Kitchen Dining Booth & Mudroom Makeover -- It's a Tuesday 2Fer!

[Tom Bain]

Over the weekend, I finally completed two projects I've been working on so long I've forgotten when I started them! The first is an eat-in dining booth in our kitchen. When we built our house several years ago, we designed this nook-like space into the kitchen for a future booth. The bench seats are actually repurposed from a (surprisingly comfortable) church pew that I bought for $20 several years ago. I designed and built new bases and cut down the seats (back and bottom) to fit. I stripped the original finish and repainted the seats white to match the trim and kitchen cabinets. The table is quarter-sawn white oak and stained and finished to match the kitchen island. The construction was pretty straightforward (combination of pocket hole and domino joinery). The most fun/challenging part of the project was just dealing with all the curves ... including matching the front stretcher to the curves of the two side supports, which was a great way to practice and improve my hand planing skills.

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[Tom Bain]

The second project was a complete makeover of our mudroom which was pretty much an empty blank slate before, other than a closet. It was mostly cabinetry, trim work, and finish carpentry, but probably the single largest project I've undertaken. Beadboard on the ceilings and for the wainscoting, crown molding and other trim work, 2 custom cabinets w/ shelving, a door, and a drawer, and cubbies for baskets and to support a bench, and painting. Took a long time from start to finish, but I think it will go a long way toward marital harmony :)

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[Jim Becker]

OUTSTANDING work! That eating nook is great...lots of style and very functional.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Looks great, Tom. I'm trying to figure out what I'm seeing with the shelves in the mud room.

[Tom Bain]

Looks great, Tom. I'm trying to figure out what I'm seeing with the shelves in the mud room.

The shelves have baskets in them (purchased, not made) to hold all of our crap :D

[David Utterback]

Very nicely done. The nook reminds me of my mother's Craftsman style house which had a similar nook which was a little snug. Yours appears more open and accessible.

[glenn bradley]

Great job. What a difference. The white seating and dark table contrast works really well.

[Scott Brader]

Beautiful!!!

Note to self - DO NOT LET MY WIFE SEE THIS!!!!

[John TenEyck]

Oh, that's some really nice work. Well done. I really like the table; looks more like rift sawn than QS. Whichever it is looks perfect. But how did you brace the leg to the table? It looks so fragile that I don't think it would last a week in my house.

John

[Tom Bain]

Oh, that's some really nice work. Well done. I really like the table; looks more like rift sawn than QS. Whichever it is looks perfect. But how did you brace the leg to the table? It looks so fragile that I don't think it would last a week in my house.

John

John -- The stain does obscure the QS figure somewhat. Normally I don't prefer such a dark stain, but my wife wanted it to match the kitchen island so that's what I did. I actually ordered the stain (which was a combination of a toner and a wiping stain) from the kitchen cabinet manufacturer and it was a complete PITA to use and the worst solvent fumes. My shop still smells.

As for the leg attachment, it is a simple half lap joint to the batten that is then screwed to the underside of the table (see pics). It is likely the weak point in the design, but we don't have young kids running/kicking so hopefully it will hold up.

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[John TenEyck]

Tom, I'd sure be worried about that leg unless you fastened it to the floor. I can't tell if your floor is tile or wood. If it's wood I would put a couple of pocket screws on the back of the leg. If it's tile, I'd drill a couple of holes and use dowels. Alternatively, if you have access from below you could run a couple of screws up into the leg. Anything to help it withstand the eventual kick, etc. it is sure to get. I have a very similar design in my own kitchen. I ran screws up through the floor from below.

John

[Ron Citerone]

I love the nook area! I just want to sit down with a sandwich and an iced tea!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Stylish, functional and well done! Kudos!

[Yonak Hawkins]

I ran screws up through the floor from below.

John

In my brother's coffee shop the bathroom sink is on legs. We put bolts up through the floor into the bottoms of the legs and it's been holding up, with public use, for several years and is solid.