The Best is Yet to Come

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Cafe Mom

To all the Cafe Mom’s out there…

Thanks for the support.

QUESTION:
There is a attic above where the cracks are. It runs the length of the front room, Only in the front part of the house. Is there a way I can just spackle it then repaint? There is one area that looks like it needs joint tape, then painted. Is that okay to do? No pictures, no camera right now, sorry.
 
ANSWER:

Ok, this is good news.

Don’t worry about pictures, I’ve seen this a million times.

Here’s what we’re going to do:

Before we start anything keep in mind this is going to make a mess.

Either clear out the room completely or put plastic over everything that will remain.

If there are doorways leading to other room you may want to block them off as well because when it comes time to sand, the dust will get EVERYWHERE.

Next we going to gently chip off any old drywall or plaster of anything that looks and feels like it’s loose and will eventually fall anyway.

Also, wherever there are thin cracks, you will want to SLIGHTLY widen them to about 1/8 of an inch or so. FYI, a professional would do this with the corner of a trowel to create a triangular channel. Don’t worry if you can’t do this perfectly, we’re only trying to create a nice gap to hold our replacement plaster or joint compound. This is not an exact science.  

Don’t panic if after doing this it looks like you made the problem worse because you didn’t.

This is called prepping the area.

After doing this correctly, we’re ready to patch.

We’re going to try to do this in one day to be ready to paint the next day.    

Keep in mind of course, different carpenters have different styles and use different products. In my experience this has been what works best for me:

QUICK TIP, any crack that is wider than ¼ of an inch will need to be taped.

I personally like yellow, mesh, fiberglass, tape with a backing that sticks to the surface (very common BTW, any hardware store will carry it).

We’re going to use two different products for patching.

First we’re going to use 90 MINUTE JOINT COMPOUND.

This comes in powder form and will have to be mixed. Work with about ½ gallon at a time and mix with water to the consistency of toothpaste. You don’t want to mix too much at once because once it dries, if you didn’t have time to get it on the ceiling, it’s useless. I like to use a plaster knife at least 6 to 8 inches. QUICK TIP, the bigger the knife the more ground you can cover, however, the more difficult it is to work with, so find a size that suits you.

This is a basecoat but try to be as neat as possible, the neater you are the less sanding there will be later. YES, 90 minute compound means that an average coat will take about 90 minutes to dry. You may or may not need a second coat of 90 minute. Once the first coat is dry give it a light sanding an assess the situation. Keep in mind, this is a base coat and does not have to look perfect. What am I looking for you ask…well rule of thumb, and the reason why I like to use yellow tape, at this point if you’ve covered all the yellow areas you’re ready for the top coat.

Now we’re going use something called TOPPING COMPOUND.

The good news is this product comes premixed and ready to go, the bad news is this step takes more technique and patience. We’re no longer racing against a product that’s going dry in the bucket. Take your time with this step, spread it out evenly, remember, the measure of a good job is how little sanding remains. After everything looks even, WALK AWAY, don’t drive yourself crazy, let it dry over night.

QUICK TIP, the better the room is ventilated the faster the compound will dry, leave a window open if possible.

Day 2, this is it, we’re ready to sand.

Using drywall sandpaper, sand until the entire ceiling is smooth and even.

You may have to tweak some areas, that’s OK, and very common.

What I like to do next is; using a DAMP (not wet) sponge, clean all the dust off our ceiling.

We’re almost there.

No matter what color or type of paint you’re going to use, you ALWAYS want to prime the area first. Average primer takes about a couple of hours to dry.

Then we’re ready to paint, and…

FINITO!

Believe me, after doing this a few times in your life you can consider yourself a pro.

Don’t forget to have fun, and reward yourself for a job well done.

Good Luck.

Anthony  

I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself. Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.

Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, Press here to lock end. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can’t count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.

I’m sharing this with my friends. I hope I’m not the only person that didn’t know about this.

Ok, couple questions:

How is the wood currently finished?

Paint?

Stain?

Varnish?

This is important info.

Of course the easiest thing to do is paint.

Paint covers anything, however, if there are multiple coats of varnish you would still have to strip and sand before you begin.

Here’s the thing.

Refinishing wood is always tricky.

However, it could be very rewarding if you have the time and the patience.

I personally love to redo old furniture.

But it’s not easy.

If you’re game, I’ll walk you through it.

First things first, pick up some paint/stain stripper.

This stuff is very toxic so read the manufactures advice VERY carefully and don’t cut corners. Take the proper precautions. Eye protection, skin protection, and respiratory precautions.

Usually stripper can be applied with a paint brush, preferably one that you wouldn’t mind disposing of after the job.

Let the stripper do the work and reapply if necessary (in case there are multiple layers).

Then  sand down to the bare wood.

TIP: I prefer an orbital sander over a palm sander because it leaves behind less vibration marks.

Start off with a course grit 80 or so, and graduate to a finer, finish, grit like 220. 

After we’re down to the bare wood, you might want to hand sand it to even off any vibration marks.

Now, IF STAINING, you want to treat the wood with a coat of wood conditioner.

Then you are ready to stain any tint you would like.

Finish it off with a couple coats of polyurethane.

If painting, you are ready to do so.

Make sure you keep a close eye on the project  so you can catch any drips before they cause a problem.

TIP: If you would like to paint a certain color yet still keep the would grain visible, you can water down the paint, apply a wet coat, and carefully wipe it off with a clean cloth.

Note: a light , bright color, or a white tint can give you a cool pickling effect.

One more tip:

Always test out your stain or paint on an inconspicuous area to see how well it covers before you attack the entire project.    

Hope this helps.

Let me know how it goes.

Thank you.  

Anthony

Floating shelves are very simple.

This type of shelf should be thicker and bulkier than a regular shelf so it can hold the floating system.

You want to them be a minimum of 5″ thick.

Let’s work with the measurement 5″ Thick, 12 “deep, and 36″ wide.

If you want your shelves to be larger, you can multiply the stock list to meet your particular needs.

Tip: Use a calculator. LOL.

Stock:

2 5″ lag bolts at least 3/8″

2 3/8″ washers

2 Max 3″X11″ L-brackets with a precut hole on the 3″ side at least 1/2″ round (sounds hard to find but it’s not, they’re relatively common, ask for help at the hardware store if necessary).

1 1″X12″ 6 Foot plank of whatever wood you want to use.

1 1″X6″ 6 foot plank of the same wood.

NOTE: 1X12’s are actually 7/8 X 11 1/4 and 1X6’s are actually 7/8 X 5 1/4.

Tools:

Drill/Screw Gun

Hammer or Finish Nail Gun pref. 18 gage.

Ratchet Set.

Level

3/8″ drill bit.

Sand paper

Wood Glue

6d finish nails or 2 1/2″ gun nails pref. 18 gage.

Wood Putty (if you want to stain or paint the shelves you can use any stainable/paintable wood putty to fill the nail holes, otherwise, use a wood putty that matches the wood you use)

Cut List:

2 1″X12″ pieces at 34 1/2″

2 1″X6″ pieces at 11 1/4″

1 1″X6″ piece at 36″

1 piece of 2X4 cut at 34″

Assembly:

Attach your 2 side pieces (1X 6X 11 1/4) to the top and bottom pieces.

NOTE: Top and bottom pieces go inside the side pieces creating a length of 36″ total and a thickness of 5 1/4″ total.

Then your 1″X 6″ X 36″ piece should fit exactly on the face.

It should look like a hollow box with no back.

Use glue on your joining edge grains before nailing.

Nail joining edges about 5 inches apart from each other.

Putty all nail holes, give everything at least an hour to set, then sand (with the grain) down to a smooth finish.

Stain or paint at this point if desired (read manufacturers instructions for proper drying time).

Don’t use a finish coat such as poly or shellac yet. Install the shelf first.

Installation:

Approach desired wall.

Draw a level line exactly where you want the shelf to be.

Find where the two sides of the shelf will land (36″).

Find two studs within that length (they should be 16″ on center apart from each other, but make sure you’re hitting a stud don’t assume anything).

Dry fit the 34″ 2X4 on the wall under the level line and make a mark (on the 2X4) where the studs are located.

Drill a 3/8″ hole at each mark through the 2×4 all the way into the wall and into the stud.

Place the L-brackets behind the 2X4 (in-between the 2X4 and the wall) lined up with the holes you have just drilled.

You should be able to see all the way through everything if this is done correctly.

Using a ratchet set, screw the 5″ lag bolts with washer, all the way through the 2X4, the l-bracket, into the wall, and into the stuff, tighten the bolt nice and snug, don’t over tighten.

At this point, you should have what looks like a 34″ 2×4 screwed into the wall with metal brackets around 11′ pointing towards you.

Double check to make sure the system is level.

Now the simple part.

Slip the hollow shelf into place directly over and around the system. Should fit like a glove.

Nail the back of the shelf (against the wall) into the 2X4 for stability (you won’t be able to see the 2X4 but you know where it is).

Do this on the top and bottom.

You can apply any finish coat (poly of shellac) at this time.

Finito!

Congratulations!

Good job.

Let me know how it went.

Questions?

Tips?

Problems?

Go to www.anthonygilardi.com and let me know.

Good luck.

Recently, a fan of Myles of Style wrote in to my website asking about the episode where I built a Bar out of an old door.

Here is my reply:

Bar from a Door

Hey Linda.

Thanks for writing in.

Yes, the bar out of a door is one of my favorites.

It’s actually a pretty simple design.

The problem is getting your hands on the perfect door.

I searched through many salvage yards before I found that one.

Think of it as a sport like hunting, have fun in your search.

When you do finally find a door or even better, matching doors (more material to work with).

Here are some design notes:

The standard height of a bar is aprox. 42 inches from floor to top.

This height works hand and hand with the standard height of an average bar stool.

The top surface of the bar should be at least 18 to 20 inches from front to back.

You always want the top to overhang at least 4 inches so you can comfortably fit your legs.

Also, you want your top surface to be level and smooth, in my case I had a piece of tempered glass custom cut to fit. Good move since I also wanted to make sure the beautiful wood from the door can be seen.

Construction Tip:

Depending on the size, a floating bar (not one that is attached to the walls or floor) will tend to get top heavy and want to fall forward. Make sure you counter weight the bottom front to evenly distribute the weight. A good way to do this is a foot rest build aprox. 4 to 8 inches high.

Other than that, your one of a kind bar can be shaped anyway you like, round, l-shaped, etc.

It’s all about how much wood you can find.

Good luck and remember.

Always have fun and reward yourself after a job well down.

Let me know how it goes.

Anthony

Check out my new article in Small Rooms Decorating Magazine

Click on this link and scroll down when it opens:  

gilardi

Thanks for your support.

Anthony

This is possibly the most important posting yet.

Many people I’ve spoke to have no idea how to deal with a kitchen fir caused by oil, or grease.

Click on this link and watch this video.

akitchenoilfire1

Feel free to tell your friends and loved ones about this posting.

It may change or even save a life.

Thank you.

Anthony