I received fairly a bit finished on the studio this previous weekend, however I additionally had a set again with the countertop. It wasn’t essentially a fail. It could have been simply advantageous had I stored it the way in which it was initially, however I didn’t adore it, so I’m decided to redo it.
However we’ll get to all of that in a minute. First, let’s return to the cupboard set up. After I left y’all on Friday, the cupboards within the workplace part of the studio had been assembled and the toes hooked up, however the cupboards weren’t really put in on the wall as a result of I used to be nonetheless attempting to determine learn how to deal with these areas.
I didn’t need to cope with these areas on the lengthy wall as a result of the IKEA cupboards had been a significantly better match on that wall (you can see how I installed those cabinets here). However for this shorter wall, so as to get the cupboards centered on the window and symmetrical on both sides of the window, there needed to be areas.
Y’all gave me tons of concepts for learn how to use these areas, however ultimately, I made a decision it simply wasn’t value it. The house was solely 4.5 inches vast, so by the point I subtract the width taken up by no matter I constructed for that house (for instance, a pull out would have taken up one inch for the field (two sides of 1/2-inch plywood) plus 1/2-inch for the drawer pulls), the house left for precise use would have been so little as to not make it value it for an workplace house. A kitchen would have made sense since spices or cookie sheets can slot in a tiny house like that, and since kitchen cupboards are 24 inches deep. However for this workplace house with 15-inch-deep cupboards, constructing one thing for these tiny areas simply appeared like a waste of time.
So I ended up simply utilizing spacers. These aren’t the completed look, clearly. The end items will go on high of those spacers. However I made 4 similar spacers, and used two for every of the 2 areas — on behind the house between the cupboards, and one on the entrance of the house with the entrance of the spacer flush with the entrance edges of the cupboard containers. Then I’ll connect a completed 5/8-inch-thick piece of lumber to the entrance of the spacer, which suggests it is going to be flush with the fronts of my 5/8-inch-thick IKEA Veddinge doorways.
As soon as I get the end items hooked up to the entrance of these spacers, I’d even gown it as much as appear to be pull-out cubbies, form of just like the false drawer entrance on the kitchen sink cupboard or the lavatory sink cupboard that I all the time put a drawer pull on as a result of I just like the look. However we’ll see. I could go away them as apparent spacers, which I’m okay with so long as I get my symmetry. 😀
And talking of symmetry, so as to have each side completely symmetrical, I’ll even be including spacers and an finish panel to this finish. That method once I get my higher cupboards positioned on high of the countertop and lined up with the underside cupboards, they’ll be trimmed out identically. If that doesn’t make sense to you, I hope it would make extra sense as I make extra progress.
Okay, now let’s discuss concerning the countertop. I’m an enormous fan of thick counter tops. And by thick, I imply 1.5 inches. I nearly all the time choose them over skinny counter tops, by which I imply the usual .75-inch counter tops. That’s not a tough and quick rule. In our grasp lavatory, we’ve .75-inch counter tops, and I like them. So it actually depends upon the person room and state of affairs, however I do are likely to gravitate in the direction of the thicker counter tops in most conditions.
So when it got here time to make my counter tops for the studio, I figured thick is nice. And even when it’s thicker than 1.5 inches, that will be advantageous. I figured I’d use two layers of three/4-inch MDF for the bottom of the countertop, after which place the flooring boards that I chosen for the countertop on high of the MDF. That was the plan, so I received my two layers of MDF on the cupboards, glued them collectively, and clamped them to dry.
After which I began slicing the flooring boards to go on the entrance fringe of the MDF. I figured it might be simpler to start out on the entrance and work my method again in the direction of the wall. So I lower strips to cowl the 1.5 inches of MDF, and mitered the strips on the highest with a 45-degree angle. I hooked up them with wooden glue and 18-guage end nails.
It’s exhausting to see that mitered high edge in footage. Hopefully this provides you with a greater view of it…
And right here you possibly can see it on the nook and the facet edge…
After these had been put in, I lower and mitered the highest items that will sit proper towards that entrance mitered piece to appear to be a stable piece. I hooked up these items in the identical method…
By the point I received thus far, I used to be so pleased with my progress, and I knew the exhausting half was over. Filling in the remainder with straight lower items could be a breeze, and I’ve have this countertop completed very quickly! However the longer I checked out it, the extra I disliked it.
The thickness, which ended up being a two-inch completed thickness as soon as the flooring boards had been hooked up, was simply too overpowering and ponderous for my style. Plainly my restrict on countertop thickness is 1.5 inches.
I ended engaged on it and figured I’d give myself (and my eyes) a break from the countertop for the night and are available again the following day and see what I believed. Nicely, the following day, it was nonetheless too thick for my liking. Thank goodness I began with the smaller countertop!
So I received busy on the lengthy countertop, however this time, I solely used one piece of three/4-inch MDF as the bottom as a substitute of two.
After which I adopted with the very same course of, besides that this time, the entrance items had been 3/4-inch thinner than the earlier entrance strips for the opposite cupboards.
This regarded so significantly better to my eye.
In order that’s so far as I received — second wall of cupboards put in, one countertop fail, and one other countertop underway that I feel is significantly better. I’m not too upset about that different countertop, although. It was a studying expertise, and I discovered one thing about my likes and dislikes that I didn’t beforehand know. Now I do know! And fortunately, I’ve loads of additional MDF, so I gained’t must make one other journey to Dwelling Depot to purchase extra. Hopefully there gained’t be any extra errors, and I can get these counter tops knocked out very quickly!
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
