need my space - Drywalling ceilings suck. If you don’t mind exposing your ceiling it may be worth considering making friends with someone with a paint sprayer to paint the ceiling. (I have a paint sprayer and more than a few open slots for friends by the way). If making friends is difficult for you, it’s about a $250 investment in a lower-end paint sprayer. That’s a lot of money but also that means you don’t need to buy a panel lift, let alone tape and mud the ceiling. But then again what fun is it if you’re not getting a facial from the mud dripping from the ceiling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746155479197-JJW2D2P0XPRG83BLI796/20250418_114306.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746155516571-HY0YODN10LMLP3BQ4O3V/20250411_143825.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/41471670-9588-447f-b558-e6927aedb7dd/20240417_115624.jpg Blog - I need my space A lot of people hate on laminate for flooring in a basement and I agree with the reasoning that it is easily damaged by water. However, I put some clearance priced commercial laminate in my basement because it was cheap and I am always rolling heavy woodworking equipment around so I couldn’t use vinyl plank without breaking every edge. It’s been a couple years and I’ve had one or two minor water issues but the flooring still looks great. And I owe it all to putting down a good quality underlayment first. I would still say laminate isn’t my first choice for a basement but I wouldn’t rule it out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/efbf9673-ab26-420e-af90-21b1489001a0/20250114_110155.jpg Blog - I need my space - When it comes to the finished floor you have a number of options. The most common in my experience are luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and carpet. No matter what you choose just make sure you don’t forget about the moisture barrier. I’m not opposed to cheaping out on finishings for a basement. If you’re trying to impress someone I doubt it’s going to be with your basement. But the one thing to not skimp on is the floor underlayment. It is worth the extra money to get a nice underlayment with a built in moisture barrier and some sound reducing properties. This helps with the annoying clicking of vinyl plank directly on concrete. You want all seams to be taped whether it be with the built in adhesive in the underlayment or tape such as housewrap tape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/063587cb-a65f-4b68-bef4-b18aeeb0a9fa/panel+lift.jpg Blog - I need my space - You may be brave enough to hang drywall by yourself. Or if you’re like me you’re just alone and have no other option. But don’t worry, if you’re doing the ceiling all you have to do is invest in a panel lift. You can also pretend it’s another person and talk to it if you’d like. It’s a win-win. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/2924e8d9-1629-4392-9fd4-cfb3b16ff33f/20250109_163308.jpg Blog - I need my space If you have an old basement you probably do not have a flat floor. Also you may have asbestos. If your floor was covered in adhesive tile, especially 9”x9” tile it’s a real possibility. In this basement, there was mastic left over from when the tile must’ve been removed. I recommended the homeowner have it tested and it hit for asbestos. Between the asbestos, the fact that this floor was 3” out of level (it was sloped to a floor drain), and was nowhere near flat, the best option was to cover it all up with self leveling underlayment. I’m not going to sugarcoat it… it’s a ton of awful work and it’s easy to mess up so I’d think twice before tackling it yourself. And no, I won’t do it again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3ad4d84f-4704-4551-8ba3-82542b013b29/insulation.jpg Blog - I need my space - I did two methods of insulating the basement walls. The first, and cheapest, way was to just insulate between the studs. It’s not my preferred method I was comfortable doing it for this basement for two reasons: I knew that this house was a relatively new build by a large builder in the area and that they insulate the exterior of the foundation walls, and I saw that the previous owner did it this way for the rest of the basement so there was no point in upgrading 5% of the total basement wall area. If you choose to go this route you’re going to want to space your studs at least 1” off the basement wall for an airspace so that any moisture coming from the concrete doesn’t move into the framing. I would go with unfaced batt insulation. The only reason I used kraft faced in this situation was because that was in the wall that I took down and I’m all for reusing materials. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/dd3830d5-c5ed-4a04-9ead-383a18d57cdf/20250312_165440.jpg Blog - I need my space - Even if you used foam board insulation I still recommend standing off your framing from the exterior wall at least 1/2”. This gives you a little wiggle room for any unevenness in the exterior wall or if they are not plumb. For your sill plate, make sure you use treated lumber or have a vapor barrier between the concrete and untreated wood. Also make sure you lay out your studs on center so that when you install the drywall you don’t have to cut pieces. If someone else is doing the drywall and you want to make their life hell then don’t worry about it. I stick frame basement walls by laying out my sill and top plates before anything else. I then set the the sill plate to the floor with adhesive and/or tapcon screws. I then use my laser level to find plumb on the structure above so I know where to fasten my top plate. Then it’s just a bunch of chopping up wood studs and toenailing them in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ad06d778-9862-4c80-8b6b-69a5ffe45f96/20250206_143829.jpg Blog - I need my space - And then it’s just a matter of insulating between the studs. If your walls aren’t against the foundation walls you can use some cheap housewrap to help keep the insulation from falling through. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746063403935-OQ50HP9S291XGLQJ531L/before+1.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746063425352-42QSSTXWYJBIK7DKCLQV/20250109_163249.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746063532353-22ZBI6E2XP6WBH4OPMNB/20250205_174936.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/5cc6f95e-c6ab-447b-9c1f-586ba28fa932/20250213_092851.jpg Blog - I need my space - If you decide to level your floor anyways I’ll share how I did this one seeing as it shockingly turned out great. I broke the floor up into a grid made of 2’ squares. I then set a laser level at the highest part of the floor to set my level. I then set tapcon screws every 2’ at the level height. This way when I poured the underlayment I knew I had to cover the top of the screws. This prevented any dips or humps that I would’ve had to fix afterwards before laying the flooring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746320664757-9YM0OWX9IZ5F301ZU7K0/20250401_133135.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746320563760-7E5BGM65VOF1H37ZJFAT/20250117_153933.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1746320613960-GXDF8LTRFVKCYTVPWK5P/20250415_112151.jpg Blog - I need my space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4e749dbe-b86d-48bc-a32f-3dcaaed9c64b/20250311_080644.jpg Blog - I need my space - The best way to insulate the exterior walls is to use rigid foam board of at least R5 value. I glued the panels to the foundation wall and sealed all seams with moisture barrier tape to prevent any moist air leakage. We don’t like leakage. Rigid Foam is considered a vapor barrier when installed in this manner. I then insulated the stud walls with R-13 (unfaced) batt insulation. In Wisconsin, code describes this method as acceptable. Now you know that I’m not making this shit up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3fa70886-5f4a-4b74-ba5d-c74a338c62ef/20250311_153643.jpg Blog - I need my space - Don’t forget your rim joist. Now is the time to insulate the space between where your floor joists and above the foundation. This is one of the most common areas of air leakage and heat loss. With the scrap foam board you can cut out sections and glue them to the rim joist. Then use spray foam to seal the edges. If you really want to get some R value you can then use your batt insulation scraps and stick them into the joist bays too. Just a simple but possibly important thing to bring up. Rigid foam is generally considered flammable and should be covered with framing, drywall, or other approved fireblocking materials. But for those of you that like to live dangerously, I say you do you. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/looksmatter monthly 0.5 2024-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3e57e80b-f437-48a5-959f-3f586df441d1/20230705_134902.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Back to the windowless bump out… I was able to use a thermal imager that I use for home inspections and found that framing for either a window or a door was already present in that wall. This made my life easier for once. All I had to do was size the opening to fit the window and rerun some electrical that was in the way of the window. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/2c564694-4702-42dd-bc39-360764f11a44/20230630_182611.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - As you can see the framing was completely compromised as well as the drywall. This entire wall was going to have to come out and be rebuilt. A fun fact about dry rot is that it is incredibly hard to get rid of. Whenever possible it is much better to totally replace materials than try to get rid of the dry rot just to have it come back or spread elsewhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/8de78996-6dd3-46d5-ae0a-ac6d349b4d7a/flashing.png Blog - Looks Matter - I solved for this by using a Z-flashing (or drip cap) at these places. Z flashing runs underneath the material above it and over the material below it, ensuring that water where it belongs. Outside. So in the picture I had Z flashing that ran behind the fascia and came over the J Channel. I also had Z flashing that ran over the horizontal lineal and would run up behind the shake . You can see the lip of the flashing overhanging the top of the lineal in this picture. Vast majority of homes are done the way that my house was, without the Z flashing. It’s cheaper and much quicker. With housewrap, which my house did not have, the caulking method may be OK but still not ideal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/59a31f46-26ae-420f-a629-aa57e27a92bb/20230702_200142.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Once I framed the window and wall I was able to put the window back then. I then reinsulated and drywalled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/abd8464f-202b-464b-a4e8-53dffe66e834/20230803_095923.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - This window was a game changer as what used to be an odd and dark part of the living room was now a bright space, making the whole room seem bigger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c6e4b07e-0056-4196-ba56-f682aed918a7/20230803_113141.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - For the peaks I chose a vinyl shake. It’s a lot more expensive than normal horizontal lap but it adds a nice texture. I also chose to use what are called lineals (or band board) to transition from the lap siding to the shake siding. If you plan it out right, you don’t need to use any J Channel, which makes it look a lot cleaner in my opinion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/47420041-9017-44ec-b0cd-3729017e0395/20230801_195734.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Replacing the front door with a window also let in so much light that for the longest time I would walk by the kitchen and think that the front door was open. Another nice touch to this part of the remodel was painting the old concrete stoop with Rustoleum Rock Solid, which made it look not like a dump. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4d2302ff-209c-4268-8564-564db7e4ac75/20230803_095925.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - After drywall, paint and trim you can’t even tell there was an issue. And my wall is now rot free. For the time being. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/2d1ad430-6754-46f1-9c1c-3dda2f972a19/20230702_083928.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - And then there was this guy. This is at the front entrance. The water damage was so bad that the sheathing was pretty much disintegrating and dry rot was growing through the insulation and onto the back of the drywall. If you’re curious as to why this portion was rotted (which you probably aren’t), it’s not because of water coming from above. This portion is covered by a roof so I thought that maybe water was getting behind the siding where it met the roof. It actually is because the stoop had settled so that it would drain water toward the house. This water would soak up into the wood framing and rise upward through the wall. For all you science nerds this is called capillary action. I remedied this by paying $500 to have somebody come and polyjack the stoop so that it drained properly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/65d49f13-dc58-4856-bfe4-4cb7d31f00f8/20230702_133226.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - I ended up building a temporary support wall in the basement so that I could tear out the framing and the rim board. Before I get the question of why didn’t I use treated lumber at the bottom, I’ll answer that I should have. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do another Menards run and I had a 2x8 on hand. So I used butyl flashing tape where that board would contact any cement to prevent it from sucking up moisture in the masonry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/5c6ca83e-329a-476b-b401-91bb87c08a59/garage+before+and+after.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - If you’re going to tackle a project you have to expect some speed bumps on the way. I ran into a few of those and then straight up mountains when it came to rot. You saw the photo of the garage earlier in this post but here’s what it looked like after I replaced most of the sheathing as well as that header (which is behind the sheathing). I also had the same issues on the back of the garage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4ad5bebc-d8c1-48d1-b208-5663dd65357f/before+and+after.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/db689889-2175-43a0-9590-6abc4e04d266/signal-2023-06-18-19-35-52-762.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - The tear-off of all the siding and soffits was more work than putting everything on. It’s not rocket science but it is a lot of work and you’re going to need a dumpster. I just about filled a 30 cubic yard dumpster with everything. Replacing my wood soffits and fascia was terrible work. For one the fascia was nailed to the roof so I had to be careful not to tear shingles in the process. But also my soffits had become so full of shit over the years that everytime I tore it down I would take a shower in debris, asbestos, and dead mice. I bitch about a lot of stuff, but doing this in 90 degree heat with a respirator on was warranted this time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f65a7e3f-c7b7-4e44-8fbd-7c1fedf1a829/20230608_185137.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Another important design aspect is how the windows will be trimmed and flashed. The headache of having a house with multiple additions at various times means that I had all replacement windows that were done at different times with different methods. They were all wrapped in aluminum but with different size trims and in different styles. I could have just redone all the trims and wrapped them all (which I ended up having to do anyways to half of them due to rot) but instead I thought I would try to blend them all together by using lineal that looks like 2x4 window trim. This lineal has built in channels to receive siding which eliminate the need for J channel. Because my house has no architectural flair to it, I really had to lean on accenting the windows to give it some sort of character. Adding this wide trim helped achieve that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c48a883c-54fe-451f-b9ca-b379997a196e/20230626_184400.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - This photo is one of those “I really hate life more than usual right now” moments. And I knew this was going to be bad going in, but not this bad. What you see is my garage sheathing and framing which is rotted from all the water getting behind the siding. Most of the sheathing I had already cut out before taking the picture. Why did it get like this? Because whoever installed the siding didn’t flash anything. Instead they put their caulk in any gap they found and called it good. On my gable (peak) ends I have no roof overhang. So water runs down the face of everything. Where materials had changed horizontally, such as where the siding met the fascia or where the vertical siding met horizontal siding, water found it’s way and ran down the sheathing until pooled at the garage header. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/d1d8bba6-8f67-401f-9b4b-5ee08693831e/20230831_184920.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473272314-SOQV7I290OPMXXIVQXI7/20230228_142003.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Chalking residue https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473275067-JMC9NE3OPFB5IXB57N1Z/20230228_142535.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Staining https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473272365-G3C07U57G0HKDCH94UVW/20230228_142450.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Corners coming undone https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473281411-9NY66SCFZNEEDZWTFGO0/20230228_143103.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Water Intrusion https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473269293-LCL09JK3MJHCWVH2YAZP/20230228_141938.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Material coming loose https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706490884776-373SNRHYCMSZZ5OOGLST/20230618_142218.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Vines behind the siding https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706473275954-UHEJCL67G0DUOYORHT50/20230228_142552.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Soffit Rot https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1706474447821-2N2X0OK093ZG520IVC4T/Screenshot%252B2024-01-28%252B135830.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - Windowless Bump out https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/71e90f62-c27c-4890-b254-c6acd40d3b96/20230607_184732.jpg Blog - Looks Matter - I used vented aluminum soffit panels as well as replaced the fascia boards and then wrapped them with aluminum fascia. I should never have to deal with rotted fascia or soffit again. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/hollowinside monthly 0.5 2023-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/35f06d9e-b34b-46e9-86de-29bef5da5a83/attic.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - Up in the attic I found a piece of lumber that was attached to a rafter but was then just resting on the drywall. This was transferring some of the weight of the roof to the drywall which caused the cracks. In other words, somebody fucked up. And of course I was asked to fix it. So I tore the piece of lumber out like it was my ex's heart and tossed it in the trash. Problem solved. Except for the giant cracks in the ceiling… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9e683de3-698e-4f66-81fb-67cade78ea08/20230502_164000.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - Once the glue was dry I sanded the corners to slightly round them and give a more realistic appearance. I then put a coat of mahogany stain on followed by polyurethane. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/d9f70636-6745-4897-be4f-53f7fd552043/ceiling+cracks.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - I recently did a home inspection for a neighbor and saw some serious cracking in the drywall ceiling. I also saw some failed cover up attempts in the form of multiple layers of drywall compound. I was able to poke a screwdriver through a chip in the drywall and then made a journey into the attic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/805576a7-5639-436c-a4fd-5042339864ba/20230501_184626_01.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - Then came the glue up. I glued the three sides together and used a gaggle of clamps. The weird thing about woodworking is that I always seem to need one more clamp than what I have. But I made it work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a501bd3b-a7c0-4c8b-987b-fce924f4fe21/20230501_162449.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - To make the beam look real I had to hide the seams between boards. This can be done with a table saw to make long miters. However, I had purchased a special locking miter bit for my router a long time ago for a lot of money and had never used it. So I felt like I should use it at least one time in my life. It worked great but it was a bit overkill for this project. After this was done I then turned my attention to distressing the boards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6f2e2cc8-c7e0-40f9-acf8-e87546d8b53d/20230503_201558.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - I installed the beam by screwing a strip to the ceiling joists. I was able to slip the three sided beam over that strip and nailed it to the strip. And there it was, just hanging out for everyone to see. And nobody needs to know it is all a lie. Just like my life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/518df4d2-e511-4975-869b-2a15dff1944e/20230503_201625.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - I apologize for the quality of photos in this post, but if I haven’t said it before I’ll say it now… I suck at pictures and blogging and just life in general. I don’t even know why I’m apologizing, it’s not like anybody reads this. Oh well, time to go beat some wood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/970ac69a-3cfe-47f4-a9fd-8868cf605128/20230501_145126.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - I picked up four 1x6 pine boards that were long enough to span the opening between walls. My plan was to screw one of the boards to the ceiling and then make 3 sides of a beam that would attach to that board. I cut my boards to length and then width. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/08c59d02-93fd-4b05-b003-786f2a6fba1d/20230503_201558.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9f6c2cd0-3e21-49f9-9ef7-1fa662af7369/20230501_181104.jpg Blog - Hollow inside - Distressing wood is not rocket science. I literally threw the boards onto a bunch of rocks and then jumped on them a bunch of times. It doesn’t get much easier than that. I also whacked them with a hammer a couple of times to make indents and gouges. These methods are great ways to relieve any pent-up sexual or non-sexual frustration. It was free therapy and just as effective as the real thing. In order to get the mill marks that are seen on rough sawn lumber I used a rasp and made some semi-circle deep scratches that worked really well. But you’re going to have to take my word on that because I forgot to take a picture. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/watchyourback monthly 0.5 2023-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/05572c6b-4a86-4e82-9681-68b14dd6a163/3+level.jpg Blog - Watch your back - The next step was to flatten the slab which sounds so much easier than it is if you don’t have industrial equipment. 16” was wider than my equipment could accommodate so I brought out the level and a belt sander. I used the level to identify the high spots and belt sanded away, using the level to check my progress. The guess and check method is very tedious. This took me a solid day and a number of sanding belts, but that’s partially because I was using a belt sander that was given to me by someone who dubbed it a “piece of shit.” I really wanted to prove him wrong but sometimes a piece of shit is just a piece of shit. That’s likely to be the headline of my obituary. Also, this slab was walnut which is toxic if the sawdust is inhaled so I had to wear a respirator which I should be wearing anyways when belt sanding. If you own anything made of walnut don’t panic, it’s really only a problem if you are inhaling the sawdust. Probably also if you eat the sawdust. Don’t know why you would but I’m sure somebody out there is into that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ae6256c7-13e3-4930-9cdb-c8b0d69b7b19/9+lag+bolts.jpg Blog - Watch your back - I conveniently forgot to take pictures of the shitshow called the installation, so this picture is the best I can do to illustrate. The bolt sticking out of the slab will be set all the way into the stud, about 4” if you account for drywall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/0cf57571-5054-4912-9e2e-e8966a1baf8c/1+slab.jpg Blog - Watch your back - The requested size of the slab was 12” wide, 2” thick, and about 5’ long. I ended up choosing this slab which was about 16” wide, 2 1/4” thick and 6’ long. It was relatively flat which is a plus and had no major checks or cracks. However, it still need to be surfaced which takes a lot more work than I anticipated. I could have gone to a local Amish mill and bought a slab that was already surfaced but the thickness would have only been 1 3/4”. And we all know thicker is better, so I opted for this thicker one. What I didn’t account for was that after flattening it would only be 2”. And that 1/4” was not worth all the work. I figured that surfacing the slab myself won’t be that bad. But it was more than that bad, it was terrible. Moral of the story: let the Amish do your work for you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/fb07fc6d-aeaf-499f-b1c1-b3a571909219/final.jpg Blog - Watch your back - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/7b37a717-881d-4e13-b903-532c2139e5fa/final.jpg Blog - Watch your back - The morning of the install I had hurt my back because I have the body of an eighty year old man. I later found out that I had herniated a disk. I knew that I was going to hurt even more the next couple of days so I decided to go through with the install. So you can imagine how much fun I was having while putting this heavy slab on the wall. I started by removing the spacer board and set my lag bolts into the studs, again trying my best to keep them square and level. I had these holes marked from my previous visit when I hung the spacer board. When it came time to slide the slab over the bolts I came to the horrifying realization that the board had warped slightly and was really gonna ruin my life. The warp wasn’t so bad that it was apparent to the eye but it was just enough to make everything difficult. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f321d149-9b1d-473a-b5b3-e4bd377b8879/8+drill.jpg Blog - Watch your back - The plan was to use 12” lag bolts that were 1/2” in diameter that would screw into the studs and then protrude out of the wall about 7”. I would then cut the heads off of the bolts and be able to slide the mantel onto the bolts. The key to making this plan work was drilling level and square. I played around with a number of “hacks” that would help me out but I found the best way for me was to eyeball it. So I practiced drilling a solid number of holes before I drilled into the slab. I had found the studs that I would be drilling into and transferred those over to the slab as I would be drilling corresponding holes into the slab. There were so many holes to be drilled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/19699412-8f50-43cd-9e6e-b6051882e77b/2+debark.jpg Blog - Watch your back - The first thing I did was debark the slab using a mallet and chisel. Yes, the bark may look nice initially. But I’ve been in enough relationships to know it’s likely going to break off over time so it’s best to end it now. When using a chisel be careful not to gouge the slab itself. To help prevent this I used the chisel bevel-down so it naturally wanted to pull away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f1ce0f3b-2823-4df0-a88d-8fe195b0132e/7+placement.jpg Blog - Watch your back - Here is where the process gets a little more complicated. This project was particularly weird because it was for a new build house. The wall it was going to hang on was going to be fully tiled so I decided it would be best to make a spacer board that was the same thickness and length of the panel. I mounted this to the wall after the drywall went up but before the tile. That way the tiler could go around the spacer board. The plan was that once the tile was up I would just remove the spacer board and be able to slide the mantel into that void. Little did I know this was just one more void that I would have trouble filling. I find that working in new construction with a bunch of different contractors is a lot like sex. It’s nice to have someone to share in the work but sometimes it’s just easier to do it yourself. If I was doing the tile I would’ve done a few things to make the mantel install easier, but I couldn’t depend on a stranger satisfying my needs so I went with this strategy. I’m not knocking the tile guy, it was high quality install in my opinion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/05f1512e-5a2c-4cd4-adfd-b2a9e78afa73/6+poly.jpg Blog - Watch your back - After sanding I put 4 coats of water based polyurethane on all sides. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6c826665-b669-45fa-be8d-9873b6bf1dcc/4+rip.jpg Blog - Watch your back - Once flat, I had to take about 4” off one side to get down to 12”. I also needed one side to be perfectly straight so that it sits nicely against the wall. For this I used a circular saw with a straight edge to guide it. Just a forewarning I fried three 18v batteries trying to do this. Then I purchased a 36v saw and it got the job done, but I would strongly recommend a corded saw. It was a good excuse for a tool shopping spree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/cb2fe452-0c33-4d3d-a479-841503ec9375/5+sand.jpg Blog - Watch your back - I used an orbital sander to sand down to 220 grit for a nice finish and remove any scratches or lines left behind from the belt sander. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/22020578-9fc0-43b9-9865-308140949af0/696722620.jpg Blog - Watch your back - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/crawlspace monthly 0.5 2023-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/36f066b0-f197-4c65-aeb0-29419fef9ea1/20230102_170125.jpg Blog - Crawlspace: The Loneliest Space - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1675308145375-BVKJ5YFOS1CDBLLL9UOL/20220127_163632.jpg Blog - Crawlspace: The Loneliest Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1675308145374-9K4GTCEQI7UBMOTFJZ90/20230102_170125.jpg Blog - Crawlspace: The Loneliest Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/94e51971-22ab-458f-8d07-080a9fe74f49/20220127_163632.jpg Blog - Crawlspace: The Loneliest Space https://thedayidiy.com/blog/makingthebed monthly 0.5 2023-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/8521fd41-f2cb-4cc4-b486-b4289a1bc5c0/20221206_073513.jpg Blog - Making the bed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/d46fcec5-dc70-4c30-b7ab-49afcdf307bb/20220914_164056.jpg Blog - Making the bed - I then used pocket screws to assemble the drawers. I used a lot of pocket screws for this project. I don’t generally use pocket screws for finer woodworking but for something that’s just going to live a life of constant abuse I am fine with it. They also are one of the easier and stronger ways to fasten plywood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/73ea3f13-5e9e-4f14-88f6-3d769b9e58c3/knobs.png Blog - Making the bed - Because I’m never satisfied I decided to make a way to keep the drawers closed or open, and to prevent them from sliding all the way out for those times I forget to close my tailgate before driving on the freeway. I nailed a couple blocks to the sides of the drawers. I then used a bolt, t-handle, and a spring (all of which I had lying around) to make a spring loaded knob. The bolt will hit against the block preventing it from moving. Once I pull on the knob the bolt pulls past the block and slideage can occur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/538eb97c-1b52-4b72-b131-c4fb34d24141/router.png Blog - Making the bed - I then cut my drawer sides and bottoms to size. I made my drawers 1 3/4” narrower than the opening to allow space for the rail system. I also made them 1/2” shorter than the opening to allow for some play when opening and closing. Before assembly I used a router to make grooves in the sides that I could slide plexi-glass into for compartments. I made a number of grooves so that I could adjust where to place the dividers. I used plexi-glass because I had some left over from a project and because I can see through them when I forget where I placed the one tool I need. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ae529716-da08-4621-912c-7e253a98aec6/20220917_151114.jpg Blog - Making the bed - With the bearings on, I then attached the top to the framework with pocket screws yet again. I slid the assembly into my bed and then slid the drawers into the assembly. I installed the drawer fronts and dividers and I was just about done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/022723fc-c334-4dda-ab4f-3b1ad8a4de1e/lids.png Blog - Making the bed - I then cut 1/2” plywood tops and cut out some holes for handles. My drawers were finally done and I was ready to fill that lonely space in my bed. with tools. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a3ab68ba-3ec7-414f-8121-0f9269c87d9c/20221213_205100.jpg Blog - Making the bed - Because I wanted to be able to take this bad boy out whenever I want, I couldn’t just attach it to the bed. But it can’t sit unsecured because once a fully loaded drawer opens the whole thing will tip up. So I channeled my inner pirate and came to the conclusion that a turnbuckle was needed. I already had mounting points in the truck bed. All I needed to do was attach a screw eye on both sides at the back of the assembly and then use turnbuckles to secure them to the bed mounting points. Whenever I want to remove the system all I have to do is loosen the turnbuckles and unhook them. I can remove the entire system in less than 5 minutes. As with most things in life, if it takes more than 5 minutes then you’re not doing it right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c5424737-8967-46c7-85ad-8b946331eab8/20220915_123105.jpg Blog - Making the bed - I then cut my top to size out of 3/4” plywood. At this point I applied Spar Urethane to all of my pieces to give it some protection from any water that makes it’s way into the bed. If you plan on ever using a car wash you’re going to want to do this. If you plan on having no top over your bed drawers then I don’t know what to tell you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f2ccf9f4-7cf1-41d2-b5a6-fb1afc561369/tops.png Blog - Making the bed - As I was planning on using these drawers for my sketchy contractor business, I wanted to be able to also them for work benches. I nailed small strips of plywood to the insides of the drawers 1/2” from the tops so that I could make plywood covers that would rest on these strips. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/29c26b88-7092-4645-a9e0-ddf886b757f9/drilling.png Blog - Making the bed - The bearings would be attached to the frame sides using 5/16 bolts spaced 10” apart. At every 10” I had a pair of bolts that would contact the top and the bottom of the rail. At the nearest 20” to the opening, I spaced the bolts 5”. This was because as the drawer is fully extended there is a lot of leverage on those bearings so more support is needed. In order to make sure all of the bearings were properly aligned I used a jig that I had made out of scrap wood. I drilled two holes in a piece of wood that will rest on the top edge of the sidewall. The holes will be at the same heights every time. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t mess it up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/583fd640-7da9-4658-bfb9-d1b3f81ef27f/20220912_154958.jpg Blog - Making the bed - The first thing I did was make a bottom frame that sat tightly between the wheel wells, the back of the bed, and the tailgate when closed. I didn’t want movement in any direction. I made this frame out of some leftover 1/2” plywood from a previous project. I cut it into strips about 3 1/2” wide and cut to lengths. I then used pocket screws to attach them together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b63be77b-4e67-47b8-93c4-c27e6463e3b8/20220916_143736.jpg Blog - Making the bed - Now came the part that would make or break the project. For the drawer slides I used 3/4” steel square tubing that would run along skateboard bearings. So I collected all of my skateboards from my poser skater boi days and got to work. I had to cut the tubing to the length of my drawers with an angle grinder. I then attached them to the drawer sides using self drilling screws that are made for wood to metal attachments. I used a couple of blocks to set the tubing at the right height and alignment on each side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/96bf019f-51ba-4532-800b-a1fa1dfeded7/20220913_142651.jpg Blog - Making the bed - When attaching the sides it is very important that everything is square otherwise the drawers won’t slide properly. I achieved this using a square and clamps. It also helps to plead with the pieces. As I’ve learned in life, if you want anything to end up in your bed you’re going to have to do a lot of begging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4f840d95-a016-461f-92ef-beb8652715e5/20220913_124407.jpg Blog - Making the bed - I then cut strips of 3/4” plywood for the sides and back. The lengths matched those of the frame bottom I had built. The sides were cut so that they would sit 3/4” below the top of the wheel wells. I did this because the my top was going to be 3/4” thick and I wanted it to be flush with the tops of the wheel wells for when I slide in full sheets of plywood or drywall. I used pocket screws to attach these to bottom frame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/2cf87388-4c08-4ec5-9d4a-23047ec31238/20220914_194944.jpg Blog - Making the bed - I made drawer fronts that I would attach to the drawers. I used a bandsaw to cut out a handle shape for easy grabbing. The drawer fronts aren’t necessary but I made them bigger than the drawers to cover the gaps left for the rails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a3fdfbbb-4eb2-428e-8ef9-84024237637a/20221206_073513.jpg Blog - Making the bed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/8deaf47a-d866-46a0-9180-6d7ee7b8c325/bearings.png Blog - Making the bed - I then inserted the bolts, some washers, the bearings, and nuts. I used blue threadlocker (the removable kind) to make sure nothing loosened up over time. I made sure to not overtighten everything because if the bearings don’t spin then they’re pretty useless. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/doggystyle monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9eaf657b-2d00-4a59-bb95-174069f0c82f/3+remove+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - First, I removed the door by taking off the hinges. I had also removed the doggy door because I was going to reuse it. I spent a lot of money on an insulated doggy door and it was still in good shape. Then I removed the interior and exterior trim because I would be taking the whole door frame out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1669427671346-0DN202W951LCJOSXDY8V/6+size+opening+to+new+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1669427764671-SQ5GCAUV4MN68DBRM4ZC/6+sill.jpg Blog - Doggy Style https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1669429496435-WJXESC5ROVN2AYZZ0GBE/17+casing.jpg Blog - Doggy Style https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1669429491814-PVB4IRTPULBULZYESHD1/14+install+brick+mould.jpg Blog - Doggy Style https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/aeffb0e1-040b-4c02-af1a-95db738162f2/4+cut+frame.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I used a reciprocating saw to get behind the door frame and cut the nails that were holding it to the studs. I also removed some screws in the sill because I would be replacing that as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/806f5e3c-6283-48ae-a458-1aab684cd980/5+remove+frame.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - With all the nails cut, I was able to just push the entire frame out of the house and toss it to the curb like I had just dumped it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/772e5680-15db-4a64-9673-9069a3c0c7ad/9+install+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - With the opening sized right, I was ready to slide the new door system in. I ran a good amount of caulk on the bottom of the sill to get a good seal. Then, with the help of a neighbor, I tipped the door into the opening. It’s very important to use a level to make sure the door is plumb so that it works properly. I used shims on both sides to make sure it stayed level and square. I then took one screw out of each hinge and replaced it with a 2 1/2” wood screw. On the other side I ran 3 more wood screws just behind the weatherstripping so that they are hidden. Once done I told my neighbor to get lost and continued working. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4a983f7c-6d29-4005-85dd-d88e76a8ad22/10+dimensions+for+dog+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - Now it came time for the main event, the doggy door. New dog doors should come with a template but because I was reusing the old one I had to take the measurements off of the hole I had cut in the old door. If you are considering a dog door and you have cold winters you should consider a double flap door that is also insulated and has seals for the flaps to prevent drafts. The door that I use is the IdealPet Ruff-weather pet door. In fact, 10 out 10 emo dog owners recommend it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3d84cde4-8120-47c9-ae64-35c36c1d4963/6+opening.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - Because of the way the original frame was built the opening was larger than my new door frame was even though they were the same size door. In order to make my new door fit, I had to add a two 2x4’s on top and a 2x6 on the bottom so that my opening was the right size and my door sat a proper height relative to the floor. You want your opening to be in the ballpark of 3/4” wider than your door frame and 1/2” taller. This allows for wiggle room when you are making the door plumb with shims. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6774b4ac-4263-4aa2-a13c-2a07c18b02a9/19+done.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a7c2ca91-0932-40e5-b1fa-d85f3aed9e1e/2+old+door+out.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - By this point I’ve almost completely remodeled the entire inside of my house. But my exterior doors stick out like a cry for help. My door life is at best frustrating and at worst just plain sad. It’s disappointing, boring, and drafty. My back door had actually warped to a point where it was near impossible to weather seal. With winter coming I decided it was time to replace it. I also had installed a doggy door in this door when I first bought the place. At first I was hesitant but after I had tried doggy style door I will never go back. With a fenced in yard it really makes not just your dog’s life easier, but yours also. Now the only bodily fluids I clean up in my house are my own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a390df41-11a2-40ac-a240-e27137ddbe29/11+mark+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I then transferred these measurements to the new door and used a nail punch to start holes that I would be drilling. I had to drill holes for the dog door bolts and pilot holes in the corners of the rectangle I would be cutting out so that I could have spots to start my reciprocating saw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6e5d88d0-4160-4f1f-bfac-697c66aaeafb/20221027_121709.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I opted for a whole door system which includes the door and the frame. I could have just replaced the door and I would have if it was an interior door. But with an exterior door system the weatherstripping is already installed and you’re almost guaranteed a great fit and operation, depending on the quality of door. If you were to just replace the door (or slab) you have to get the placement of the hinges and hardware perfect or it won’t work properly. You may save some money but if you mess up you’ll be spending more on a second slab. I did opt for a cheaper door because I was going to cut a giant hole in it for the doggy door anyways. The door I got was steel with an insulating foam core and double pane window. I could have gotten a built in doggy door but Menards wanted way too much money and it wasn’t near the quality of the one that I already had so I chose to reuse mine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/33a32574-713d-4094-a784-956efe88da5e/13+install+dog+door.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I then installed the doggy door and my dog was now able to distance herself from me as she pleased. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/5830eb62-f91a-45f1-a839-dad29bc95ad4/16+floor+done.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - Because the old sill was wider than the new one I had a gap between the floor and the door. Luckily, I had some scrap flooring from when I installed it and was able to cut a piece that fit that gap, all while my dog criticized everything I did, per usual. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/340a2a2c-6fdd-4752-942d-7e5f09f8a367/15+insulate.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I then put some insulation in between the door frame and the stud. There’s going to be a slight gap because of the shims. I used a screwdriver to put the insulation in place. The key is to not pack it tight because insulation does absolutely nothing if it’s compressed too much. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9ed8e02c-b9c7-4f2b-8ba2-b96a344b5aec/12+cut+hole.jpg Blog - Doggy Style - I then cut out the rectangle. My top cut isn’t the straightest, but hey who is nowadays? If you’re curious about what a steel door looks like on the inside you can see the section I had cut out. It is just a slab of thick solid foam wrapped in a steel skin. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/impressthemailman monthly 0.5 2022-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/efd445c8-1761-4215-a774-7c864e809ef4/set+post.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - Once my hole was dug I used post setting concrete to fill the hole. I used a level to make sure my post was standing perfectly erect. I used some strips of wood as stakes that I attached to the post to keep it level as the concrete was added. I used quick drying concrete that dries in about 10 minutes. It is only to be used for non structural things such as mailboxes, fence posts, and superficial relationships. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/476843c8-0fbc-480f-81cb-59cbb3d3b633/test+fit.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - The support structure consists of a post and a crosspiece which the mailbox will rest on. For a clean looking and very strong connection, I used a half lap joint which is also fairly easy to make using a circular saw. A half lap joint is when you notch both materials so that they fit together like in the picture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1666572144360-2YX4FP1OWECA86R5LALK/cut+laps.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1666572144326-I4VHK8KMZCWOSYUBO3UJ/lap+cuts.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1d3ac572-07f6-49b5-acbb-144f86b910de/dig+hole.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - With that said I made sure that my hole was located so that it would set the mailbox opening 6” from the curb. Then I began digging a hole 24” deep with a shovel and post hole digger. As I was doing this, the mailman drove by and we locked eyes. He gave me a head nod, but I knew it wasn’t just a normal head nod. It was a “you’ve got a way with holes” head nod. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/d38a2fa6-03a9-4271-8a28-d34ecd92b5ea/set+saw.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - I set my circular saw to cut 1 3/4” deep. I then made cuts along the lines that I drew. I used a speedsquare as a fence to make sure that my saw made perfectly straight and aligned cuts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/e9bb6638-3496-4995-8ea9-61e60b95a758/final.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/87872374-a4ac-422f-9c20-5e9d0b36d2be/corner+piece.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - I then test fit my pieces. I had to use a mallet to tap them into place but I didn’t fully seat them because it would be a pain to get them back out. When I had them where I wanted, I then used some extra 4x4 to make a corner brace. This brace is functionally useless because the half lap is all that is needed. But it looks good and I want the mailman to think I have attention to detail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/e9bb6638-3496-4995-8ea9-61e60b95a758/final.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - I then attached the mailbox and my friendship offering to the mailman was ready to go. Unfortunately I don’t actually live at this place so once again it seems I failed at making a friend. But don’t let my missed connection deter you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3663f317-ea40-4754-af74-3ce804fbd3df/laps+complete.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - I then used a chisel to remove all of the waste material inside my notches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1dc74ad2-1ab7-449c-823e-3de1e77b2a82/mark+half+laps.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - The first step was to mark where I wanted to notch my pieces. My top line on the post would be at the 42” inch mark from the bottom. The bottom line would be the thickness of the crosspiece, which for a 4x4 is actually 3 1/2.” With lumber we call something by the “nominal” size, knowing that the “actual” size is smaller. I fully embrace this rule and I use it when I am asked about certain personal biological measurements. But anyways… I marked for my notches on both my posts and my crosspieces. For my crosspieces I measured 3 1/2” from the back, marked a line, and them measured another 3 1/2” for the width of the post. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3b501d0b-352f-4199-8f5a-61eb09d99aeb/assemble.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - Once the concrete was dry I began assembling. I used 1/4” galvanized lag screws that were 3” long and some washers to attach everything. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1895c030-610c-40be-8f2f-da37a0a2987b/4x4.jpg Blog - Impress The Mailman - I built these mailbox posts using only 4x4 cedartone treated lumber and some lag screws. You can build your own box too, but the people I was hired by didn’t want to get too weird with it. Seeing as the posts will be set into the ground, you’re going to want to use treated lumber. I chose cedartone because I hate the green look of green-treated lumber and with cedartone I don’t have to come back and stain them. Just a side note… I was making two mailboxes for a duplex so the pictures may show double of everything. And in case you’re wondering… no, double the mailboxes does not mean double the friends. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/scrollingforlikes monthly 0.5 2022-10-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/67aff26f-0ae6-4b69-b74e-522f10a67ea3/tape.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - Then I taped my design onto the front boards and covered everything with clear packing tape so that I could see where I needed to cut. Notice that I had cut away most of the waste paper to give the tape more surface area to stick to. I also drilled a number of holes into the waste wood areas so that I could insert the scroll saw blade to start my cuts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/eb248e05-3522-4cd3-ac26-257e47e13356/frank.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/45d5869e-1a92-48e8-827a-743a766ba648/cutting.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - It was finally time to do what I do best: cutting things out of my life. I just cut along the lines like I was a 4 year old with a pair of safety scissors, except I had a machine pushing a tiny saw blade up and down at a rapid rate. The whole cutting process took me about 5 hours, but that’s 5 hours that I didn’t have to spend out in the world socializing with people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b10d2ec9-fd8e-4fbb-8380-2afc07a873cf/layout.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - Once I have everything the way I want it I then save my image as a PDF. Then I open it in Adobe Reader which is also free. Adobe has a real cool print function called poster. This function prints your image to the size you chose (for mine it was 24” x 9”) and then prints it in however many pages it takes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/fa2830ca-2e29-4161-b798-74ac32ef24ac/resaw.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - In order to make my piece look like it was made out of one piece of wood I used a process called resawing. This is when you cut a board down it’s thickness to make two thinner pieces. The intention here is to cut my design out of one of the boards and then glue it back onto the other one. Done right, it looks like the board was never cut at all and people will think you actually carved the piece. On one project a guy asked me if I used an automated laser like he thought I could afford one of those. Joke’s on both of us, I can’t. I have a bandsaw that I use to do this. You can technically use a table saw but you won’t get as clean of a cut and it is a dangerous setup if you have a wide board that is not very thick, especially if isn’t perfectly straight. But if you think you could go without a finger and want to live a little I won’t stop you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/880fc0e1-b4ec-4f7f-b4c7-394967c4a5ff/WI+fence.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6493ee38-4535-44e5-ae13-b29ea2b442b1/clamps.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - Once my cutting was finished, I cleaned up with some light sandpaper along the edges. I then clamped the front piece to the back piece to make everything whole again. With a proper glue up and alignment it is very difficult to tell that everything was split apart to begin with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/6dfda76c-d6b6-498b-aa7d-76d6d38f56ab/frank.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - The piece I did was more complicated than it has to be. If you’re going to give scroll sawing a try I wouldn’t start with using multiple pieces or a weird shape. This process works great for simpler projects. I also use the exact same layout procedure for doing larger works using a jigsaw like this one that I completely recented. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f0aa933c-44f5-4705-85eb-929697f03138/clamp.jpg Blog - Scrolling For Likes - My actual piece consisted of 3 boards, all of which I cut into half for 6 boards total. This meant I had 3 front boards that I would cut my design into and 3 boards that would serve as the back. I like to make everything more of a problem than it needs to be so I also decided to offset the boards as well. This created an issue for when I needed to glue my boards up. I wanted to glue my front boards together and my bottom boards together but if I did that separately it would be very hard to make sure they all lined up when it came to the final glue up. I solved this by using plastic wrap to separate the front and back boards. That way I could glue the front and back at the same time, ensuring that everything stayed aligned. If you’re confused don’t worry, it took me a hot minute to think of this idea. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/openup monthly 0.5 2022-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651883338163-LB4EBZAVAREHYFZWOETU/PXL_20210507_171122704.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651883337984-UL7ZPJC0M14BHIGQ2NQ6/PXL_20210507_224157478.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/337e5ecc-ca04-4076-bae2-2c4d1efa49a3/PXL_20210519_214308931.jpg Blog - Open Up - I then went through and wrapped everything else in the 1x6 lumber. I wrapped the 4x4 posts not only for protection but also to make them look more girthy because everyone likes girth. I then reinstalled the gutter and downspout after painting them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/569bef10-860a-48d6-92af-beaa74bb05a5/PXL_20210508_184333633.jpg Blog - Open Up - I began like I do most of my days, with a very intense breakdown. I removed all of the windows and patio doors with a sawzall and prybar. Then I tore down the thin plywood that made up the ceiling and the wallcovering of the house. I went on to take off all of the siding and even ripped the roof off. Luckily the 4x4 posts, rafters, and ceiling joists were still in good condition so I was able to leave all that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4ce7556e-a8e8-4ef7-88d3-5d6322aadd8a/PXL_20210514_205927763.jpg Blog - Open Up - I used the same cedar siding to side the outer walls of the porch roof, securing them with stainless steel nails. The original roof had metal gable vents to ventilate the attic space. I reused these by spray painting them with a Rustoleum hammered metal look. I did the same thing with the gutter and downspout. Anytime Rustoleum would like to sponsor me would be great. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651880085260-II280WG12XH3G1J61H2D/PXL_20210501_184323485.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651880081853-2UQCNVWU56PIX67F6PAP/IMG_20180518_161235.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651880154038-SET4A8ZBLCSMFYR2KEKH/IMG_20180518_161430.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1651880085614-X3BKGSZK3GGEC2TP6P2Q/IMG_20180518_163022.jpg Blog - Open Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9d42f8a1-12d2-443e-b81d-7cffdedab0d4/PXL_20210512_180443172.jpg Blog - Open Up - While my house has an asphalt shingle roof, the porch roof was covered with a large piece of rubber called EPDM, not to be confused with BDSM. This stuff is great for low sloped roofs such as the patio had because if installed correctly it is pretty much waterproof. But if not installed correctly then you get what is pictured here: water damage. The rubber roof was installed over an existing asphalt roof, which is a roofing sin because rubber roofs need a smooth surface so that it can be cemented to it. Whoever did this roof is on my shitlist because not only did I have to replace some of the OSB, but I also had to scrape melted shingles off the roof which took forever. Rubber roofs get extremely hot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/bf6690e5-287b-40db-8d05-b0ded904189d/PXL_20210517_234717045.jpg Blog - Open Up - Once I finished the siding, I installed the drywall and then the cedar planking on the ceiling. I used adhesive and stainless brad nails to secure the planking to the drywall. When I gutted the original room, I had two electrical wires that I had to do something with. One of them powered the ceiling fan in the room and the other powered a floodlight to the backyard. Each already had their own switch inside the house. I knew that one was going to be used for the lights, which were 4 LED lights. But I had to figure out what to do with the other electrical wire. I could’ve been a savage and just tucked the live wire back in the ceiling like whoever did work on this house before me did. But then I went down South to visit some family to remind them that no matter how far they move they can’t escape me. While down there I noticed 2 things. The first was how much better everything is down there than up here. The second was that it was common for ceiling fans to be installed in their covered porches. The idea of having a fan outside is a little weird in my opinion but my whole life is weird so I decided that I was going to do the same. I chose a flush mounted ceiling fan because my ceiling was already somewhat low. I also made sure it was damp rated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/63ade6f4-bff8-47af-b68c-408ca2d78b8b/before+and+after2.jpg Blog - Open Up - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/cf4b4ac1-d6de-431f-912e-640107fbe601/after.jpg Blog - Open Up - My last step was to paint the concrete. For this I used Rustoleum’s Rock Solid concrete paint, which I highly recommend. It’s not cheap though. And you need a special overpriced roller but it was worth it. I then spent the last little bit of money I had left over on a fire table which I rarely use. I also built a sofa out of treated 2x4 lumber. And I’m proud to say at the time of this writing I went all in and even bought cushions for the sofa. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/eyesuphere monthly 0.5 2022-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f37a0561-0714-4175-a1a1-4ec62c9491ea/20220404_151514.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - So I got out my propane torch and gave it a go. I should note that I did this after violently sanding the previous stain. After it was torched I used a wire brush and also violently brushed back the char until it was more a medium brown color. The photo is pre-brushing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a9f4d60d-e695-470f-a496-bd678982a8b1/20220405_180846.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/13215f0a-6465-4ce5-a60d-dab1bd8a29ee/20220330_131555.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - So I had cut my 4x4 legs to height. I then ripped the 2x4’s to make them 1 1/2” x 1 1/2”. The fresh cut faces would face the insides of the chest. I was also going to put plywood panels in the sides that would cover most of the 2nd fresh face. When they were all attached I clamped them without glue to make sure everything was aligned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1a3dca16-3288-4f9f-9b7f-da402414f6ff/20220328_152356.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - If I learned anything from women it’s that you need to base your top size on your chest dimensions. This is why I built the chest first and then the top. The first thing I did was cut the patterned moulding off of the top of the baseboards to get just flat boards. Then I ran them through my planer to get rid of the finish. I don’t recommend this method because it is not good on your planer blades but I didn’t have much material so I risked it. Then I glued the boards up using cauls to keep them flat. If you look closely you’ll see that on the ends of each board the grain makes a semi circle pattern. Notice that in my glue up the semi circles alternate between facing up and facing down. I did this intentionally to reduce the chance that the top warps. If your semi circles all face the same way you’ll most likely get a warped top in the future. This is one of those things that I could go into depth on but I’d bore your more than you already are. So just trust me, semi circles alternating. After gluing, I cut the top to size so that it overhung the chest about 5/8”. Honestly, I chose this because I couldn’t choose between 1/2” and 3/4” overhang so I picked the middle. I sanded the top and installed it to the chest using a piano hinge. I wanted to do this before I applied the finish to make sure everything worked and I didn’t have to mark up the finished boards. I then removed the top. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/8d4fd11f-4c0b-42eb-b151-9041075a127b/20220404_190340.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - Once it was cut out I lightly sanded the edges and then applied Rustoleum hammered metal spray paint to get the appearance of a metal insert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/db747773-26f7-42f7-a46e-250ee54239d4/20220403_170159.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - I printed the images and placed them on the plywood, taping everything down. To cut out the silhouette I drilled some starter holes and used my jigsaw with a plywood blade as well as a scroll saw for the finer cuts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ad4f9ebd-30fd-4915-af9e-0109b64f141b/20220404_150715.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - Make it stand out Here’s a comparison of what the wood likes during the torching process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b5f30e6f-bd0e-4afd-bca2-289a9664aab3/20220403_111653.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - To line the chest I used 1/4” cedar planking I had leftover from a past project. I had to sand the stain off each board to get the raw wood so that you could smell the cedar. If you can’t smell it, it doesn’t count. I used a finish nailer to attach the pieces to the inside of the chest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ab708833-8d48-47af-aaa2-d99fc23f8b01/20220329_201208.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - Because all of the wood was slightly different sizes and not truly straight I couldn’t use a table saw like I normally would to make some joints. Instead I had to use a drill, hammer and chisel to make mortise and tenons. A mortise (or the recess) was cut into the legs where each rail (2x4) would attach. I also cut a tenon (the phallic extension on the 2x4) to fit snugly inside the mortise. I used my bandsaw to cut the tenons. This was the most time consuming part of the project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/92870839-73a1-42e7-96f8-9d37e85109a3/20220403_112330.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - The hardest part of this project, as with other things in my life is finishing. I used a test piece with a stain for the top and liked the results. When I went through and finished the whole top I hated it. You’ll see that it was a zebra pattern of black and amber colors, which came from a brown oil based stain. I then went through an existential crisis and spent a solid two days of applying various stains, waxes, coffee, vinegar, and combinations of all those and still didn’t get the color I wanted. Then I tried one last thing, torching the MF’er. This is actually a Japanese practice called Shou-sugi-ban and was originally used to weatherproof siding and a variety of other purposes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/26721f60-8365-47fc-af1a-dd9c2d0cef3e/Screenshot+2022-04-05+180526.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - It was requested that I incorporate a bear into the chest. I liked this idea so I decided I was going to make a sort of grille out of plywood that would go over the front of the chest. I was going to cut out a silhouette of a bear and forest landscape in this grille. I then used the google machine, without incognito mode for once, and found a stock photo of a mama bear with two cubs walking by some trees. To make the image longer I combined another image of forest landscape. I used MS word to make the image span over 5 sheets of paper which brought me to the length I needed, about 40”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649201564112-2PZ05AJKYVU03PPLZE0M/20220328_143850.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649201564549-VMGU5599R86MLFFQSH9I/PXL_20210323_000735418.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649201566575-59FQOSO5WVGJ2C41DRH0/PXL_20210508_024852562.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b82c6b74-860b-46ec-ad35-01295d0766f3/20220401_174003.jpg Blog - Eyes up here - If you’ve read any of my blogs, you know that I’m awful at this. I forget to document a couple steps and I’m not about to dismantle the box for the 2 people that read this (hi mom and dad). So I’ll go over them without photos… To enclose the box I created panels that consisted of 1/4” pine planking I had leftover from a past project that was glued to plywood sheets. In total they were 3/4” thick. To attach them I used a router to make grooves into the 2x4s and 4x4s that the panels would sit in. I stained the panels before I attached them so that I didn’t have to deal with getting stain where I didn’t want it. Once this was done I then glued up all pieces with clamps. I was doubtful this would glue up to a square chest so I made a sacrifice to the wood gods before the glue up. And the gods favored me giving me a square chest. A win for the pagans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649205759190-66HQS4JMVZ622LTGB3RE/20220405_180846.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649206189392-ZJ3C9Z9LUE6UZ15NRGK6/20220405_162313.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649205759608-2UM0ISPKETN659P8WECG/20220405_180908.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1649205786925-QBP9E0PM3D071B55AW4H/20220405_180846.jpg Blog - Eyes up here https://thedayidiy.com/blog/redo monthly 0.5 2022-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f65dab3d-4c62-41c2-8343-00d81cc4b30d/20220315_153032.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I have around 20 sample sizes of paint from various home remodeling projects. So I decided to use one of these for this project. I also decided that I was going to spray the paint on with a sprayer. The table had pretty narrow rounded legs and I know from previous experience that trying to brush paint on rounded surfaces is a headache. And spraying goes a lot quicker and provides a smoother finish than brushing. However, this may not be true if you don’t suck at painting like I do. Paint by itself is often too thick for my sprayer so I used Floetrol to thin it out a little bit. On a side note I add Floetrol to all my paint, even if I’m brushing it because it helps smooth out brush strokes too. It really is one of my favorite chemicals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f3802bbe-b1db-447a-a4d0-19a005992483/20220316_115911.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - When everything had dried, I then put some adhesive on the plywood base and dropped in the top. I screwed the top onto the base and called it a day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/fe63839f-4486-449d-bca4-bcf816980e9d/20220315_190009.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - While painting I also finished the top with 2 coats of Polycrylic, which I brushed on. As always, I sanded between coats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/712faa60-1685-4f2a-bda6-6c09dd6a4235/20220315_155549.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I also set up spray tent in my garage to handle the overspray. I could have just sprayed outside but about a year ago I made an impulsive decision to buy the equivalent to a 2 person tent and now I have to get my money’s worth. I sprayed 2 coats of paint on the base and the frame of the top. I very lightly sanded between the coats to make sure everything was completely smooth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3ca0c3d0-facd-44f6-a86f-8ebf3fa40a01/20220314_174412.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I then ripped the 3/4 thick Maple strips I had to equal the the thickness of the base plus flooring, which came out to 1.5”. I cut miters on each end to get nice tight joints. I then glued and clamped the strips around the plywood base. I also used some finish nails to help secure the frame to the base, which I would then cover with putty before painting. When it was all done I immediately punished myself because I forgot that I was going to need to remove the frame. I forgot that I was planning on painting the frame and finishing the flooring with a clear coat, and so I wanted them to be separated for this task. But when half your life is fixing your own fuck ups, you get pretty good at it and I found a way to solve this dilemma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/2541d47c-e204-4015-8fa9-9d8c27773c31/20220316_121156.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/fa11de18-9400-4472-a844-ddc2fef7fef4/before+after.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - Make it stand out Give your old, uninspired furniture the life you never had. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a3896250-5027-4345-bc5a-5abcb2c9171c/20220315_121706.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I noticed during my violent forearm exercise that the joints were a little loose. I decided to add some security by using my pocket hole jig to put in some screws and help tighten things up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/08763d76-4390-443f-9dda-780880fa02b0/20220315_121115.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I planned to paint the base. So after I took the top off I needed to remove the finish that was already on the wood. You can do this a couple of ways, either using chemicals, or the old fashioned way of rubbing it out with your hands and sandpaper. There wasn’t much wood and my forearms are much trained for this task, so I opted to use 80 grit sandpaper and sand off the finish. I then went through and sanded with 150 grit and 220 to get a smooth surface for the paint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/856eb06e-1a80-43f8-8dc2-450c7d831ad3/20220314_192751.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I laid the flooring down like it was a very small floor. The flooring was tongue and groove so everything fit snugly together. I did not attach it to anything yet because I was planning on removing it. After this was done, I then sanded the top starting at 80 grit and working my way up to 220 grit. Once this was done I removed the flooring from the top. The tongue and groove fits so tightly that it acts as one piece. In order to remove the top I had to drill two holes in the bottom and push the top out of the bottom. This wouldn’t have been an issue if I wouldn’t have attached the frame. But with a couple of holes and a couple of fingers, most problems can be solved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/e3c7d25e-255e-45e6-907d-ce62ee733fd3/20220314_170036.jpg Blog - I need A Re-do - I had a piece of plywood that was almost the same size as the original top. The only cut I had to make was to match the width of the flooring I was going to use. I found that 5 rows of flooring was very close to the width of the original top so I cut the plywood to match that width. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/attachmentissues monthly 0.5 2022-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4ef7af55-fabf-4502-bf8b-58c34aff4a1b/20220305_151138.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - I then glued and clamped the boards. You’ll see in the photo that I used cauls. Cauls run perpendicular to the glue lines and run along the top and bottom. Clamps are used to sandwich the material between these strips to help ensure that everything stays even with each other. I wanted to make sure there were not going to be any lips as I wasn’t planning on resurfacing the top. But as always plans changed and I ended up sanding and refinishing it anyways. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/296adac4-c925-4c8d-a636-07b80c350f07/20220305_151747.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - The fasteners are about 1/8” thick so in order to prevent a gap between the top and the frame, the fasteners have to be set into the frame to be flush. My fasteners were 5/8” diameter to I accomplished this by using a 5/8” Forstner drill bit to go 1/8” deep wherever I wanted to put a fastener. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/de2331e2-d48e-4317-ab0e-562f1db29c38/20220305_194002.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - Obviously the edges are ugly and I don’t like ugly things, which is why I removed all the mirrors in my house. To conceal theses edges I cut maple strips that were 2 1/4” wide to run the perimeter of the top. People often lean on bar tops because they’re lazy, so I wanted to put a chamfer on the edge rather than a sharp 90 degree corner. I ran one corner of each piece on my router table with a chamfer bit. I used an oil based polyurethane in order to get an amber tint that would match the older finish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/ff403b97-9ab2-4a42-833a-0f05fdf735ee/20220305_153046.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - There are multiple ways to attach the top to the dresser frame and account for wood movement. One of the easiest ways is to use figure 8 fasteners. These are attached to the top of the frame and the bottom of the top using screws. As the wood moves these fasteners will rotate around the screws. These also work for table tops and other furniture pieces. The drawback is that there is a bit more of a process than simply screwing the top onto the frame. But I’m no savage so I do it right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/56b76189-1678-4cf8-b919-c2a513633114/20220305_141151.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - My first step was to use my table saw and rip the top into strips at the split seams. The top was splitting in 3 different places so I ended up with 3 cuts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/38056174-af00-44de-8b4a-670df4cf1b7a/20220305_153046.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - Then I secured the fasteners with screws. After this I could put the top on and secure the fasteners to the bottom of the top with screws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/51e6e9be-8e17-43df-9d2e-e33ecb0fe326/20220305_151758.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - In order to allow the fasteners to pivot, I then used a chisel to remove material to allow this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/8a60c2e8-082b-4e90-9628-cab23c704fd8/20220305_140134.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - In the case of this dresser, the builder screwed the top to the dresser frame around the perimeter. Because of this, the wood had no room to expand and contract. After many years of fighting against the screws, the wood finally gave up and split. I can relate to the feeling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/72c9e69a-a7d2-4c42-998c-8d9adb5f8c2d/20220305_140115.jpg Blog - Attachment Issues - Make it stand out You can’t stop your life from falling apart, but at least you can save your furniture. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/poppintops monthly 0.5 2022-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4c904be7-be13-460b-9db8-b884671e93f2/install+border.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - I then glued each piece to the side of the table top. I used a finish nailer to secure them while the glue dried. I would go on to fill the holes with wood putty that matched the wood color before I put finish on. I used miter joints for the edge piece corners because they’re classy and butt joints are low-value. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/85712267-94ef-439c-ac5e-35c14d222945/flooring+install.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - Then came time to install the flooring. I used wood glue on the bottom of each piece to secure it to the MDF. Then it’s as easy as putting some tongues in some grooves and tapping away. I laid my first row and then would complete one row at a time working left to right. I slid each piece into place and used a hammer and rubber block made for flooring to tap each piece until it was fully seated. This ensured that each row is perfectly aligned. On every piece of my first row and my first piece of each new row I shot a couple of nails from the bottom to hold everything in place while I was whacking around with my hammer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9ca630a0-eb77-4592-84a2-e3942b569e0f/poly.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - Once the epoxy was fully dry I then sanded the table top to 220 grit. Once this was done I used a matte water based Polycrylic finish to protect the wood from the copious amount of beverages that will undoubtedly spill all over this top. I used 3 coats and brushed each coat on, sanding with 220 grit in between coats. For something that sees a lot of abuse, such as a commercial bar, I would recommend an epoxy finish. And counseling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/73708fba-9a28-4bfc-b669-7bcb1d7a5fd5/bracket+gap.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4154e060-c6ba-4ac3-bc0e-7454149dcb1d/final.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c21b7329-1738-40cc-8a24-73408142c833/bar+back.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/db88aa71-2988-4ff4-ae30-c1139a493462/aligning+border+2.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - My first step was to cut the MDF board to the size that I wanted minus 1.5” on the length and width. This was to accommodate for the perimeter boards I would be installing which were 3/4” thick. In order to make sure my edges were straight when I laid the flooring pieces on top of the MDF, I used a nailer to tack some scrap wood pieces to the sides of the MDF. As I laid my planks down they would just butt up to these pieces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/b5e0e3bb-ccac-4dc8-8e3d-cf67f2134d8e/brackets.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - To install the brackets I laid a board on top of the bar back to imitate the bar top. This would give me the height at which to place the brackets. I was able to see where the studs were to attach the brackets by looking at where the nails were that attached the planking into the studs. So I then attached each bracket into a stud using the hardware they came with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/847183c2-d80b-4854-a691-ef430da6a535/border+removal.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - A downside of wood is that it expands and contracts with moisture and humidity. When you cover a large surface such as a floor or table top, you have to account for this. If you laid the planks butted up against each other they would pull apart in the winter causing gaps, and they would push against each other in the summer causing buckling. Tongue and groove joints instead of butts allow for a tight joint at the surface while providing some gaps in the grooves for the wood to expand into. This logic really applies to any situation involving wood, and is why doing butts is generally frowned upon in woodworking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3a32f432-4dcc-4860-a078-eace4f039e2b/chamfer.jpg Blog - Poppin’ Tops - Obviously the edges are ugly and I don’t like ugly things, which is why I removed all the mirrors in my house. To conceal theses edges I cut maple strips that were 2 1/4” wide to run the perimeter of the top. People often lean on bar tops because they’re lazy, so I wanted to put a chamfer on the edge rather than a sharp 90 degree corner. I ran one corner of each piece on my router table with a chamfer bit. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/customcabinets monthly 0.5 2021-12-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/375427b7-e1a2-44a3-997e-37c235bce528/drawer+boxes.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/e4da5ea6-a37c-409c-87fa-f66f576632aa/sketch+3.JPG Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - The first thing I did was to sketch up the carcass, or frame, of the cabinets. I started with outer dimensions and then sized the drawer, door openings, and shelf height based off these dimensions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/abc6111d-e669-495e-a0ea-f96d659d30de/pocket+screws+2.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - To make the web frames I cut strips that were 2 1/2” wide to make a rectangle. I then used pocket screws to attach the strips together. For the drawer divider I cut dados in the web frames and then glued the divider into the dados. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/3b75a581-2099-43a7-b6b6-f070e580bb48/rabbet+fence.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - The grooves for the back and frame I would put in the top needed to be right along the edges of sides. These grooves along the edges are called rabbets. I cut these using the same technique as the dados. The only issue here is that you can’t put the fence directly next to the blade because the blade will cut into the fence. So I used something called a sacrificial fence. It’s essentially a straight piece of MDF that I clamp to the saw fence so that the blade would cut into the wood and not the metal. Like the name implies, you use this piece until it’s too chewed up to be used anymore and then you discard and replace it. Much like an abusive relationship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/4f27b70d-43d5-49b6-8bde-e33b4756aae1/ff+not+aligned.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - The picture shows that my face frames were just a tad shorter than the cabinet face. Upon realizing this I devalued myself in the worst way and then fixed it by trimming the cabinet edge flush to the bottom of the face frame using a hand saw. It wasn’t a hard fix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1636666153670-Z5YIO97EWH2FZW12CJM7/layout.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1636666154152-WETO9283KWUQ6L89ZMQC/leave+a+note.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633901324887-3UNWPL5AF38A1SL45K6E/installed+bar+front.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f43b31fe-1247-4f2b-ae51-0e45b24fccc5/wax+for+splitting.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - I made my face frames out of 3/4” oak. Each strip is 1 1/2” wide. I had cut them to size and constructed them before my cabinet glue up because I was confident in my abilities to do something right for once in my life. But I should’ve known I’d screw that up too. But anyways I had cut all my pieces and assembled them using pocket screws along the back. I also learned at this time that pocket screws can make hardwoods like oak crack. After I ruined a couple pieces I learned of a good hack to solve this which was to coat the screw in paste wax and drive the screw in slowly. This worked extremely well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/37d34a5c-6fd9-4126-9afa-26b06b428db6/final.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/7d12538c-a334-4115-be39-6144685a65b8/toe+kick+cut.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - The first cut I made was for the toe kick. A toe kick is a cut out in the bottom of the cabinet so that you can stand close to the countertop without stubbing your toe or kicking the cabinet. I made mine 3” tall by 3” deep. I cut these out with a jig saw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/47752ff2-f10c-4afc-96ec-803f10f940df/after+glue.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - Make it stand out After it’s all said and done I had a cabinet carcass. All that’s needed is a face frame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/9de71a2f-fedc-4a05-895e-863bdf275a11/tape+when+stain.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - When everything looked good I then prepped everything by sanding then staining and finishing. Whenever I can, I stain my pieces before gluing to avoid leaving glue spots, or areas where glue had gotten on the wood and prevented stain from adhering. I had to be careful to prevent the stain and polyurethane from getting onto surfaces that would be glued because otherwise the glue wouldn’t bond. So I used painters tape, which I use a lot of. I didn’t stain the bottoms because they will never be seen and I don’t like wasting time and stain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/47f8ff69-6f7a-453d-b2fb-2affb4ff0a6d/dry+fit.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - After I had created the web frames and cut the shelves to size I then dry fit everything to make sure it all fit together like planned. Dry fit is just assembling something without glue to ensure you didn’t screw everything up. Never glue something without doing a dry fit. Or do it. But you’ll be sorry when you realize something is just a tad too long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/d095e07d-aa1b-45bc-a628-6db1189d861b/tape+for+nailing.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - Before gluing up I did a dry fit another two or three times because I’m paranoid. During this time I also lay out where I’m going to be putting in nails into the shelves and web frames. Because the sides of the cabinets won’t be visible I used nails to secure everything. For my process I first clamp everything to get a tight fit and make sure everything is square, then I nail everything so that I can remove the clamps and use them for my next glue up without having to wait for the glue to dry. If I had unlimited clamps I wouldn’t bother nailing but clamps are expensive so here we are. To mark where I’m going to nail I used painters tape and marked a line where my nails would go in. It’s hard as hell to eyeball once you’re nailing in the middle of the side panel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/922c989c-68dc-42a8-9cb0-05bf5d2817ae/dados.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - I then used a dado blade on my table saw. A dado blade is a set of special saw blades that you can stack together to make a very wide cut. I set the cut to be the thickness of my plywood so that the shelves would slide into the dados without any wiggle room. Tight bodied cabinets are sexy cabinets. I used my markings to adjust my fence so that the cut was made where I planned it to be. For each dado I cut both sides and then moved onto the next cut. This was so the placement of each dado was identical on each side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/f1cfa679-d91e-472a-8fb7-1982d660f8d1/clamping+2.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - I then began my glue up by applying glue to the dados in each side panel. I laid one side down on the floor and attached all the shelves and web frames to this side first and then attached the other side. Once together I then tipped everything to an upright position and applied clamps like in the picture. I then measured each diagonal to make sure they were the same measurement, which helps me make sure things are square. Then I applied the nails and removed the clamps. I cleaned up any glue squeeze out with a damp rag. Much easier to do when your pieces are already stained. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/a34b4e5c-e8ed-4b17-b462-cd63be87c745/stain+visible+shelf+edge.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - There a few ways to attach the face frame. I would normally prefer to glue and clamp them on. The less hardware you use the better in my opinion. Another way is to just nail them on and fill the nail holes. The way I did it for this project was to use pocket screws. So I had to drill from the sides and bottoms of the shelves. You can see what that looks like in the picture. I did this because I knew the sides wouldn’t be visible. If you know people won’t see the pocket screws this may be the way to go since it is easier than gluing. Since I wasn’t going to use glue I stained and finish the face frames before attaching them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/c7f89724-cb26-4f60-9b98-7cddb5eb7d94/back.jpg Blog - DIY Cabinets. Do the right thing for once. - I had grooves already cut in the side panels so that I could slide the back into place. I didn’t glue the back. I just applied nails. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/floatingshelves monthly 0.5 2021-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635644545087-B8RM3DA0P9BO65C531S3/20210628_174233.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635644545583-KOGV2E9EG3HE79E3V7DC/PXL_20210506_203127995.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635644572339-YC4YK5NVI4U7LINB3X9P/PXL_20210506_203134536.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635645972348-8GKVIK6ZB838FBATNZQT/PXL_20210509_021408018.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - I then sand each shelf to 220 grit. For reclaimed shelves I generally leave the front edge untouched to highlight the reclaimed aspect. I’ve also experimented with writing on the edge but that’s too much work and I suck at it, so naturally I’ve given up on that dream. I use polyurethane for a protective finish. I like to use the spray form, especially for live edge shelves. When I apply the finish I actually mount the shelf on a scrap piece of wood so that I can do all sides at once. It’s a real time saver versus having to flip the board between coats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635643575782-8LL5WWU7W0TJP4R2CYJG/20210627_101844.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - I’ve made a number of floating shelves, mostly because I have a neighbor who is obsessed with them. Almost all of these shelves I built for under $10 a piece. I just paid for the supports and finish. I did this by using reclaimed lumber that I got for free. In contrast, I purchased the wood (oak) for two small shelves and it cost me $45 a shelf. Free reclaimed lumber is not that hard to come by. I used the creepy world of Craigslist and looked for people posting that they had torn down a barn. Most of the time these people just want the wood gone. So I would show up with a saw and pry bar and pick through the piles, cutting out what I want. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635644365282-UMR4WCDGHZOFG03WZKZV/20211021_162807.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - Or like I said before, you can purchase 1 1/2” or thicker lumber, or glue two thinner pieces together to get 1 1/2” thickness. I glued two 3/4” thick oak boards together to make these shelves and then stained the boards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635646209412-WKO0ECMPF0DIW0EG7BBP/20210628_153739.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635645191746-XO55U9TGCX4NBM7B3LCI/20211020_182742.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - Once you know where your holes will be on your edge, you need to make sure they’re centered. For a 1 1/2” thick board your center point will be 3/4”. Your hole needs to be the same size as the rod that’s penetrating it. It’s going to be a snug fit. For these particular brackets I needed a 1/2” diameter hole. I made the investment into a drill press which is very helpful with alignment when I drill the holes. The drill needs to be absolutely perpendicular to the board to get a perfect mount. Using a hand drill is going to be very tough to do this, but I have it done it this way. To help with alignment you can make your own jig or purchase one. Or just freehand it because who really cares. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635642796248-PHMM00DKJTP9JI8HFDUB/20211020_183158.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - These supports are essentially a metal rod welded to a plate that screws into the wall. Super simple and super cheap. The actual ones I use are rated to hold 80lbs. Honestly, I don’t know what you’re planning on putting on your shelves that weighs that much but if you’re getting near that number I would recommend a different mounting method such as a French cleat. These supports come in a pack of 8 for less than $20, meaning about $5 per pair. Here is the link. All you have to do is drill holes in one edge of the shelf for the rods to go in. The only issue with these are that the smallest I found was 6” long and my drill bit only goes to about 5 1/2” so I have to cut the ends down with an angle grinder or hacksaw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635645605325-0G289QHKXP6J08DX2FC4/20211020_182859.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - Because the bit I use on my drill press only goes about 3” deep, I then use my hand drill with a longer bit to make the hole deeper. After my holes are done, I then put my supports in there and see how much I have to trim off for them to fully seat. I trim what’s needed with a hacksaw or an angle grinder if I’m feeling frisky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1635642118796-AC24BHNEG45Y1NTKJ7U4/20211030_195317.jpg Blog - You may be sinking. but your shelves can float. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/power-bottom monthly 0.5 2021-10-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633817601014-P9U09U1S2O9XVXDY85QG/marking+plates.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - After cutting everything to size I put my top and bottom plates (the horizontal 2x4’s on the top and bottom of the wall) together and lined them up. I then measured on one where I’ll be placing each 2x4. I extend the lines onto the other. This means you only have to measure once saving you half the time. It also means you don’t have to spend time making sure you’re studs are at right angles. You just place them in between the lines and screw them in place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634521866612-3RNAPYSGLX3R64GS7LWD/final+framing.jpg Blog - Power Bottom Once I built the 3 frames I then stood them up and screwed them together. At this point, it wasn’t the most sturdy thing on the planet, but I knew that I would be attaching cabinets that would add support and weight. With the cabinets installed this bar is sturdy enough to support a 5’ 1” blond female dancing to Shania Twain in an alcohol soaked bridesmaid dress. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633818652873-34JFT358EKLEVVU20936/notch.jpg Blog - Power Bottom https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633818652868-TQCI58OMCHD0W8R95XT0/securing+wire.jpg Blog - Power Bottom https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633818737516-5LP2F0T1WVHTS53J6GJU/pigtailed.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - The appliance cord had stranded wiring, meaning there were a number of very small wires that worked together to carry the current. Outlets on the other hand are designed to connect to solid wire. In order to work around this, I had to use small lengths of solid wire and connect them to the stranded wire with wire nuts. I then connected the other end of the solid wires to the outlet. These are called pigtails. I then folded the cords back into the outlet like I fold my clothes. I just stuffed them in there. One thing to keep in mind is that when installing the outlet box, it should be flush with the finished surface. Because I was installing 1/4” planking over the 2x4 I had to make sure the box was 1/4” proud of the 2x4 it was attached to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634520872837-DKCXO2WQA74WTYHVX0US/installed+bar+back.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633817913233-UJHYALECFR4R7FEI3CE2/attaching+studs.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - Once the plates were marked I laid them on the ground and placed the studs in between. I used clamps to hold everything together while I screwed each stud. You don’t need to do this, but it saved me some hassle by helping keep everything aligned. I used 2 1/2” screws that were left over from a different project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634522603502-PBCMUMFIJ85XK3JR32BL/stained+planking.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - To keep the ugly on the inside I used 1/4” tongue and groove pine planking that I got from Menards. While this stuff is overpriced it is still cheaper than overpriced plywood or overpriced any kind of wood. And it looks better. The backs were only rough planed so I put the boards on inside out to give a little bit of a rustic look. I then used left over stains from other projects for color and put on 2 coats of polyurethane for protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634523056272-3PPK56UHRT2RPRFS987F/20210916_191226.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - When I installed the planking I used 1” finish nails and put nails in each stud. I varied the colors and lengths of boards as well. But each board had to end on a stud so that I had something to nail into. I wasn’t concerned about the corners lining up because I was going to put trim on the corners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634523343666-9D3GCLRCEM1OPXH9R4HP/after.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - When it came to the counter side I installed 2 rows to serve as a backsplash. I had to cut out notches in two of the boards for the outlet using a jig saw. The countertop just butts up against the backsplash when installed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634523594730-9XHFIVHHQDPKWDMWS7UD/back.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - I made my own trim to hide the edges of the planking. I used red oak from the Habitat Restore and planed it to 5/8” thickness. I only picked this thickness because I wanted to do 1/2” and then decided I was sick of this shit and stopped at 5/8”. When you run boards through a planer, you’re taking off at most 1/16” of thickness at a time. When you have multiple boards starting at 1” thickness, that’s a lot of passes. The trim pieces are 2” wide. The front trim pieces that match up with the cabinets had to cover the width of a 2x4 so these pieces were a bit wider, more like 4". https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1634523803518-Y9L8OFBSW5HTSQP5G64Q/side.jpg Blog - Power Bottom - The vertical corners are two trim pieces that butt up against each other. I actually glued these pieces together before staining. I did this to ensure that there were no gaps between the boards which would’ve been likely if I was to just nail them together. I nailed the trim pieces using 2” nails into the studs. I then put some brown wood putty over the nails to blend them in. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/diybar monthly 0.5 2021-10-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633902144101-GWM05Z4NBSW1X1CGJJBV/installed+bar+features.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633829386799-7J848JR55O0BSVN7CS11/pullout+trash.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - In the narrow cabinet I was able to find a small trash can to fit and made a pullout trash. It’s right next to the fridge so you don’t have to go far to discard a beer bottle and grab a new one. I’m all about efficiency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633827473651-WD1FNARIV9IQSFRGSSXO/final+wiring.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633815801858-OVSXEIFUS3RVCNTVFLCB/bom.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633815801447-7NJY1LEQLY19X0LKL8MM/bom+2.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633815801334-YL0STA3RGBJD5UQMKAA9/bom+3.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633816216073-KLRBNCLK3K7BMKA7VER9/features.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - By far the most time consuming and expensive part of this bar was the cabinets. If you have limited tools, knowledge, and money I would suggest buying cabinets. A great place to find good deals on cabinets is the Habitat for Humanity Restore if you’re lucky enough to have one near you. The Restore not only sells used cabinets of different varieties, but also new ones. Contractors that have a surplus often dump them off. I’m guessing that if I hunted for a deal on cabinets it would’ve cost me half of what I put into making my own, and would’ve save a solid week. The Restore is also where I got all of my oak wood for the trim and doors and drawers. It’s about half the price than a big box store, however you have to be able to mill it yourself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633817241677-CFGBR9AC81Z224A3BO4T/final+framing.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633828282631-AD5OED3POF4PDFU3BFRI/border+removal.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - In order to cover up the edges and make the bar top appear even thicker, I made a maple frame to wrap around the top. It’s all about the thickness, trust me. In total both tops wound up costing $200, however I had enough flooring left over to make at least one more. In other words it was less than half the price of slabs. After sanding I applied 3 coats of water based Polycrylic. I used this because hickory is a lighter toned wood and I did not want the amber hue you would get with an oil based finish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633829764314-XJ63I4F4WTZH3YNH9WEE/sign.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - And a marriage present wouldn’t be complete without a sarcastic sign. And a marriage present wouldn’t be complete without a sarcastic sign. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633814880930-SF71AJAA9YDU4RAYU46J/sketch+1.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633814880962-VCB9P9249QGAOQR67UI8/sketch+2.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633814881283-KXC3R4RFYF14EASEQBNO/sketch+3.JPG Blog - Lowering the bar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633902563627-J0OR4TUCV5GFK8DKHQGJ/installed+bar+side.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Around the edges and corners I used oak, stained the same color as the cabinets as trim. For the vertical corners I glued the two boards together before installing. I wanted it to look like it was all one board. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633901324887-3UNWPL5AF38A1SL45K6E/installed+bar+front.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633901973625-E6134Z0MKSMXL5P7M44M/installed+bar+side.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633829518894-Z1FJ58UFL9UUC1TIX8UY/wine+rack.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - I also installed a wine bottle rack and glass holder in the second cabinet. I made these with some of the left over hickory flooring. I used the design I had made in my bar cart project for both. The bottle rack can hold wine or liquor bottles. The glass holder can hold wine glasses or whiskey glasses. I prevented one fight in this relationship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1633902483646-CH929EEPXCEJJ58JVMVD/installed+bar+back.jpg Blog - Lowering the bar - In my opinion the best way to start a relationship is to cover up everything on the inside with a thin but attractive layer of bullshit. This is exactly what I did to the base of the bar. I used my go-to 1/4” thick pine tongue and groove planking. I used a few different stains for colors and nailed the boards to the studs. This was cheaper and better looking than using plywood. Interesting fact: when I went to purchase these boards I was at first disappointed that the poor quality cheap boards were no longer available, as Menards only sells the “premium” ones at a much higher price. But when I opened the packages I saw that the boards were in fact the crappy ones I was looking for just now packaged at the premium prices. While I was initially upset at this, it then gave me an idea to rebrand myself as “premium” on my Tinder profile. It hasn’t worked for me. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/cherryface monthly 0.5 2021-10-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630013835773-BAZ6DL69RMHJHYPDFV0T/before+and+after.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630040902021-Q7UKFTUG6FFBPV5JD98F/15.+bevel.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - As for the glass holder: I had to experiment to get a good fit for a wine glass. I found the simplest way was to take two strips and cut bevels (angled edges) so that the base of the glass would slide behind them. I cut these 15 degree bevels on the table saw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630035027762-M1CK1TWZRIX8V8S15RL6/1.+original+cart.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - I’ve had this kitchen cart with me for years. Like myself, it’s pretty unimpressive which is why we get along so well. However, I had been planning to move and I felt I our time was coming to an end. So I was going to end our relationship like all my other ones and kick it to the curb. Then came one of my many existential crises and plans changed. I decided that instead of trying to figure out my life plan, I’d distract myself and make this cart into a bar cart. And then use it to avoid making life decisions forever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630040145416-XBSQBM0EXCFL522Z23X8/12.+party.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - How single am I? I needed the rack to hold four wine bottles, because any more is a bit excessive. I also needed to make sure a wine glass would fit into my holder. But I was quickly reminded of the lack of a female presence in my life, as I had no wine bottles. I also could only find one martini glass in the back of my cabinet. So these are what I used for measuring. Not drinking in the woodshop of course. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630041404597-SFJRLETWUM0AN9ZEV0G1/20210826_151238.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - Make it stand out And then everything was put on and she was done! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630037428869-XRHNLEQMXRZ2GMT7DCRN/6.+drawer+joint.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - This picture is the drawer. The plywood sits into grooves I cut on the side pieces. Instead of miters this time, I cut rabbets into 2 of the side pieces. I did this because there is more surface area for the glue, making it a stronger joint. The drawer needs to be stronger since it’ll be pulled on. I also shot a couple nails into the joints for stability during the glue up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630038546486-M9TRKV7FEXWVO904NOGE/9.+glue+up.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630038545354-0GVB9VE08P22XHANI9B4/10.+glue.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630035680192-LT9XPMNR8ZEUR3VSZ26T/20210826_151251.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - Make it stand out A bar on wheels means you can bring the bar to you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630041261819-0UMNAYRNIBKXVZRP2O1Z/20210826_152225.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - I then assembled and installed the wine rack and glass holder. I know I said screwing is bad. But when it comes to alcohol we all get carried away, so yes I did use screws to assemble the wine rack and attach the glass holder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630035870878-0C80831H4R0VPSOBB2J3/4.+cut+metal.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - The first step in anything I do is to make things worse. I started by taking the top shelf off as well as the bottom drawer. I kept all the hardware to use later. I then used my angle grinder to cut out the middle shelf while I only slightly hoped the sparks didn’t ignite the piles of sawdust around me. Once all this was done I gave the cart a romantic sponge bath. Per usual it wasn’t reciprocated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630039999626-ZKF2S5ZBQ42XN4GZUNQT/wine+rack.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630039999809-9XHLNK0WQQRLF1IFL74R/glass+holder.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630040670138-16R3OIUCP2CM2QCBZQ73/14.+sander.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - Since the band saw leaves cut marks, I then brought each piece to my drill press. I have a drum sander kit that is made for drill presses. I used this to sand the curves rather than do it by hand. A lot of people don’t have these last couple of machines. If that is you and you’re jealous, just remember that instead of spending money on kids or dates or socializing, I spent my money on a cylinder that spins around really fast. So we’re even. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630036965428-Y5TB402HDGJ3VI3ASKSL/5.+rabets.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - If you couldn’t tell by now, I am a very traditional-thinking person. And as such, I believe that quality woodworking should be abstinent from screwing of any kind. It’s just not classy. Almost all of my joinery involves glue and finish nails if needed. I cut grooves into the bottom inside corners of all the side pieces. The official term for these grooves are called rabbets. They were the same depth as my shelf thickness. I then cut miters on on each side piece so that they would make nice sharp corners. Unlike those butt joints. Butts are sloppy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630038623106-NKTJH5BFRR5F86QR7LU5/7.+staining.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630038623217-K55P5F52HZVUW1XF74WV/8.+stain.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630040524807-7KM08R4ZCNNIAZ9PQO67/13.+bandsaw.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - I traced the edge of a bucket to get to the curves that I needed to cut for the wine rack pieces. I then cut these out on my bandsaw. I cut one piece and traced it on the other pieces so that they were identical. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630039595711-AM5K5VIB1W4Q7RHV2I49/11.+paint.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet - While the glue was drying, I used Rustoleum black metallic spray paint that I had left over from another project to paint the metal parts of the cart. I taped off the wheels and drawer slides to prevent paint from messing with any moving parts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630036737090-ZW67JZ49M0W6GTQVWDUL/2.+shelves.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1630036738329-BYL45PHR1J40Q6LNZA10/3.+sides.jpg Blog - Cherry-Face: Not Canceled Yet https://thedayidiy.com/blog/damagedgoods monthly 0.5 2021-08-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624929420266-7IRY4K4JPD46Y0H74AVY/IMG_20200330_180520.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - Once everything was stained. I cut the boards into 6’, 4’, 3’, and 2’ lengths. I then sorted all boards by color and length in the living room. This only works when you live alone and never expect company, as it takes up the entire room. Those of you don’t have that luxury, that’s your own fault that you needed that family so damn bad. Sorting the boards makes it easier when you’re laying them. You can see how much you have left of the different colors and sizes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624932291587-5KEV47CVBJPSMBFVLE0S/accent+wall.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - Once everything was up, I put on two coats of a water-based polycrylic. If you’ve decided to curse yourself with kids, you may want to put on four coats before they draw all over your walls. Because that’s what kids do. They mess up your shit. I put the clear coat on after everything was up because it was a lot quicker to do it all on the wall rather than individual boards, it’s less time of having a hundred boards laying around your house while they dry, and if the polycrylic builds up along the tongues and grooves, the boards may not fit inside each other. And many a good time has been ruined by things not fitting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624925959603-S2SIT0V00X30N7F5QS55/IMG_20200403_154752.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624927815310-5X9DQ4DZ0QI8BMY9HA60/IMG_20200326_191336.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - Because I’m never content, I also tried putting stains over stains. During this experiment I found that whitewashing the wood first and then applying stain over the wash produced some pretty cool finishes. I’m not sure if there’s a formula for whitewash, but I just mixed roughly 2 parts paint to 1 part water. And what I mean by that is I put some paint in a cup and then put in half as much water. If you’re going to be the pampered chef in stain mixing then go find that recipe somewhere else. Another stain I liked was the vinegar and steel wool. You buy a jar of pickles, throw out the pickles, and then put vinegar in the jar along with a pad of fine steel wool. You let that sit overnight and then apply it to the wood. The vinegar oxidizes the steel wool which in turn reacts with the wood. I’m not a scientist so I don’t know exactly how it all works. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624930850032-PEAOP15NQDQ21I1FEC22/IMG_20200330_175708.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods In my case, I was planning on putting crown molding over the top row so that row didn’t matter either. I actually started my first row along the top of the walkway opening. I then ran a row up and finished all the way down. For my top row, I scribed each board. Scribing is when you match the board width to the contour of the ceiling. For more details on scribing a board, check this link out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624927727685-LSZ4TNST8VJ31PAOEX8B/IMG_20200318_160901.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - So I had the wood, but the natural look was too new looking, even with the defects. I needed to stain them, but I also knew I didn’t want the stain to look too uniform. When you have real aged wood pieces they aren’t all the same color. I decided to use multiple different stains, but I had no idea which stains to use. On an unrelated trip to the hardware store, I saw that some stains were on clearance for $4.00 a can and conveniently they were supposed to add a weathered effect. So I tested these out on some sample wood pieces, along with every stain I had in my collection. I even experimented with bleach, whitewash, and a homemade stain made from vinegar and steel wool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624928666942-8QTVJFCIANUGCZI54WYI/20210628_193055_exported_22.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - Once I came down from the high I received from playing with all these stains, I couldn’t decide what to use. So I said let’s use them all. I then spent a full 8 hours staining all of the boards in my basement and forgot my name. In all seriousness you should do this in a ventilated area if you can. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624856003547-QE608IKN8OYYV9LAH3VK/IMG_20200324_172931.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - I had just laid flooring and painted the walls in my living room. But I couldn’t shake the all-too-familiar feeling that something in my life was missing. I came to the same solution as every other life crisis I’ve had and decided a cheap and superficial makeover will fill this void. I figured an accent wall would make this space seem respectable for the first time in its existence. I choose the wall where my couch sits because it had no windows and a lot of space. So I did what I know best and filled that space with wood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1624929809867-WKX0N6ESKCPAFRIS9VFU/IMG_20200330_175708.jpg Blog - Damaged Goods - The major issue I had with this project was that the boards were only 1/4” thick. Real reclaimed wood will more likely be around 3/4” thick. The thickness is a dead giveaway that I cheated. This won’t really be an issue if the wall you’re doing is bordered by two other walls. As long as nobody can see the edges of the boards, they won’t notice how thin they are. But I had this walkway in the middle of the wall so I needed a way to hide my lack of girth. To do this, I ripped two of my boards into 1” wide strips. I then nailed them to the edge of the wall around the opening. I then used drywall compound, but you can use spackle or putty if you wish, in the seams between the board and the wall. After a coat of paint that matched the wall, the strips looked like they were part of the wall. This trick gives the appearance that the boards were set into the wall rather than on top. And nobody would be able to see the edges of the boards for what they really were. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/dumpyourgirlfriend monthly 0.5 2021-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623852883168-FY1NM2WLSIR24D9VZ2WM/hall+bench.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - When I took out a wall and two closets in my kitchen, I discovered that my house wasn’t framed with your usual 2x4’s. Instead they were sexy studs that weren’t perfectly planed down. With the rough edges, they were what all those reclaimed wood people were looking for, which means I was rich. I could’ve sold them for some decent profit, but instead I said no to the money and I used all of the wood from inside those walls to make a hall tree with bench. It turned out pretty good, except for my experiment with a staining technique that failed miserably. But it was free so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623811890026-FN4NZ8HGUQ2ELANK3NOM/IMG_20180518_162913.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623811924753-BIVAH6YDL738W51CVKFR/bath+before.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623808626764-2YYLUP05IHNQ4K2SLSDM/cabinet+accent+after.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - When I completed the cabinet doors, I was quickly reminded that I’ll never escape my fate of being a screw up. Looking at the area underneath the sink, I had a gap between the false front and the wide stile between the two doors. I also saw that my doors decided they would not identify as straight as they each had slight bows in them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623808243771-4YN5V5H3G9DKZN9R4H5C/cabinet+accent.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - And it worked beautifully. It was like I was on a perfect date: it cost zero dollars and took less than an hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623809921239-I2AQCOGMNO7H8OY9N5QO/hutch+before.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - When I finished my kitchen remodel I still had this outdated hutch sitting in the corner looking like it didn’t belong. So like all good cities do to their corners that matter, I gentrified the shit out of it. I had just enough extra materials from my cabinet doors to make two lower doors for this hutch. I took out the top doors to leave the top open. I then put on a coat of primer and paint that was leftover from the cabinets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623852498455-B6EI6MRTCWPBOHGS8FTF/bath+after.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - I did have to purchase a glass block track system and sealant, which totaled about $50.00. While this project wasn’t free, it was another perfect date: cheap and easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623810256088-BYJE2QWEZQ1FEM034GF7/hutch+after.jpg Blog - dump your girlfriend. not your extra tile. - For the main shelf, I was able to use the leftover tile from my backsplash. At the end of this project I had used every piece of tile I had. I put down some leftover thin set and leftover grout from my backsplash project as well. It wasn’t perfect and I had to finagle some of the grout line widths but nobody will notice. I also had some leftover tongue and groove wood strips from an accent wall I made in my living room. I put on a coat of stain that I already had on hand and then nailed the boards to the cabinet. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/fakingit monthly 0.5 2021-06-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623730844203-JR5FPMWJ6QY0G2IBLIF1/PXL_20210427_175347314.jpg Blog - Faking It - Once the doors and trim were painted I collected myself and reinstalled the door hardware and hung the doors. All said and done I spent a solid week on this project, at a rate of 2-4 doors per day. It was a lot of work, but at least I look like a functioning member of society now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623717764716-SKOLA28LUDZY5I2UCG3P/STILE+AND+RAIL.JPG Blog - Faking It - Before I try to convert my thoughts to cohesive statements, I figured I’d go into some door anatomy. Solid doors are made up of 3 parts: rails, stiles, and panels. Rails run horizontally. Stiles run vertically. Rails and Stiles connect to each other via special joinery and provide all of the structure for a door. Panels are the pieces that fill the voids, and they fit into grooves that are cut into the sides of the rails and stiles. Think of a grid with a bunch of squares: Rails would be horizontal lines, Styles would be vertical lines, and panels would be the spaces in between. The reason behind this is because if a door was a solid piece of wood it would expand so much in the summer that the door wouldn’t open, and it would shrink so much in the winter that there would be gaps. Using rails, stiles, and panels prevent this movement and also prevents warping. If you are still lost, it’s OK. We’re all lost in this world, some of us are just better at pretending we know where we’re going. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623732037903-C6OFXRNZQ83KO1KX6V3F/nailer.jpg Blog - Faking It - When it came time to attach the trim to the door, I first clamped my spacer board to one side of the door. I placed a square where I wanted the trim to be. I put my trim tight against corner and put 3 nails in each piece. I used 1 inch finish nails for this. I did one panel at a time, starting with one corner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623716633483-KGT02U3GI0UJ1WA3HLMR/door+trim.JPG Blog - Faking It - My first step was to measure all the doors and find out how much trim I needed. I then went to Menards and acted like I was lost and alone in the world. During this existential crisis, I found the best looking trim and the best price for me, which turned out to be a shoe moulding. I bought everything they had, waited a week for them to restock, and then repeated the process. Multiple times. Just to give you an idea, one 32” x 80” door uses 8 pieces of 8’ moulding, or 64’ of moulding. This accounts for both sides of the door. There is not much left for waste or errors, so don’t fuck up. The exact trim I used is pictured to the right, and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623730661477-O24DRMW744TPAFYVYKHT/IMG_20180518_162724.jpg Blog - Faking It - The biggest asset in this blog, and my life, is the ability to fake it. Whether it’s fake wood or fake happiness, nobody knows the difference unless they really look hard for it. So it’s pretty fitting that I’d detail a big ol’ fake upgrade to my house. I can’t take the credit for the idea because I saw it on This Old House. This is a picture of my bathroom door and trim. And a carpet that was more worn out by life than even me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623720397632-0TWAB7CURNL41NM7XU50/PXL_20210426_194843276.jpg Blog - Faking It - Once all 6 frames were completed on one side, I flipped the door and repeated the process. After everything I whipped out my caulk and filled some holes. I also put caulk in the corners to hide any gaps. Once the caulk dried I painted both sides of the door. While I waited for the paint to dry I reflected on all of my misdeeds in my life and wept silently, careful to not let my tears mess up the paint job. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623717690933-T1TBROP322F4MK2FSLQG/PXL_20210426_191440898.jpg Blog - Faking It - So I proceeded to layout where I would place my trim to make the panels. At first I completely overthought this and confused myself, which is not unusual for me. For a six panel door you’re going to have 3 vertical stiles: one on each side and one in the middle. A little research revealed that these stiles are commonly 4” wide. Seeing as I wanted to use a spacer board that I already had which was 3 1/2” wide, I went with this measurement because nobody is going to know the difference. This is a door with the primer on it and markings for the rails drawn on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623718351397-28034DA71ER0AGZS73BV/door+measurements.jpg Blog - Faking It - So if I have a 32” wide door minus the stile widths (3 x 3 1/2” is 10 1/2” total), I’m left with 21 1/2”. Since I’ll have two columns of panels, each panel will be 10 3/4” wide. For a 6 panel door you’re going to have 4 horizontal rails that run between each panel and along the top and bottom. I wanted to have the following widths for the rails from bottom up: bottom 8” wide, next 6” wide, next 4” wide, top 4” wide. This was completely arbitrary with not much reasoning behind it. I then made the marks on my door to help size the panels. I should note that all of my doors are 79” tall which is pretty close to standard. I made my 8” mark from the bottom. I then centered the 6” rail on the door knob, marking one line 3” below and one line 3” above. This gave me a size of 25” for the bottom panels. I then marked my 4” rail at the top. At this point I had to size the rest of panels. I just chose 18” for the middle panels and 4” for the top panels and said this will look good. There was no logic behind it other than I thought it looked good. So for your doors, do whatever makes you feel good about yourself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623718618367-N9RTLL2UQT8CXAT4JVY2/PXL_20210426_191443800.jpg Blog - Faking It - I then used my miter saw to cut all of the trim pieces to length. I mitered each end at 45 degrees so that they would form perfect square corners. I cut all of the pieces for one door front and back at a time. To save time measuring, and to make sure every piece was the correct length, I used a stop block. You just slide your wood until it hits the block and then cut. So easy, I could do it. Notice how my stop block has a 45 degree miter. This is because the pieces will have the same miters when the butt against the block. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623446675392-CQKQVWRM7KTWV06Y7BAT/IMG_20180518_162724.jpg Blog - Faking It - My house had original 1950 hollow-core doors that were still in pretty decent condition. As I had completely remodeled the house, I now had new floors and trim which were white. While everything was now updated, there was major clash with the old doors and door trim. And no matter how many times I told myself that I wasn’t going to bother changing it, after many hours of sitting alone staring at the ugliness like I do every morning in the mirror, I decided I had to do something. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1623446341471-YBCN4ROD2Z3VEF2L10VE/doors+before+after.jpg Blog - Faking It - Make it stand out Make your doors so classy you want to buy them a drink. https://thedayidiy.com/blog/attention-seeking-cuts monthly 0.5 2021-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621996034970-P55Q28HB6J703YWX85V4/bedroom+closet+door+before-after.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - Make it stand out Make your doors go from fake and boring to just fake for the low cost of nothing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621996218190-43NR526JR24HQU6V27AA/Comparison.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - My plan was to give the appearance of aged boards attached together, much like those farmhouse doors, or a sad old married couple. I decided to run the doors over my table saw, making very shallow cuts to give the appearance of edges between boards. I had an extra door from the same material that I had from a past project, in which I demolished a closet so small you couldn’t even hide a child in there. I made a sample piece out of this door. I promise those claw marks in the door trim are from my dog locked in my room, and not from said child locked in my room. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621997870918-EUUOIPX61AC6AVDZIJEC/20210525_200349.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - And then they were complete. I put the handles, now black, back on the doors and put them in their tracks. And the backsides? I only did one side of the doors. This was mainly because I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out or that I was going to get sick of them like every relationship I’ve ever had. So I left the backsides in their original style so that I could always flip them and pretend this whole thing never happened. So if you’re like me and you fuck up a lot, you may want to consider this as a back up plan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621996128356-5ZL1P8VQ0VT0EOHUDHL2/Before.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - Do you have skeletons in your closet? Closet doors are great for making sure you forget they’re there. Every morning I wake up I look at my phone to see that nobody has called from the night before. I then sit up and look at two hollow core closet doors that are about as fake as my friends, and I decided it was time to redo my entire bedroom. This remodel would include the closet doors. But there was no way I was going to cough up a bunch of money because, and let’s be honest here, nobody is ever going to voluntarily see the inside of my bedroom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621996343429-GFG0SOS939XXMJUSS5Q9/Inside+of+door.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - Hollow core doors are built from outer rails (horizontal strips) and stiles (vertical strips) with blocking in the middle. The outsides are thin sheets of cheap wood with a very thin layer of veneer on top. This saves on cost and helps prevent warping. However it’s cheap as hell and if you had any class you would get solid doors. I admit I have zero class so I’m gonna keep them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621997369267-EIHAJ4SHTRJJLC7OLLBY/In+sanding+process.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - Once that paint dried, I then put 120 grit sandpaper on a sanding block and broke all the rules of sanding. I went with the grain, across the grain, dug in the corner of the block to get deep, and made sure I sanded very unevenly. Why the base coat of gray paint? As I sanded through the white paint, I found the gray tint to make the wood look like it was aged. It also added a depth to the finish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621996628164-Z53B1G9KX32M274LS5LD/Cuts.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - This is what each door looked like after making the cuts. Remember: Cutting too deep will ruin your day but shallow cuts demand attention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ab06c49cfc63389fe76ac4/1621997290044-70SAHIVFR9VHQYT1JBND/Pre+Sand.jpg Blog - Attention Seeking Cuts - Once the paint dried, I then put on a coat of white paint. 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