Home Improvement Thread II (2018)

[cruizin01]

Made a small side table to compliment the larger cedar piece. Kept it fairly petite sized as I wanted it just big enough to park a cup of coffee and a book. Any larger and it tends to gather all my kids stuff all over it constantly.

 

Half of it here is finished with one coat of Odie's oil (finish I used on both) and half of it unfinished so people could see the stark contrast...

 

 

Looks great. Do you have experience with Odies? Im looking for something for my butcher block counter tops that holds up better than mineral oil based stuff.

[Franchi]

Yes, I have used just about all of Odie's stuff extensively but only been at it six months or so which means I haven't seen the longevity much yet.

 

That being said, I learned from some of the best in town and they exclusively use Odie's on their products and since they charge and SELL their dining room tables for $5k to $8k and have been for a good number of years now, that indicates to me it has some solid durability for it when properly prepared and applied.

 

I do a layer of Odies' Super Penetrating oil, then a layer of Odie's regular oil, then a layer of Odie's Wood butter with appropriate buffing and 24 hour set up time between each layer.

 

The super pen is a bit thinner and gets down in the grain really well and seals the base layer, then the regular odie's gives it the normal look and protection of odie's, and the wood butter adds a depth and luster to the whole piece that is just a nice touch.

 

I use it on all my projects unless I am doing stain for some reason but I vastly prefer odie's or a natural product vs stain unless I need a specific look. Rubio Monocoat is another finish I want to experiment with a bit as I've seen a lot of other very experienced makers using it a lot but as of yet, I have not used it yet myself.

[Radio Flyer1647545514]

Looks great. Do you have experience with Odies? Im looking for something for my butcher block counter tops that holds up better than mineral oil based stuff.

 

Urbn Timber uses odies religiously, they stock it at their showroom too. Swing by there place and pick some up

[cruizin01]

Yes, I have used just about all of Odie's stuff extensively but only been at it six months or so which means I haven't seen the longevity much yet.

 

That being said, I learned from some of the best in town and they exclusively use Odie's on their products and since they charge and SELL their dining room tables for $5k to $8k and have been for a good number of years now, that indicates to me it has some solid durability for it when properly prepared and applied.

 

I do a layer of Odies' Super Penetrating oil, then a layer of Odie's regular oil, then a layer of Odie's Wood butter with appropriate buffing and 24 hour set up time between each layer.

 

The super pen is a bit thinner and gets down in the grain really well and seals the base layer, then the regular odie's gives it the normal look and protection of odie's, and the wood butter adds a depth and luster to the whole piece that is just a nice touch.

 

I use it on all my projects unless I am doing stain for some reason but I vastly prefer odie's or a natural product vs stain unless I need a specific look. Rubio Monocoat is another finish I want to experiment with a bit as I've seen a lot of other very experienced makers using it a lot but as of yet, I have not used it yet myself.

 

Any thoughts on how to prep the counter where some of the wood is dark and "wet" from applications of oil and other spots are dry and lighter from general use. Can I sand it even? Sorry Im not much of a wood guy.

 

Urbn Timber uses odies religiously, they stock it at their showroom too. Swing by there place and pick some up

 

Oh yeah Ive heard about them. Thanks

[Franchi]

Any thoughts on how to prep the counter where some of the wood is dark and "wet" from applications of oil and other spots are dry and lighter from general use. Can I sand it even? Sorry Im not much of a wood guy.

 

 

Oh yeah Ive heard about them. Thanks

 

 

Long as it's actually wood and not some type of manufactured compressed wood, then yes, absolutely, can always sand it down or plane it down lightly to get it flat and even. When in doubt, sand it more but always do a small test spot in a more hidden area. Speaking from personal experience. lol

 

That is who I was talking about prior. I've gotten to know them decently well and taken all the woodworking classes they offer and I basically just duplicate their finishing methods as their end products are always stellar with amazing attention to detail. They teach you how to do it in their various classes and is also where I get most of my finishing products as it's generally about $10 bucks cheaper per jar vs other places like Woodcraft, Woodwerks or online.

[cruizin01]

Long as it's actually wood and not some type of manufactured compressed wood, then yes, absolutely, can always sand it down or plane it down lightly to get it flat and even. When in doubt, sand it more but always do a small test spot in a more hidden area. Speaking from personal experience. lol

 

That is who I was talking about prior. I've gotten to know them decently well and taken all the woodworking classes they offer and I basically just duplicate their finishing methods as their end products are always stellar with amazing attention to detail. They teach you how to do it in their various classes and is also where I get most of my finishing products as it's generally about $10 bucks cheaper per jar vs other places like Woodcraft, Woodwerks or online.

 

Thanks, yeah its actual walnut butcher block counters I installed a few years ago during our kitchen remodel. I love the look of them just dont like the upkeep. Looking for something that stays "on" longer and doesn't dry out/ spot as easily. As it is now the areas that dont get regular use are darker in color versus the regular use areas that are lighter and dryer.

[Franchi]

Finished the 6 and 1/2 foot four tiered shelf I designed and built, took a couple weeks working on it in stages. Made from re-purposed brazilian tigerwood flooring and the geometric squares built from simple pine but scorched black with a torch and tiny bit of stain.

 

 

Secured to wall and dressed up with a few of the wife's knick knacks.

 

[TTQ B4U]

Love the shelving look. Nice job!

[cstmg8]

Great job, really like the woodworking.

I've been working on the wife's vision for the basement guest room. Previous owner had it set up as a craft room. I'll get a better pic showing the new flooring, etc..

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by cstmg8

[Trouble Maker]

I feel like the story those pictures tell are someone having a stroke and starting to fall over.

[Franchi]

I feel like the story those pictures tell are someone having a stroke and starting to fall over.

 

Oooffffhhh.... You aren't wrong. That is actually what got me into wood working. Had a pretty bad stroke back in August of 2019 and was off work for 6 months and couldn't read or look at any glowing screen so after my daily rehab sessions, I started fixing various minor broken things around the house and then just escalated from there.

 

In some ways, I am thankful for it because I don't think I would have EVER gotten into woodworking if I hadn't had the stroke and inability to read or look at a screen for months on end and I already know it will be something I likely do for the rest of my life.

 

Finished this last night....coffee table with hidden blanket storage as my wife is a freeze baby.

 

 

And finished....the wrought iron hardware and black edging sets it off really well, way better than I was expecting.

 

[cstmg8]

Oooffffhhh.... You aren't wrong. That is actually what got me into wood working. Had a pretty bad stroke back in August of 2019 and was off work for 6 months and couldn't read or look at any glowing screen so after my daily rehab sessions, I started fixing various minor broken things around the house and then just escalated from there.

 

In some ways, I am thankful for it because I don't think I would have EVER gotten into woodworking if I hadn't had the stroke and inability to read or look at a screen for months on end and I already know it will be something I likely do for the rest of my life.

 

Finished this last night....coffee table with hidden blanket storage as my wife is a freeze baby.

 

 

And finished....the wrought iron hardware and black edging sets it off really well, way better than I was expecting.

 

Coffee table looks great. Coffee table/ottoman storage is underated, lol, especially with kids in the house.

 

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[cstmg8]

One thousand trips to the chopsaw later, the third quarantine-Pinterest-faux panel wall is ready for a ridiculous amount of caulking and painting. Remodeling the home office.

Good news is that the basement entertainment/bar area is next on the list (if I ever finish the outdoor projects).

 

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[Franchi]

haha, I know that experience. I counted once on a project and I did 89 cuts on the chop saw for one small project to get it JUST right with fitment. I just hope that number goes down as I get better and better.

[Franchi]

Finally finished the living room remodel this weekend with a few before and after shots, taken from the same angle but 3 months apart.

 

Now I can finally just enjoy the room vs always looking at what the next piece to build is. Aside from the couch, piano and one chair, I designed and built everything from scratch.

 

Before...

 

 

After!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking...

[cstmg8]

Looks great, it's cool to see all of your projects come together.

 

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[Patrick]

So, after 5ish years living here I am finally getting started on making my attached garage a usable space for working in cars and other household projects.

 

Plans are to:

Insulate-R13 batts, free from a parent's neighbor who was moving, unused and in the packaging.

 

Wiring-only 1 outlet was installed! Plans are to add 3, which will be sufficient for what I need.

 

Walls-7/16 OSB painted white. Cheap and strong enough.

 

Flooring-still weighing my options, leaning towards epoxy, but having to examine my budget.

 

Lighting-only one bulb was installed. I'm thinking of going LED hanging lights, as I installed one a while back and have been happy with it.

 

I'll post pics as things get started. Just ran the wiring and mounted the outlet boxes over the weekend.

[greg1647545532]

I've decided to take on a paver patio myself, I need something exactly like this to pass code:

 

 

How is that done? Is it retaining wall blocks filled with aggregate and then capped off? Do I build that first and then put the patio pavers around it?

 

I'm really out of my element on this one.

[cstmg8]

Create a good base for the stairs, either packed sand/stone or cement. Set the stairs then lay the patio up to it. The base for the stairs might be a different level than the pavers depending on door height.

Plan your stone size and layout carefully to eliminate as much cutting as possible. For a beginner project, I'd see if you can find a pre-planned kit that matches your size/look requirements. There are lots like this:

 

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[Fiji ST]

Finally got around to redoing my basement bathroom/laundry room after our water tank blew and flooded the bathroom a few months ago. First attempt at something like this and learned a lot. I do hate dry walling and the vinyl trim was more of a pain than I thought it would be.

 

Before: Cheap vanity and flat, tan paint.

 

During

 

Found some mold behind the washer so replaced more dry wall.

 

Paint.

 

 

Finished product:

[Sully]

Finally got around to redoing my basement bathroom/laundry room after our water tank blew and flooded the bathroom a few months ago. First attempt at something like this and learned a lot. I do hate dry walling and the vinyl trim was more of a pain than I thought it would be.

 

If you didn't do it already, you should put a pan under the water heater and connect a hose to that running to your sump pit, or a drain in the floor. It will be more difficult to do after the fact, but it can be done. Those rooms look good too.

[Fiji ST]

If you didn't do it already, you should put a pan under the water heater and connect a hose to that running to your sump pit, or a drain in the floor. It will be more difficult to do after the fact, but it can be done. Those rooms look good too.

 

Thank you. Something I will look into. Hopefully this new tank won't fail me. Old one lasted 17 years, but had a "catastrophic failure" according to the plumber. Hence the damage.

[Shmaa]

Installed spicy power in the garage in preparation of new arrival.

 

 

 

 

 

Also picked up an acacia wood butcher block and installed as a new bar top in the basement.

 

 

 

 

Obligatory Booze pic

 

[Skinner]

Thank you. Something I will look into. Hopefully this new tank won't fail me. Old one lasted 17 years, but had a "catastrophic failure" according to the plumber. Hence the damage.

IIRC they are considered code now.

[Otis Nice]

Good stuff. I see that Weller 12 hiding back there.