Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Still plugging away

Is it normal to have wine or beer every week night?  Because that's what I've been doing. I'm sorry to be so slow with the updates on our built-in, but I've been buzzed for the last couple weeks.  Happily, we now have cleats, shelves, and two coats of paint done.  The cleats took an entire Saturday of mitering, gluing, leveling, nailing, prying off and starting over, screaming (mostly me) and throwing things (me again), but they are done. 
We also ended up recutting a bunch of shelves that were not done correctly by Shaun's buddy, a huge bummer at $20 a board.  We had enough, but I was hoping to return the extras.  Worse, I had primed and painted all the old ones.  La-di-frickin-da. 
We spent a lot of time with the hand sander getting the edges cleaned up and making sure the shelves would have room to come in and out of the shelf supports.  Did I mention how much I hate sanding?  ps - I wore my painting shirt two days in a row because you all liked it so much.  And it was already dirty.  And I didn't want to look for another painting shirt.
We knew that all the edges of the unit had to be finished with something, because of unsightly things like this:
We decided to use plain pine 1 x 2's on all the vertical supports because they were the perfect width to cover these double boards, and we really didn't want anything froufy, frilly or otherwise decorative. 
The most dramatic improvement was the areas against the walls, where we had to shim everything to make sure it was level.  Before:
And after!
We used Loctite construction adhesive and our Porter Cable nail gun (1.5" nails) to attach all the cleats and the 1 x 2's.  We each logged many hours on that step stool with the gun, and it's a good thing it has to be pressed against something before firing, or we probably would've shot eachother across the room.  DIY or die, baby!
And this is what it looked like at the end of the day on Saturday:
Since then, all the shelves came down and received lots of paint lovin.  I've also caulked and filled more cracks than I care to remember.  But it LOOKS LIKE A BOOKCASE!!!  Next up is more paint for the cabinet portion, some finishing trim on the 'cabinet top' pieces, and figuring out what the heck to do about the crown and baseboard that cannot be matched with anything local because it's so old.  Of course.  

** To everyone who voted for me in the One Project Closer contest - I am so warm and gushy inside that so many people would do that for me.  THANK YOU! **

26 comments:

  1. I know you're getting sick of priming and painting but it is going to be SO worth it--the bookcase already looks amazing and I know when it's done it'll be spectacular!

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  2. I'm cringing because it reminds me so much of our DIY projects and how much I really don't enjoy them until they're finished and I'm cleaning up or hanging pictures or in your case, putting in books and decor!
    The wine & beer always make it better!
    They're looking fabulous!!

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  3. the bookcase looks really nice! i can see why you are sick of priming and painting though. i felt that way when we painted our kitchen cabinets.

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  4. I am so incredibly jealous right now. Want to come to my house & make some for me? I'd supply the booze, of course!

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  5. Ugh, I hear you. Reminds me of painting our basement, which was approximately 500x worse than painting the kitchen cabinets. We caulked for WEEKS. In the end, we counted - we used 2 GALLONS of caulk down there! In some areas we even used it to fill 2" gaps where walls would meet... ugh. Then we painted all the old wood wainscotting (which took another few weeks) - by hand, with 4 coats of paint. Gives me nightmares just thinking about it! But boy, am I glad that we did that now. :) So throw on some tunes and pour yourself another glass - you'll LOVE it when it's done!

    ~Chelsea

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  6. It's really looking good. I hear ya with the sanding and the measuring goof ups. It happens to everyone unfortunately :( The shelves are really looking spectacular though. You guys have been doing a fantastic job.

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  7. Sara I am so freaking jealous of those gorgeous bookcases! I know it's been a labour of love, but it will be so incredibly worth it! They look gorgeous already, and they aren't even done!

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  8. I am beyond impressed. You two are DIY machines!!!! Can't wait to see the finished product. Nice work.

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  9. Those are looking great! And I have build-in envy!

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  10. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!! This will be so worth it. I just hope you both make it out alive. : )

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  11. Really does look good! And I would say a little alcohol each day in the middle of a project helps to keep everyone from throwing tools at eachother and ending up in the emergency room.

    Or maybe that's just me.

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  12. that. looks. awesome.

    So awesome in fact, that I need a glass of wine.

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  13. Dude. Sara those bookcases are to die for. I want them, but I don't have anywhere near the level of patience to complete the project. It looks amazing.

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  14. seriously, this is so awesome and amazing. I admire you guys big time!

    so - you gonna get your money back from Shaun's friend?

    heheheh.

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  15. It's coming right along missy! And hey, sometimes you gotta consume alcoholic beverages on a nightly basis to get through projects like this. No judgment! I can't wait to see what you put on them.

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  16. It looks fantastic! I'm so blown away by how awesome the shelves look!

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  17. I can't wait to see this finished!!!

    In response to your comment on my halloween blog - you know... James Bond and his leading ladies always wore fantastic clothing! ;)

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  18. WOW - such an amazing project done oh so perfect and right!! love it

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  19. I can't believe you haven't killed each other yet. We would have. It's very difficult for us to work on a project together...

    It's really coming together, you guys are amazing!

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  20. You guys are pros! WOW, all your work has been worth it!!

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  21. Good idea on those 1x2's! It's looking ahhh-mazing!!! This is one of those projects that would be a test of a relationship, too... haha... congrats for getting through it together!

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  22. This is looking FABULOUS!!!! Oh my goodness....your work is definitely well worth the masterpiece you are creating. :)

    Cheers~
    e

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  23. Are you kidding? I love reading your blog because you make me feel less alone in my wine/beer drinking habits. I'm not sure if it's normal, but at least we know there are two of us...

    The built-ins are looking great!

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  24. I agree with everyone about how good your marriage must be. Me and my husband would not be speaking anymore if we tried to tackle this. We barely survived installing unfinished wood floors and a major kitchen makeover.

    I am so jealous of these bookcases. It looks like your in the home stretch now. Can't wait for the reveal.

    Janet

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  25. LOVE your bookcase. I can't wait to get mine looking likes yours! I am so not looking forward to the painting process. *shudder*

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara