Now for the Oak Steps

When I added a bathroom to this home in Donelson I raised the floor from the den to match the rest of the home. That meant that there would be three steps to build going to the den (see this post).

The homeowner has decided to have me add hardwood flooring to the hallway, but before I do that, I need to install the oak treads and risers on the steps.

There's usually a section at the home stores where they sell all kinds of stair parts like the treads, risers and balusters in basic red oak. That would have worked fine, except that these steps were 51" wide.

To find the wider cut treads and risers I went to JeffCo Flooring downtown. It's the super-secret place where the pros shop for hardwood flooring, including stair parts. They had just what I needed.

I started with the bottom riser and worked my way up. These steps will not have any trim on the sides to cover any gaps so I had to be exact with my measurements. I usually cut the pieces a little long and trimmed it to make sure it fit well. I put it all together without any fasteners and then took all the pieces outside for a good sanding.

Some people finish the wood before installation, but I like to install them before I finish. After a healthy dose of liquid nails, the treads were nailed in place with the risers. The top step gets a piece called stair nosing that is rounded on the front, but the back has a groove where the end-tongue from the flooring will fit. The stair nosing is sold by the foot, so you can just buy as much as you need.

I put a little painters tape on the wall to keep from making much of a mess and then applied the stain. These steps were stained with a Minwax color called "Natural". It's nearly the same as just using a clear coat, but I thought it was a slightly better match to the pre-finished red oak flooring that the homeowner wanted to install in the hall.

Letting it dry overnight and lightly sanding between coats, the steps will get two more coats of polyurethane after this stain.

Next comes the hardwood flooring...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Inglewood Cottage Kitchen- Before and After

The kitchen at my Inglewood Cottage project needed some creativity to get to the shape it's in today- fabulous!!

(Professional photos by Zach Goodyear.)

Here are some of the challenges that were overcome:
1. Open the wall up between the kitchen and dining area and make it an arch to match the other doorways in the home (this post).
2. Make a spot to install a dishwasher next to the sink (this post).
3. Add counterspace on the wall next to the range where there previously was none.
4. Build a cabinet next to the dishwasher and over the range to hold the new hood (this post).
5. Level the floor around the back door (this post).
6. Make it all look like it fits with the character of the house.

I'd say we accomplished our goals.


The old kitchen had some good parts, namely, the cabinets. They were build to last and there was no reason to replace them. Instead, everything else is new- floors, counters, backsplash- but the cabinets just got some fresh paint and new hardware. Actually the cabinets are probably better built than many of the budget cabinets available today.

The subway tile backsplash is one of my favorite parts of the renovation, as well as the cabinets I got to build for above the range and next to the dishwasher. Nothing fancy, but it was fun to build a new cabinet and try to make it match the old so well that you wouldn't think it was new.

In addition to the cosmetic changes, the kitchen also got all new wiring and plumbing. It's ready for business!

By the way, when we got finished the homeowners listed the home for sale on a Friday and had it under contract before the open house on Sunday! Wow! I new it would get some attention, but that's an amazing story, especially in our current real estate market.


Check out all the articles related to this project at this link.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Inglewood Cottage Bathroom- Before and After

The project that I'm calling my "Inglewood Cottage" project has wrapped up and I wanted to feature a few before and after photos. Most of my work on this project was focused on two different rooms, the kitchen and bathroom. Let's look at the bathroom transformation first.

Professional photography (right) by Zach Goodyear.

This bathroom was nearly completely redone, however, most of the walls did not need to be gutted. However, I needed to remove quite a bit of the walls just to get that old cast iron tub out of there! The new surround was custom fit to go around the existing window that will let in natural light even though it will need to be covered with a curtain when showering.

When I started, there wasn't much appealing about this room. It did have a huge cabinet behind the door which we left alone and painted. Otherwise, all the fixtures had to go as well as the deteriorating vinyl flooring.

By the time I was finished, the bathroom had a lot of my favorite details- wainscoting, pedestal sink and small floor tiles. The black and white tiles turned out great and really fit the period feel of this room. In a room with so much white trim, the black tiles add some interest and are a highlight of the bathroom.

This bathroom is quite different than when I started and that's a very good thing! I really enjoyed being part of the changes in this small, but popular room of the house.. :)

See all the related posts to this project at this link.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tile for the Inglewood Kitchen

It's been a while since I wrote about the Inglewood Cottage project. I finished my part to let the homeowners get everything painted before they put it on the market. I wanted to wait until after they were finished to get some final pictures.

Somehow, this home from the 1940's has retained much of it's character by still having the original hardwood floors and even the unpainted trim and doors. (A rare thing in this part of Inglewood). To continue the character into the remodeled kitchen, the homeowners wanted me to install a white subway tile backsplash and a ceramic tile floor.

When I got to it, there was an old backsplash made up of 4" off-white tile with a laminate counter that had actually been installed right over the top of the original countertop! I took it all apart and installed the new high-grade laminate counter (see this post) over the new dishwasher and custom cabinet that I built to fill it out. (see this post)

The new flooring tiles are 12" glazed porcelain, but they have the look of marble. I think it's a nice look for this older home. Part of the floor had to be leveled before tiling (see this post) and that turned out great.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Open Up My Kitchen Wall- Before and After

When I started, the kitchen and dining room were two separate entities, now they are combined into one open space joined by the fantastic maple countertop that rests on the new half-wall in the middle.

I say it all the time, but I enjoy projects like this that really transform a home and add to my client's lifestyle.

See all the articles related to this project here.

Now, on to the next project!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Add a Decorative Newel Post

After the maple countertop was installed (this post), it was time to finish up by adding the trim. For the most part, I was able to reuse the casings and jambs from the old doorway that was here except for across the top of the new opening. In addition to the casings, the homeowners wanted me to add a decorative post at the end.

For the post, I used a poplar newel post that is normally used as part of a stairway handrail. Ahead of installation I cut off the ball on top and then primed and painted it.

I hated to write on or put screws into the beautiful countertop, but alas, it had to be done! First, I taped a scrap of building paper to the spot so that I could mark my guidelines and make sure that I didn't make any unnecessary pencil marks on the counter. I left this here through the installation and just tore off the paper after the post was in place.

I bought a 'newel post bracket kit' to install the post. The kit includes four brackets to attach the post and then some decorative trim that is pre-cut and meant to cover the brackets. (I painted these ahead of time as well.)

I cut the post around 1/8" short and then used shims underneath to press it snugly up against the top jamb. The gap on the bottom will be covered by the brackets and this prevents it from being so tightly fitting that I risk any scratches to that countertop. (Yes, I'm being very protective of that counter, they aren't cheap to replace!! :)

I fastened the top of the post with some finish nails and then covered the holes with putty and paint.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Install the Maple Countertop

In deciding to open up the wall between the kitchen and dining room, you'll have another decision to make: What to do with the wall? You could remove the wall completely, make a serving 'window', or make a half wall with a countertop.

If you want to install a countertop, the next question becomes, "What kind?".

There are a multitude of options for countertops these days and for an application such as this where it is away from the water and food prep areas you can be even more flexible.

Some people might want to match their existing kitchen counters which are solid surface in this case. However, in my last three projects like this, the homeowners decided to instead have a custom-made wood countertop made just for their kitchen.

I get my friend Chris Barber at Barber Woodworking to craft these fine counters for me. He is an artisan to be sure with most of his projects involving custom cabinetry of some kind. If you'd like to see more of his woodworking art check out his website at www.BarberWoodworking.com.

At this current project, the homeowners wanted to coordinate the counter with their maple kitchen cabinets and a maple table in their dining room. Chris once again did a fabulous job and the homeowners were quite pleased with the result.

Now, it's time to finish things out with some trim and paint.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Make a Plastic Wall to Control Dust

There is one thing that all of my clients are concerned about when I come into their home- THE MESS! Frankly, I don't like a mess either and I do my best to maintain an organized jobsite and put highest importance on protecting their home from the side effects of remodeling, including dust.

The most effective way that I've found to control dust inside a client's home is to basically build a wall out of thin plastic. If sensitive electronic items cannot be moved (like large TVs) I cover them first with a clean sheet of plastic in addition to building a plastic wall across the room. I use blue painter's tape to seal it all the way across the ceiling and down the walls.

Often, the jobsite can be contained in one room or portion of the home, so I can just put the plastic across the door way. The point is, that I try to build a contained work area so that the dust does not spread throughout the home.

TIP: When you're making the most dust, like during demolition or sanding drywall, turn off the HVAC system. This helps the dust to not circulate throughout the home as well as clogging up the ductwork.

In addition to plastic walls, I use a variety of floor coverings to protect floor surfaces. I'm a big fan of large canvas drop cloths in areas where I'll be working. I cover any carpet that is in my path with adhesive plastic that is meant for temporary carpet protection. Finally, a roll of brown construction paper comes in handy for covering hardwood floors or other smooth surfaces.

It can be a lot of work to prep a jobsite beforehand, but I'm a lot more comfortable working there if I know that I've taken the adequate steps to minimize my mess and the possibility of damage to the area.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Add Some Recessed Lights Over the Bar

As I started rebuilding the wall between the kitchen and dining room that would transform into a half-wall topped with a wood counter, I had to consider the lighting that would illuminate the custom maple counter. This is especially important at this stage because the homeowner wanted me to install small recessed lighting.

This wall is completely non-load bearing and consists of studs placed 24" apart. Since it's not load bearing I won't need to install a large header across the opening. Instead, I'm thinking of it like a large soffit that will mainly hold drywall and contain the recessed lighting.

By the way, the kitchen side of this wall is covered in wallpaper. This means that I'll do all my work to the wall from the other side in the dining room and try to preserve the wallpaper as much as possible. I'd prefer to not hang wallpaper, and my client's would agree I'm sure.. :)

The fixtures that I'm installing are 3" recessed cans that are widely available. They can be used in new construction and hung with joist hangers or installed as part of a remodel where you only need to make a hole and then mount the fixture with the drywall clips.

To start, I measured my opening and marked the location for the lights so they would be spread evenly across the opening. I cut these holes out of the 2x4 bottom plate before I even installed it. Then, I went ahead and ripped a long piece of poplar 1x6 to the width of the wall (4.5") and cut openings out of that for the lights. This would go along the bottom of the opening and finish it off well.

The electrical connections are fairly basic if you know how to wire any light fixture. Thankfully, I had easy access to the attic to run a wire across the room to the switch, which was to be a dimmer switch, giving the homeowners more control of how bright the lights are.

By the way, recessed lighting is also much less expensive the most fixtures. For example, these 3" fixtures are around $10-15 each, while pendant lights would likely run $40-50 or more.

At 50 watts each, these lights will really help to show off the new Maple countertop that's coming soon.

Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Open up My Kitchen Wall

NOTE: If you've been following along on my bathroom addition project (these posts), I'm taking a couple weeks away from that to help some other clients. I'll be back to the bathroom soon to add marble tile floors and some hardwood in the hallway...

I always enjoy projects that result in a major positive transformation at a home, especially when it adds functionality. This week I'm helping some clients in Smyrna who wanted me to open up the wall between their kitchen and dining room and install a wood countertop.

I've also completed similar projects for two other neighbors down the street in this newer community. See them here:

Project with Red Oak Countertop (click here)

Project with Heart Pine Countertop (click here)

Each project has been a little different. With this one, there are three main differences. First, the kitchen wall has been covered with wallpaper. This means that I'll need to work from the dining room side and be super-careful not to damage the wallpaper as I'm removing framing and opening up the wall.

The second main difference is that these clients want me to install small recessed lighting fixtures above the bar. Normally, you would have a beefy header across an opening like this and installing recessed lighting would not be possible without some major creativity. In this case, the wall is NOT load-bearing, so I won't need the header and I'll have room for the lights.

Lastly, these clients want me to add a decorative post on the end of the bar, not so much for structural reasons, but they simply like the look of it ( and want to do something different than their neighbors :).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this project. Stay tuned to watch the progress.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com