| Project by SteveB | posted 125 days ago | 691 views | 1 time favorited | 12 comments |  |
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This was my first project, converting a den and dining room into a library and office. Luckily I had some help.
The shelf unit is fifteen feet long and ten feet high. The client insisted it be made from MDF. Lesson: don’t use caulk to fill joints.
The library entrance off the foyer used to be just an arched opening. No standard door size would fit the opening, so we built a transom and sidelites. Lesson: I cut cardboard templates for the glass, fitting them exactly to the opening, and told the glass company to cut the glass 1/4” smaller. They cut it to match the pattern exactly, so it had to be recut. The other door went in like a dream.
I cut a trench through the slab and installed a floor outlet. Lesson: Seal off the room before making dust so you don’t have to clean the whole house. Other lesson: Don’t do electrical work.
I laid the slate floor, using slate the customer bought at Home Depot for 99 cents a foot. Lesson: Don’t let the client buy the slate. They got barely-gauged slate that was covered with mud coming out of the box. I had to clean and seal all of it before I laid it. Some pieces were shaped like a saddle—high on two opposite corners and low on the other two.
-- Steve B - New Life Home Improvement
12 comments so far
jockmike2
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7222 posts in 1124 days
posted 125 days ago
Looks like a tough job. Nice work. Looks good though,.
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
3fingerpat
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881 posts in 545 days
posted 125 days ago
Looks fantastic, congratualtions on a job well done!
-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"
RBWoodworker
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204 posts in 229 days
posted 125 days ago
You did a fabulous job in spite of the “pain in the butt” hassels you had to deal with..it looks just beautiful!!
-- Randall Child
a1Jim
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15523 posts in 455 days
posted 125 days ago
Hey Steve
Looks great I think I should write a book for myself “Lessons learned” and consult if frequently.
Well done.
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
Greg Wurst
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713 posts in 710 days
posted 125 days ago
Heckuva first project. Looks great!
-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.
lumberknowledgist
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30 posts in 312 days
posted 125 days ago
Nice looking shelves! What do you mean when you say don’t use calk to fill joints? What issue did you run into? Did you find a better solution?
-- Jason
SteveB
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51 posts in 935 days
posted 125 days ago
Since it was a painted project, I caulked all the inside corners. That worked out great.
I filled the gap between the banding and the MDF shelves with wood putty, but I did a less than stellar job, and some of the seams showed through the paint. I filled the depressions with painter’s caulk, then tried to sand it smooth. Most of the caulk just rolled up and peeled off. I wound up replacing most of it with putty, then painting again.
-- Steve B - New Life Home Improvement
ND2ELK
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6065 posts in 651 days
posted 124 days ago
A job to be proud of. Very nice! Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
Mark Shymanski
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1547 posts in 590 days
posted 124 days ago
I guess the caulking would not stick to the particles that MDF is made of, not surprising that it would peel off. Interesting lesson learned though…now I don’t have to make that one myself LOL!
Great first project.
-- ...it's rennovation time!!!
Todd Thomas
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4824 posts in 326 days
posted 124 days ago
looks very nice…tile looks good…well done
-- Todd, Oak Ridge, TN, Hello my name is Todd and I'm a Toolholic, I bought my last tool 10 days, no 4 days, oh heck I bought a tool on the way here! †
SteveB
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51 posts in 935 days
posted 124 days ago
The caulk stuck to the MDF just fine. Where I went wrong was trying to use it to fill a groove that was already caulked and painted. The caulk didn’t stick well to the gloss paint.
-- Steve B - New Life Home Improvement
patron
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2244 posts in 219 days
posted 124 days ago
well done !
and lessons learned ,
and shared .
thanks !
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart