Shelves for the Upstairs Closet

The upstairs closet was getting out of control, it’s hard to tell in the photo, but that pile is all sorts of random stuff and finding anything was difficult. 

Using the existing side supports and some laminate covered plywood, I added 2 shelves to the top of the closet. It’s still not pretty as it needs some paint and the trim patched but it gets the job done. I also wonder why they never painted the inside of the door? And why the side supports were installed all crooked…

Here is how it looks with all the stuff back in (except for the donation pile). It might look the same, but all the fabric and small items are now off the floor and only luggage and large pieces of foam are left at the bottom.

And now we know:  this was really a 2 person job, at 1 point I was trying to balance a shelf on my head while I adjusted the support, so I had to call in reinforcement

More Finishing Touches for the Kitchen

Back to work in the kitchen, I finally added those clear sticky things to the doors and drawers to soften the blow when they are closed.

Another task that’s been on the to-do list for a long time is painting the kitchen blind cleats. The came in this shiny gold finish and its always bothered me.

After a coat of metallic paint they look much better and match the door handles.

On the wall the shelves were still unfinished; the wall patches were sanded but not primed and painted.

This touch up is now done and the shelves are ready for use. I’m glad to get my spices out of the cupboard and easy to access again.

And now we know: I didn’t realize what a difference those sticky things make, the cupboards are a lot quieter now.

Trim Work and Hanging Shelves

Before I start a new project, I’m committed to finishing up many of the small items that need completing. This includes one of my least favourite things to do: painting trim. Quite awhile ago I patched the door frames in the upstairs hall, but never painted them. This weekend I got out the small roller and gave them 2 coats of paint.

While I had the trim paint out, I put 2 coats on the upstairs railing. From far away it looked okay, but up close you can see all the chips and worn areas.

After the 2 coats it looks much cleaner. It was a pain to paint but did not take as long as I thought it would.

Next to do were hang the shelves in the kitchen. They are spaced about 4” apart, just enough for the spice bottles. There is a wider gap at the bottom to allow for the salt and pepper grinders.

And now we know:  this design of shelves, where you screw through the back piece to hang then, is much stronger than the previous type where I used hanging hardware. You can’t even see the screws once stuff is on the shelves.

Floating Shelves

The floating shelves that were in the kitchen prior to the renovation no longer work with the new layout, especially the ones on the left that aren’t over a cabinet.

During the construction I removed 2 and patched the holes, but left the others for function until I could build replacements.

Now that Christmas is over, I had some time to build the new shelves. Over the past few months, I’d been sketching and my favourite concept had 4 shelves with a reveal detail along the front

Using pine boards, I build basic shelves then routered a ¼” detail that runs along the front and side. 

To emphasis this detail, I painted it black like the kitchen cabinets and left the rest the natural pine. The finish is the same as the kitchen floor; I had some left over and it is super durable with a nice sheen. 

And now we know:  I really like the Verathane finish for floors, I wonder what the difference is between this and the Minwax polycrilic, they are both water based.