| Project by SteveB | posted 1445 days ago | 1702 views | 6 times favorited | 11 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
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11 comments so far
jockmike2
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10635 posts in 2444 days
#1 posted 1445 days ago
Looks like a tough job. Nice work. Looks good though,.
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
RBWoodworker
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402 posts in 1549 days
#2 posted 1445 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 http://www.racfurniture.com/
a1Jim
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89114 posts in 1774 days
#3 posted 1445 days ago
Hey Steve
Looks great I think I should write a book for myself “Lessons learned” and consult if frequently.
Well done.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
Greg Wurst
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769 posts in 2030 days
#4 posted 1445 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 1631 days
#5 posted 1445 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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57 posts in 2255 days
#6 posted 1444 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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13495 posts in 1971 days
#7 posted 1444 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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3958 posts in 1910 days
#8 posted 1444 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.
-- "Checking for square? what madness is this! The cabinet is square because I will it to be so!" Jeremy Greiner LJ Topic#20953 2011 Feb 2
Todd Thomas
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4969 posts in 1646 days
#9 posted 1444 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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57 posts in 2255 days
#10 posted 1444 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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12171 posts in 1538 days
#11 posted 1444 days ago
well done !
and lessons learned ,
and shared .
thanks !
-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle
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