Project for my daughter

[joe1086]

   

   

   

I just finished a project for my daughter’s house in Charlottesville, about a three-hour drive. They have an alcove in their family room, 12’ wide and 8’ tall and 27” deep. Originally, the alcove had a gas fireplace insert in the center, a TV/bookcase on the left, and a storage area on the right.

I started the project in the fall. One of the challenges was that everything needed to be transported in my SUV, which has a maximum 6’ long interior capacity. So everthing had to break down to fit in the car. On one trip, I took the lower cabinet components and countertop; on a second trip, I took the bookcases and moldings. In November, I installed the base and cabinets; on New Year’s weekend, we installed the shiplap; and this past weekend, we finished up with the bookcases. We were able to get the shiplap delivered locally.

All of the face frames and door rails and stiles are maple. They have a couple of kids and a dog, and we wanted material that was more resistant to dings and abuse. The countertop is maple ply. Surprisingly, both the maple hardwood and ply came from Home Depot. I probably paid a bit more by getting it there, but the hardwood was flat and clear, and so was the plywood. They wanted the shelves to be natural and beefy, so I doubled up plywood and edge-glued some maple. A couple of the HD boards had a bit of figure, so we used that on the shelving edges. The four lower cabinet sections are 3’ wide and have a shelf, and I was a bit concerned about sagging over that length. I found some U-channels on Amazon designed for longer shelf spans and applied them to the front and back of each shelf.

Thanks to the forum with finishing suggestions. The cabinets are painted with BM Advance – I brushed it on, after failure trying to spray it. I borrowed an Earlex HVLP but it didn’t have enough grunt to spray the paint without overthinning it. But the Advance paint leveled out beautifully. I used GF High-Performance poly on the shelves.

[fredhargis]

A really great job! Well done!

[hbmcc]

Really nice looking!

[FrankAtl]

Well done Joe! I'm sure your daughter is very pleased.

[jteneyck]

Really well done, especially having to make sure everything had to be sized for transport in your SUV.  

BM Advance sprays great if you thin it 10% and use a 1.5 mm N/N with 6+ psi in the cup (I think an Earlex should be in that range, but could be wrong).  But a mohair roller works just as well for flat areas.  However you applied it, it looks great. 

It would be best not to place anything on the countertop for several months.  BM Advance takes a really long time to cure.  

Thanks for sharing. 

John

[joe1086]

Thanks all.

John, it's been about three months since the countertop was painted and I told them to give it another month, however the speaker was non-negotiable. On their website General Finishes says the poly takes about 2-3 weeks to cure. Does that sound right?

[Gary G™]

Looks great!
…..17

[shoottmx]

Thanks all.

John, it's been about three months since the countertop was painted and I told them to give it another month, however the speaker was non-negotiable. On their website General Finishes says the poly takes about 2-3 weeks to cure. Does that sound right?

I'm using GF HP on a table as we speak, the GF PDF states that complete cure is 21 days. That's the number we're going to abide by.

Awesome job, especially with the logistic issues'

Gary

[KC]

That looks terrific... and points to you for symmetry.  Your description of what the alcove used to look like is one of my biggest peeves.

[Bill Holt]

Great job!  Doing a project for family is truly rewarding.