Quarantine Project #3 - Unfinished Side of a Locker
So far, my posts have been about the corner in my craft corner. I have one item left to do, but I have to wait to get supplies, so I don't know when it'll get done. In the meantime, there is an area that could use an upgrade.
I wanted to tackle an unfinished side on one of my wooden lockers. After thinking about it, I made a plan on paper. I traced my plan on the side using a pencil to quickly check things out. Then I took a miter saw to some scraps.
Did a dry run to check if any adjustments were needed - and see if I was sure I'd like it. Once I was sure of myself, I got our brad gun out and nailed in the top, bottom, and side pieces.
I couldn't find any scraps/pieces for the middle, so tried just painting the area with the acrylic paint I have. Nailed up a lamp to see if paint job would work. . .
That's the project in a nut shell. . . . thanks for checking this project out.
One quick detail about a problem that popped up. . .
The left trim was odd for two reasons. I didn't attach it to the locker because I decided to use it to help cover the gap between the locker and the wall - meaning there wasn't anything stopping it from moving behind the locker. Also, the top beadboard piece wasn't flush and caused a weird gap on the left side trim. I had to pull the trim and the beadboard off and saw off the small part that overlapped (I only used brads in the corners). To help the trim piece further, I dug up a scrap (luckily, it wasn't thrown away yet) and glued it on top of the french cleat of the bottom locker to prevent the trim from being pushed back.
Then I could nail the trim to the top french cleat and not have it dangle back behind the locker.
- hope you're doing well and hope that maybe I sparked a bit of creativity or courage in you!
On with the yammer. . . .
I have 7 wooden locker units (they have 3 sections each) along the bigger wall in my corner. Blocking and stacking them together reminds me a bit of the IKEA Kallax systems I was thinking of using for over a year. I kept looking for different combos on Craigslist, but with the wooden lockers, I have the added bonus of being able to close the doors to look neater, possibly contain any mess, hide ongoing projects from prying eyes that might spoil surprises, and keep my supplies "safe" from little hands who use the room my corner is in. (I do let my kids use my supplies, but they're still at an age where they don't always know what they want/need and honestly, they'd make a big mess and just leave it. No thanks. Plus, this way I get to be a little involved with their craft projects, which is still fun for us.)
Shortly after finishing the Quarantine Project #1, the boys were all sleeping. I grabbed my 32 oz. white Apple Barrel paint from Walmart, started some movie or TV series on Netflix (don't know what I'd do without Netflix), and painted the locker next to the shelves. It's fine for that side, especially since it isn't really noticeable, but the unfinished side on the stacked lockers seemed tell me it wanted something more.
What to do. . . . hmm. I have beadboard scraps and the idea of a giant miter cutting session began. I've been wanting to use it to help tie more things together in my corner, and this was my chance. Hubs got it to make the IKEA closet that used to be my craft space more sturdy and match the bookcase we did possibly a decade ago. (Not sure how much of the warping was unassembling it and reassembling it during our move and how much is due to it being used for a few years, but the generic back was swapped out - and used for another project I'll make sure I share later.)
Unfortunately, beadboard is directional. One piece wasn't wide enough and the other wasn't tall enough to cover the whole locker - but one scrap could make 2 panels. I could use the same design and the other piece for a matching "door" on a pull out cart/modified bookcase I'm still planning. The two pieces still wouldn't cover the whole area, so I made up a design with a "solid" middle section. I could mount a lamp I got from my grandmother's sewing room on the lockers and put a handle on the pull out cart.
I still don't have enough courage to just jump in and do things - so, using a pencil and yardstick, I traced my plan on the side to see if I really do like the idea. I cut the beadboard and trim when I was cutting everything like a (hopefully controlled, rational, and calculating) fiend and then dry fitted the pieces to see if my plans could still work out, my measurements were correct, and if I'd like the results. There's a gap between the wall and the lockers, so while I was at it, I figured I'd use the trim to cover that up. It wouldn't be perfect (what do I do that is?), but it would be in the back and could seem to fit with everything else (fingers crossed). The lockers have a French cleat that I could use to use the brad gun on to attach the trim.
Now, the snags.
First, the top piece wasn't cut right. It's bottom corner sticks out just enough to make a dark gap along the middle part of the trim. . . I had to take it down, pull the brads out (I only nailed in the four corners, so this was easier than it could have been), and had to figure out how to fix it.
I traced where it went over and ended up cutting it down with a little saw hubs had.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, there wasn't anything stopping it from being pushed back. It took about a week to finally came up with the solution of the scrap piece mentioned above.
Third, the middle section. I was thinking of turning 2 scraps of beadboard over and using the flat back. It'll be the same thickness as the other pieces and give a "break" in the texture, hopefully making the two pieces seem planned. The seam between the two pieces would be covered by a lamp my grandmother gave me and its cord, but I was having a difficult time waiting for the weather to clear and for hubs to bring out the miter saw again, especially for just a 8" x 15" piece. So, I first tried using my scroll saw. (And now have more proof I can't cut things straight - don't know how much was a lack of skill and how much was my lack of patience.) Instead of fixing it with the miter saw and have the seam off center, I thought I'd try painting the blank area white like the locker beside my corner shelves to see what it'd look like. I hammered a nail in to hang the lamp. It turned out better than I'm thinking the scraps would.
Full disclosure/honesty - hubs had to buy 2 trim pieces for this, so this isn't a free project. Before I'm called out or shamed for ignoring the quarantine or social distancing - they were bought with the faceplate mentioned/shown in a previous post (Quarantine Project #1, if you're interested) -- hubs was already going to get some things from a hardware store for a project he's working on for a fire department.
Full disclosure moment #2 - I mismeasured the side, trim pieces. When I measured the length, I didn't account for the top shelf piece I put on the other lockers. I wasn't sure how long it'd be before I had access to the miter saw, so I cut it with the scroll saw. It was the first time I'd ever used it, but knowing that the cuts were going to be on the top and wouldn't be seen well helped me try. (I then tried the other piece.) I did sand the cuts down because they weren't as clean or as straight as my OCD would like, but probably didn't have to.
This whole project isn't too big (48" x 19") or vital in any way, but it is getting me moving and I think I'm getting some confidence and encouragement from doing it. I'm also wanting to work on some other crafts (cards and scrapbooks) a bit more than I have.
If you're a "pinner," please check me out at https://www.pinterest.com/daylightdesigns/
I wanted to tackle an unfinished side on one of my wooden lockers. After thinking about it, I made a plan on paper. I traced my plan on the side using a pencil to quickly check things out. Then I took a miter saw to some scraps.
Did a dry run to check if any adjustments were needed - and see if I was sure I'd like it. Once I was sure of myself, I got our brad gun out and nailed in the top, bottom, and side pieces.
One quick detail about a problem that popped up. . .
The left trim was odd for two reasons. I didn't attach it to the locker because I decided to use it to help cover the gap between the locker and the wall - meaning there wasn't anything stopping it from moving behind the locker. Also, the top beadboard piece wasn't flush and caused a weird gap on the left side trim. I had to pull the trim and the beadboard off and saw off the small part that overlapped (I only used brads in the corners). To help the trim piece further, I dug up a scrap (luckily, it wasn't thrown away yet) and glued it on top of the french cleat of the bottom locker to prevent the trim from being pushed back.
- hope you're doing well and hope that maybe I sparked a bit of creativity or courage in you!
On with the yammer. . . .
I have 7 wooden locker units (they have 3 sections each) along the bigger wall in my corner. Blocking and stacking them together reminds me a bit of the IKEA Kallax systems I was thinking of using for over a year. I kept looking for different combos on Craigslist, but with the wooden lockers, I have the added bonus of being able to close the doors to look neater, possibly contain any mess, hide ongoing projects from prying eyes that might spoil surprises, and keep my supplies "safe" from little hands who use the room my corner is in. (I do let my kids use my supplies, but they're still at an age where they don't always know what they want/need and honestly, they'd make a big mess and just leave it. No thanks. Plus, this way I get to be a little involved with their craft projects, which is still fun for us.)
Shortly after finishing the Quarantine Project #1, the boys were all sleeping. I grabbed my 32 oz. white Apple Barrel paint from Walmart, started some movie or TV series on Netflix (don't know what I'd do without Netflix), and painted the locker next to the shelves. It's fine for that side, especially since it isn't really noticeable, but the unfinished side on the stacked lockers seemed tell me it wanted something more.
What to do. . . . hmm. I have beadboard scraps and the idea of a giant miter cutting session began. I've been wanting to use it to help tie more things together in my corner, and this was my chance. Hubs got it to make the IKEA closet that used to be my craft space more sturdy and match the bookcase we did possibly a decade ago. (Not sure how much of the warping was unassembling it and reassembling it during our move and how much is due to it being used for a few years, but the generic back was swapped out - and used for another project I'll make sure I share later.)
Unfortunately, beadboard is directional. One piece wasn't wide enough and the other wasn't tall enough to cover the whole locker - but one scrap could make 2 panels. I could use the same design and the other piece for a matching "door" on a pull out cart/modified bookcase I'm still planning. The two pieces still wouldn't cover the whole area, so I made up a design with a "solid" middle section. I could mount a lamp I got from my grandmother's sewing room on the lockers and put a handle on the pull out cart.
I still don't have enough courage to just jump in and do things - so, using a pencil and yardstick, I traced my plan on the side to see if I really do like the idea. I cut the beadboard and trim when I was cutting everything like a (hopefully controlled, rational, and calculating) fiend and then dry fitted the pieces to see if my plans could still work out, my measurements were correct, and if I'd like the results. There's a gap between the wall and the lockers, so while I was at it, I figured I'd use the trim to cover that up. It wouldn't be perfect (what do I do that is?), but it would be in the back and could seem to fit with everything else (fingers crossed). The lockers have a French cleat that I could use to use the brad gun on to attach the trim.
Now, the snags.
First, the top piece wasn't cut right. It's bottom corner sticks out just enough to make a dark gap along the middle part of the trim. . . I had to take it down, pull the brads out (I only nailed in the four corners, so this was easier than it could have been), and had to figure out how to fix it.
I traced where it went over and ended up cutting it down with a little saw hubs had.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, there wasn't anything stopping it from being pushed back. It took about a week to finally came up with the solution of the scrap piece mentioned above.
Third, the middle section. I was thinking of turning 2 scraps of beadboard over and using the flat back. It'll be the same thickness as the other pieces and give a "break" in the texture, hopefully making the two pieces seem planned. The seam between the two pieces would be covered by a lamp my grandmother gave me and its cord, but I was having a difficult time waiting for the weather to clear and for hubs to bring out the miter saw again, especially for just a 8" x 15" piece. So, I first tried using my scroll saw. (And now have more proof I can't cut things straight - don't know how much was a lack of skill and how much was my lack of patience.) Instead of fixing it with the miter saw and have the seam off center, I thought I'd try painting the blank area white like the locker beside my corner shelves to see what it'd look like. I hammered a nail in to hang the lamp. It turned out better than I'm thinking the scraps would.
Full disclosure/honesty - hubs had to buy 2 trim pieces for this, so this isn't a free project. Before I'm called out or shamed for ignoring the quarantine or social distancing - they were bought with the faceplate mentioned/shown in a previous post (Quarantine Project #1, if you're interested) -- hubs was already going to get some things from a hardware store for a project he's working on for a fire department.
Full disclosure moment #2 - I mismeasured the side, trim pieces. When I measured the length, I didn't account for the top shelf piece I put on the other lockers. I wasn't sure how long it'd be before I had access to the miter saw, so I cut it with the scroll saw. It was the first time I'd ever used it, but knowing that the cuts were going to be on the top and wouldn't be seen well helped me try. (I then tried the other piece.) I did sand the cuts down because they weren't as clean or as straight as my OCD would like, but probably didn't have to.
This whole project isn't too big (48" x 19") or vital in any way, but it is getting me moving and I think I'm getting some confidence and encouragement from doing it. I'm also wanting to work on some other crafts (cards and scrapbooks) a bit more than I have.
If you're a "pinner," please check me out at https://www.pinterest.com/daylightdesigns/
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