Matt's Master Bathroom Cabinetry Project

[Matt Meiser]

I decided to start one big thread on this project rather than a bunch of little ones.

For the first post, here's a Sketchup model of the vanity cabinet. The cabinet is designed for a 49" solid surface top. My wife's main requirement is lots of drawers. I want the top higher than normal. For now, I'm showing the top at about 36" like a kitchen counter, but may need to lower it some. All of the cabinetry will be red oak since that's what the rest of the house has and I have a lot on hand.

Please feel free to post comments, critiques and advise.

[Jamie Buxton]

I like the unusual detail that the middle door goes the full height of the cabinet, and there's a structural member behind it to hold the cabinet together.

However I don't like another detail. You have stiles running the full height the door, and on the drawer fronts you have the rails running the full width. Pick one or the other and stick with it.

[Bob Wingard]

Stiles should always run full-length to prevent exposing all the end grain of the rails.

[Matt Meiser]

I updated the drawing--gotta love Sketchup.

[Bob Wingard]

yup .. .. that's better .. .. ..

[Matt Meiser]

Here's the cabinet. This will go where our toilet and our linen cabinet currently are. The bottom cabinets will be for dirty clothes and the upper cabinets will be storage.

[Matt Meiser]

This is the layout of the bathroom before starting the project.

[Matt Meiser]

And here is the planned layout (but with the cabinets pictured above, a simpler mirror, and probably a different wall color.)

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's the cabinet. This will go where our toilet and our linen cabinet currently are. The bottom cabinets will be for dirty clothes and the upper cabinets will be storage.

What are you going to do with the 16" above the cabinet -- nothing? You could have more storage up there. Sure, it wouldn't be super-convenient, but still it could be useful.

[Jim Becker]

Looks interesting, Matt.

[Art Mulder]

I want the top higher than normal. For now, I'm showing the top at about 36" like a kitchen counter, but may need to lower it some.

I did that in my last house. This was before my ww'ing hobby got really going so I bought a stock cabinet (cheap sale) and then I placed it on an extra- tall plinth that I made myself. This raised it about 3-4 inches higher than normal and we loved it. I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'10", so it suited us.

The other thing you might consider, if you're tall, is going tall on the mirror. I hate bathrooms where I need to stoop to use the mirror. (Ditto for the shower-head, but that isn't on your project list, I notice) So in that bath I bought a huge custom cut mirror. It went the full width of the vanity, and went down to the backsplash and I forget how high, high enough that I didn't need to bend. It was a small room, so this also brightened the room and made it feel large.


Here's the cabinet. This will go where our toilet and our linen cabinet currently are. The bottom cabinets will be for dirty clothes and the upper cabinets will be storage.

Is the bottom to be doors or drawers? I'd suggest attaching those doors to rolling platforms. Just put your laundry basket on the platform and haul it away when you're ready to do laundry. I can send you a photo - guy I know built one like that and it looks great, very useful.If you're also replacing the "throne", I suggest the American Standard Flo-wise. Bought one for my MBR a year ago. Best low-flow toilet I've come across yet. Uses only 4.5 liters per flush, so it is even less than most, and never, ever plugs. Nor do we ever need to double-flush. Very well designed.
(This is my third lo-flow toilet, and it's the best one. I started with a Kohler wellworth lite back in the last house. It was okay, but needed a double flush occaisionally, and a quick plunge ever month or two. Then I picked up one of those Australian units - a Caroma, dual-flush unit. Great on water savings, but a pain to keep clean. Still have it in our powder room, and wish I didn't. This one is great.)

[Matt Meiser]

What are you going to do with the 16" above the cabinet -- nothing? You could have more storage up there. Sure, it wouldn't be super-convenient, but still it could be useful.

Actually, there is more space than that since we have cathedral ceilings--see the attached closeup for more detail. In playing around in Sketchup, I found that if I made it much higher I started to end up with a wierd looking space up there. We'll probably end up with a big fake plant or something up there.


The other thing you might consider, if you're tall, is going tall on the mirror. I hate bathrooms where I need to stoop to use the mirror.

Definitely. My wife has made it clear that we will have a big mirror.



(Ditto for the shower-head, but that isn't on your project list, I notice)

Already plenty high. The previous owner was taller than me and the shower heads are much higher than normal. I have that problem a lot in hotels.


Is the bottom to be doors or drawers? I'd suggest attaching those doors to rolling platforms. Just put your laundry basket on the platform and haul it away when you're ready to do laundry. I can send you a photo - guy I know built one like that and it looks great, very useful.

I'd like to see a photo. Right now the linen cabinet has a tilt-out hamper which I like but my wife hates. She's insisted on not having to lift out the hamper, so unless I find something better, they'll be doors with regular hampers inside--which might mean the doors have to be higher than currently shown.


If you're also replacing the "throne", I suggest the American Standard Flo-wise. Bought one for my MBR a year ago. Best low-flow toilet I've come across yet. Uses only 4.5 liters per flush, so it is even less than most, and never, ever plugs. Nor do we ever need to double-flush. Very well designed.
(This is my third lo-flow toilet, and it's the best one. I started with a Kohler wellworth lite back in the last house. It was okay, but needed a double flush occaisionally, and a quick plunge ever month or two. Then I picked up one of those Australian units - a Caroma, dual-flush unit. Great on water savings, but a pain to keep clean. Still have it in our powder room, and wish I didn't. This one is great.)

I didn't know Canada went to low-flow. I remember a while back (could have been 15+ years ago) hearing stories on the radio and TV about all the toilets people were smuggling over from Windsor when we first went to them here. Our current one definitely goes as its a first-generation low flow. We've put an American Standard Cadet in the other two bathrooms which are OK, but still clog once in a great while. We'd actually like something antique-looking to go with the clawfoot tub, but haven't found anything we like at a price we are willing to pay yet, so we'll probably go with something more plain.

[Matt Meiser]

A few more photos. I placed the new cabinet designs in the model and updated the wall color to the likely current candidate.

We did some window shopping tonight and found a great looking granite top at a local home improvement/gourmet food store for just over $200 so we decided that we are going with that for a top.

[Art Mulder]

I have that problem a lot in hotels.

Oh yeah, me too. Can't remember the last hotel where I didn't have to really crane my neck to get under the shower. Car shopping is another thing. I don't think car companies are following the stats on average North American heights and trends.


I'd like to see a photo. Right now the linen cabinet has a tilt-out hamper which I like but my wife hates.

PM sent, as photo is on another forum. TOS prevents linking.


I didn't know Canada went to low-flow. ... We've put an American Standard Cadet in the other two bathrooms which are OK, but still clog once in a great while. We'd actually like something antique-looking to go with the clawfoot tub, but haven't found anything we like at a price we are willing to pay yet, so we'll probably go with something more plain.

Canada hasn't legislated it. You can still find 13 liter toilets in all the Borg's, as well as 6 liter. We buy low-flow out of choice. With four young kids, you can bet that the toilet gets flushed a lot. We definitely noticed the difference on the water usage.

Here's a link, (http://americanstandard-us.com/Tools/FloWise/default.aspx) fyi. Even has a video of the toilet in use.

...art

[Jim Becker]

Even 5'11" guys like me have trouble with many hotel showers! 'Not going to have that problem with our new master shower room (really...it's a room rather than a stall...) as a very large "rainfall" shower head will be in the ceiling. :D

[Ellen Benkin]

Check with your wife about what she wants to put in the drawers. She may prefer more shallow drawers so that she only has one level of storage and doesn't have to rummage through things to find something. That's the same concept as a tool cabinet with shallow drawers. I've found that deep drawers are sometimes a problem. Building the cabinets at "adult" height is a great idea, too.

[Matt Meiser]

Even has a video of the toilet in use.

I'll take your word on that. :D

[Art Mulder]

I'll take your word on that. :D

Yes. Well. Ahem. Not exactly. :o

(I do kind of laugh when I go to the store and the toilet companies have this brochure about how many sponges or golf balls their toilet will flush. I'm not in the habit of putting golf balls into my toilet, are you? )

I'm a born reader/researcher, and when I went looking (a few years back) I found a joint Canada/US study where they examined all the popular toilets on the market. They actually used a (pardon me) soy paste in a sausage format to most accurately reflect "real world" usage of toilets... :eek:

This google search (http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=cwwa+toilet+testing+maximum+performance&btnG=Search&meta=), will bring up several links to these reports.

[Mark Hulette]

I found a joint Canada/US study where they examined all the popular toilets on the market. They actually used a (pardon me) soy paste in a sausage format to most accurately reflect "real world" usage of toilets... :eek:


:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: TMI TMI TMI :D You know, there are just some things that can't be put too delicately and yet you have to have a way of comparison.

Matt-
Thanks for sharing your ideas via Sketchup- I'm just now starting to work with and see the possibilities of this neat program. We are getting ready to build a house and I'm working on doing a 3D model of the floor plan much like you've done with your MB remodel.

Thanks for fixin' the rail and stile thing, too. I knew something was bothering me but couldn't place it. Good deal on the marble top, too.

Please keep us up-to-date on the progress.

[Matt Meiser]

I found these hamper units that will fit into the base cabinets. With three bottom cabinets, they come out pretty narrow (13-1/2" inside) since the opening is about 47". But if I went with two cabinets wide, I'd have to either go with double doors on each cabinet or have some really big doors. Both of those options are less preferable to me. Originally I planned to use plastic hampers, but after checking Target and Wal-Mart for plastic hampers, the narrowest I found was a hair narrower than the cabinet because of the large lip. These are available in n 11" wide x 18-7/8 deep x 18-1/2" high unit which is pretty close to the same inner dimension of the plastic units.

http://wwhardware.com/media/products/f/feh1215_1515_1518.jpg

[Art Mulder]

Matt... Those look like they are attached. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? I doubt you want to be digging out the laundry pile each time. I hope I'm mistaken.

Have you looked at places like Pier One or Pottery Barn for their wicker? Just a thought for an other option.

Or, one more thought. You could still have a 3 door face, but make two of the doors actually one opening, with a fake divider between them. So when you pull out the double-door you have a large 27" opening -- actually more, since you don't have the issue of the center divider. That might give you more options, maybe back to that plastic unit from Target? (two of them would now fit side by side?

(do I make myself clear or fuzzy?) :confused:

[Bill White]

Build the vanity base 34 1/2" tall, then put on the top. These dimensions have pretty much the new standard for vanities.
Bill

[Matt Meiser]

I hadn't thought about them being non-removable. I assumed they'd lift out, but I'd better check that. Good idea on Pier One & Pottery Barn. Before finding these, I'd also considered making my own wire baskets similar to the one pictured.

[Matt Meiser]

Art, I thought about your suggestion of not splitting the cabinets up as much and I think that makes a lot of sense. From the outside, it won't change a thing, but on the inside it would make one of the cabinets have a full 28-1/2" width inside which would work well and let me use the plastic hampers which I would prefer. It also saves about a 1/2 sheet of material and a lot of shelf pin holes.

[Lee Schierer]

Hey Matt, you may have already discovered this, but the vanity drawing I sent you the vanity was made to go into a corner so only one side had the finished panel. Before you figure out the frame for the top, measure your countertop and sink to be sure you won't have interference when you drop the sink in and that the faucets will clear the frame. We did pretty well in that regard dispite the fact that the cabinet shop and sink were 250 miles apart when the cabinet was being made.

Also the drawers were complete boxes made of 1/2" poplar. The drawer fronts were mounted by screws through the drawer fronts into the stiles and the handles were put on through the panels before the false fronts were attached to the drawer boxes.

[Jay Kilpatrick]

Matt,
Have you considered installing side by side sinks. That is the one thing I'll miss when we leave Texas next year. The LOML gets to clutter up her side with sprays, lotions, and other styling appliances. My side is nice and clutter free. Man am I going to miss it.

[Matt Meiser]

Jay, we talked about that, but there isn't room for a 61" vanity without crowding the tub (which is going to be an antique clawfoot model. We'd rather have one sink than hide the tub.

[Matt Meiser]

OK, another planning question. Should put down cement board and tile over the entire floor without the cabinets, run the cement board and tile an inch or two under the cabinets and shim the rest of the base as necessary, or run the cement board and tile up to the base of the cabinets, but not under? The bases will be separate from the boxes, made from 3/4" ply faced with 3/4" solid wood.

[Glenn Clabo]

My personal preference is to install cabs...then bring the floor to them. Then if sometime down the road someone wants to change or repair just the floor...it won't require cabinetry removal.

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks Glenn, that makes a lot of sense.

I went late this afternoon and picked up all of the sheet goods for the boxes and drawers. 8 sheets of 3/4" Baltic Birch, 2 sheets of 1/2" BB and 3 sheets of 1/4". I've also got a sheet of G2S plain sliced 1/4" oak coming Tuesday for the door/drawer fronts. And I just ordered all the hardware from Woodworker's Supply so by the end of the week I should be well on my way.

[Art Mulder]

My personal preference is to install cabs...then bring the floor to them. Then if sometime down the road someone wants to change or repair just the floor...it won't require cabinetry removal.

There are two tall book cases built in to my family room by the previous owner. My wife and I decided we wanted to remove them. But then we discovered that the previous owner had done something similar to what Glenn suggests... they had installed the cabinets, and then installed the hardwood floor. Right. So moving the built-in cabinet would reveal a nice big hole in the flooring. Needless to say the cabinets are staying.

When I did a bathroom gut I put down the linoleum first, as it was a lot easier to do that before the cabinet was installed - no corners to go around and so on. Maybe with tile that isn't as big a deal.

Hmm, I guess it depends on which is likelier to get changed first. In my family room, I think it is more likely that you change a cabinet than change the floor, so they should have done the floor first. In a bathroom, which is likelier to last longer?

six of one, half dozen the other.

[Matt Meiser]

I finally got started on the cabinets today. I hurt my back about a week and a half ago--its still not great, but good enough to work. All of the parts made from 3/4" material are cut to size. Next steps are to route the dado's for the backs, cut the back panels out, and drill shelf pin holes in some of the cabinets Right now my bench is full of cabinet parts. I'll post a pic in the morning if I remember.

I tried something new with Cutlist Plus and printed the part labels. The text that it prints is pretty small and I was using 1/2" tall address labels, so I re-ran them through the printer and used word to put a large part number on them. Each part was labeled on the back edge right after cutting and I plan to leave the labels in place at least until the parts are assembled. Should make it a lot easier to find the right part, especially since a lot of them are similar, but not exactly the same.

[Charles Jackson III]

Nice start, cant wait to see it finish.

[Matt Meiser]

As promised, here are all the parts cut up. Also a closeup of the part ID stickers.

[Matt Meiser]

Well, all the panels have 2 coats of finish on one side and the pieces that need finishing on two sides have one coat on the second. And my upper back is hurting from bending over to pick up panels, spray the sides etc so I'm not sure I'll do the 3rd coat tonight or in the morning. Practically every place that has a flat non-cast iron surface is holding panels--even the plasma cutter has been pressed into duty as a drying rack :)

I ended up going with my original finish plan which is Minwax Polycrylic water-based poly. To give the wood a little color, 24 drops of Transtint Honey Amber were added to one gallon of finish. That keeps the birch close to white while giving the oak a little color. So far I've sprayed 1 gallon of finish so I expect I'll end up using about 2 gallons by the time the doors and drawers are built.

[Matt Meiser]

Today I was able to go out to the shop before work and spray the last coat on all the panels. And at lunch I was able to come back out and resand the three shelves that I set on end and ran everywhere and respray them. Tonight I started assembling a few of the boxes.

As you can see we found a hamper to fit the narrow space in the single side--its by Rubbermaid and has soft sides. Our local hardware store was able to special order it for us. The other side gets two bigger hard-sided plastic hampers. They were about 1/2" too deep for the cabinet with a back, so this module gets the back left out. There is a piece at the top back to allow attaching it to the wall. And we'll have to remember to paint the wall behind it before I install the cabinets.

Tomorrow night I'll build the last of the 4 modules for this unit and start on the vanity. Hopefully I be building drawers and doors before the end of the weekend. It is supposed to be 95 here on Sunday, so it will be a good day to stay in the AC in the shop.

[Ed Falis]

Looking good! You're making better progress than I am on the kitchen cabinets, but that's a-ok!

[Matt Meiser]

Today's progress. The boxes are all assembled, next step is to start building the drawer boxes which should go quick since I'm using the Mark Singer Pocket Hole Method Then onto the doors, drawer fronts, and trim panel for the visible end of the vanity.

I also tried the top on the vanity which is good since I was off in my calculation for the width of the center section by about 1/4". I was able to trim a notch at the top of each divider panel using the jigsaw which won't be noticable to anyone but the plumber (me.)

[Charles Jackson III]

Nice work, Matt.

[Jim Becker]

Looking good, Matt!!

You sure you don't want to weld those drawer boxes?? :D :D :D

[Matt Meiser]

Naahhh, they'll rust too quick. Besides, this is quick--first two done. I'll do the other four tomorrow, but I didn't want to cut all the parts without trying the first ones. I think these are going to get a shellac finish--don't want to deal with the sanding on pre-assembled drawers, nor spraying all the small parts individually.

[Art Mulder]

don't want to deal with the sanding on pre-assembled drawers, nor spraying all the small parts individually.

Looking good, Matt. Quick progress!

I can't tell from the photo, are those drawers made from 1/2" or 3/4" stock?
I've tried pocket holes in 1/2" stock, and it is tough, as the stock is so thin. I found that the screw heads protruded slightly from the holes, which would make it tricky for fastening the front on flush.

[Mark Singer]

Matt,
One thing that seems to help proportions on bath cabinets, is to put them on legs rathet than have them go to the floor. This seems to work well regardless of style. You only need to make the legs about 8" tall and it will change the proportions....more may be better

[Matt Meiser]

Art, it is 1/2" material. The screws I got for 1/2" material have a much smaller head than the 3/4" material screws. They are Kreg brand screws.

Mark, I have plans to make a piece for the front which will simulate the cabinets being on legs--they'll still be on the solid bases, but that is why I painted the front of the bases flat black--so they won't be as visible. They'll only be 4" tall though.

[Art Mulder]

Art, it is 1/2" material. The screws I got for 1/2" material have a much smaller head than the 3/4" material screws. They are Kreg brand screws.

Mark, I have plans to make a piece for the front which will simulate the cabinets being on legs--they'll still be on the solid bases, but that is why I painted the front of the bases flat black--so they won't be as visible. They'll only be 4" tall though.

I didn't know there were smaller screws available! I should look.

As for the leg design - I like it, but I think you should consider carrying that around to the side to make it look even better. IIRC, the right side will be flush to the wall, so you'd only have to do that on the left side?

[Matt Meiser]

As for the leg design - I like it, but I think you should consider carrying that around to the side to make it look even better. IIRC, the right side will be flush to the wall, so you'd only have to do that on the left side?

Yes, that is correct. I'll have to take a look at that--shouldn't be too hard to rework the base as it is just screwed together.

Didn't make much progress today but I did get the drawers done and mounted and got all the hinge plates mounted. I bought a Blum template for them that space them exactly the right depth for overlay doors and exactly 3" (or something like that) from the bottom or top of the opening.

[Scot Ferraro]

Hi Matt,

These are coming along nicely -- thaks for posting all of the pics as you build.

Scot

[Matt Meiser]

Another update: I got the doors and drawer fronts made over the weekend and started installing doors tonight. In the picture, the doors are just rough installed--I still need to adjust and trim them. The second picture is the end panel for the vanity.

[Brian Jarnell]

I would be using euro hinges and runners.

[Matt Meiser]

A little more progress today. Got the drawer fronts all mounted and mostly fitted. Need to check them over a little more. The problem is the drawer slides have enough movement that the gaps change a little every time the drawers open and close. Also got the cabinet doors all fitted which was a little easier.

[Jim Becker]

Coming along, Matt. And it even looks like the original drawing!! :D :D :D

[Matt Meiser]

Long time, no update. Last weekend we had my brother in town (luckily they are still in Michigan and not back home in Minneapolis) and I just haven't been that motivated either because of a variety of reasons. However this week I've put in a few hours and finished up the filler strips. I decided to forego the decorative foot on the cabinet bases. Two reasons for that decision: first, I really should have made the bases about 1-1/2" taller for them so that there was still a standard 4" toekick. I made the bases 4" exactly so by the time I bring the toekick down with the trim for the decorative feet I'm at 2-1/2". Second, between the tile floor and baseboard moldings I was getting worried about installation order for everything. I figured I'd have to put the cabinets on top of the tile floor. I have about 20% extra tile if I do that, but since this is my first tile floor, and getting more tile will be tricky since we bought it on clearance I want to get the extra tile for where I might need it. So the bases are just going to have a solid oak face.

I'm not particularly proud of the lack of even-ness on the door and drawer gaps, but I doubt others will notice and besides my wife, they shouldn't be in my master bath anyway. :D The next step is to unmount all the door and drawer fronts, carefully marking which go where and their orientation, sanding and then finishing. Then as soon as my drywall work is complete it is time to clear out the room, install the cabinets, tile, and paint. Once the floor is done, my last major project is to clean up and paint the outside of the clawfoot tub and find several suckers err.. friends/family to help move it into the house.

[Jim Becker]

Getting there, Matt!!! You're a lot farther along than I am, that's for sure!

[Matt Meiser]

I made the mirror tonight. It is sized around a 30x36 piece of mirror purchased from the Big Blue Box. The frame is 2-1/4" and the mirror is set roughly 1/4" back from the front to match the doors/drawers. I used a stepped rabbet inside. The first step holds the mirror and a piece of 1/4" baltic birch for a spacer. The second step holds another piece of 1/4" baltic birch for the back. That piece is attached with screws every 6" around the edge. The corners have one pocket hole screw each and glue to hold them together, but the back is really what holds the whole thing together.

[Phil Thien]

Very nice work, can't wait to see pics of the finished installation.

[Brian Jarnell]

Getting there, Matt!!! You're a lot farther along than I am, that's for sure!
One hopes by now that is not the case.

[Matt Meiser]

I think I'm still managing to stay aghead of him. :D

I forgot to update on the rest of the project. Other than a finish for the mirror, the cabinetry is done, including the finish, and we started in earnest in the room. The drywall work is done, the plumbing rough-ins are done, the ceiling is painted, and tonight we are going to do the tile around the shower unit. My goal is to have the tile floor down by the end of the upcoming weekend (Labor Day) so we can grout next week.

Somewhere along the way I have to get the outside of the clawfoot tub cleaned up and painted too.

[Don Bullock]

That's great news Matt. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project. Both you and Jim are inspiring me to consider a bathroom remodeling job. I may need to do that when we make our move in the next few years.

[Grant Davis]

Very nice work, can't wait to see pics of the finished installation.


Ditto, very impressive work.

[Matt Meiser]

Getting really close:

That one tile with three holes is where the clawfoot tub plumbing goes. Drilling the holes took at least an hour.

[Matt Meiser]

more pictures...

[Jim Becker]

Nice progress, Matt...the end is in sight!

[Matt Meiser]

Yep. I plan to install the cabinets and finish the plumbing with the exception of actually installing the toilet and tub this week. We are having the faux painter come next week, and then after that it will be time to reassemble everything.

We are having the painter come after the cabinets because of the tight fit of the linen cabinet. I'd rather have to clean paint off the cabinets than repair the faux finish.

[Matt Meiser]

Even more significant progress to report. After doing some reading on grout, I decided it was OK to proceed with starting to install the cabinetry yesterday. I got the vanity in, got the top installed, the faucet installed, and mounted all the pulls in a couple hours last night. A couple hours tonight got all the final plumbing completed other than installing the toilet and tub. We actually have a completely working sink now, though we still need to seal the granite and I need to install the trim at the base of the vanity. Tomorrow night I'm planning to start installing the linen cabinet. Then we'll be waiting on the painter, who is scheduled for next Wednesday for the base coat. In the mean time, I will be working on getting the tub finished.

[Jim Becker]

That cabinet looks great in situ, Matt!! Nice work!

[Matt Meiser]

Yet another update. We've been flying this week. The cabinetry is completely done, other than that I need to take a small brush and touch up where I drilled holes in the boxes to attach them together, just to seal the raw edges. The painter is coming on Saturday morning to do the base coat. Hopefully she'll be able to get the accent coat or whatever you call the second coat in a ragged finish done early next week or the following weekend at the latest. The only things left that I can work on before the painting is done are painting the tub and a transition strip for where the bedroom carpet meets the tile. Hopefully it will stay dry outside tonight or tomorrow morning long enough for me to clean up the tub with a wire cup in my grinder to prep it for paint.

[Jim Becker]

Wow...that looks great!!

[Craig Thompson]

Matt,

The finish looks great,

What material did you use for the 'box' material...

[Art Mulder]

Slick, Matt. Looks like a job to be proud of.

[Matt Meiser]

What material did you use for the 'box' material...

I used Baltic Birch and edgebanded the front edges with oak so it would match the doors. I didn't want oak in the cabinets because I was afraid it would be too dark. I like the way this turned out. My other choice was melamine and I think the birch gives it a higher end look.

[Kyle Stiefel]

Matt,
I have been enjoying following your thread through the progression, it looks great!

[Craig Thompson]

I used Baltic Birch and edgebanded the front edges with oak so it would match the doors. I didn't want oak in the cabinets because I was afraid it would be too dark. I like the way this turned out. My other choice was melamine and I think the birch gives it a higher end look.


Wow, That's what I thought... Why baltic... I know its really stable and great to work with... but much more expensive then some other options... Or have you found some great local place to purchase... I am not far from you. If you have a great source.. I will check them out.

[Matt Meiser]

Craig, I got mine at Ken Craft in Toledo. It wasn't too badly priced, but the price has been rising. I would have gone with regular birch or maybe even prefinished maple at the price places like Johnson's are now charging.

[Glenn Clabo]

Nice work sir...very nice.

[Ted Jay]

And here is the planned layout (but with the cabinets pictured above, a simpler mirror, and probably a different wall color.)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=65966&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1181252339


Looking good.
My wife made one comment pertaining to the claw tub. She prefers not to have her back to the door when in the tub. (Too many scary movies I guess.):eek:

[Matt Meiser]

Looking good.
My wife made one comment pertaining to the claw tub. She prefers not to have her back to the door when in the tub. (Too many scary movies I guess.):eek:

Yep, we discussed that how to place it at some length. The plumbing will be on the end toward the door and when you are sitting in the tub you will have full view of it.

[Art Mulder]

She prefers not to have her back to the door when in the tub. (Too many scary movies I guess.):eek:


Cue the "Psycho" music! :eek::eek::eek:

(never seen the movie, never want to, but know the music...)

[Matt Meiser]

A little non-woodworking in the shop this weekend. We bought this tub at an antique mall in the next county over about 2 years ago. The porcelain on thie inside is in great shape--a few dings but they should touch up nicely and of course will need periodic maintenance, but for less than 10% of the price of a new one, I'll deal with it. The outsides apparently are almost always painted. Someone had stripped 99% of the old paint, save for two of the legs and a little under the lip on one side of the tub. It was some really nasty paint--I'm sure the kind the EPA would love--so I'm glad I didn't have to deal much with that. Aircraft Stripper took care of the rest. This is the primer which is Rust-O-Leum and will get a top coat of Rust-O-Leum.

[Jim Becker]

I love those feet, Matt! Lots of character...

[Matt Meiser]

Not too much has happened this week. The painter came Saturday and did the basecoat for the finish. I got the outside of the tub painted. I also made the threshold for the door which I installed before work this morning. The carpet doesn't look great because it is just tacked down with some big headed brads since we'll hopefully be replacing it within the next couple months.

Yesterday I did replace hinges on some of the doors with ones that limit how far the doors open more than the ones I originally bought. A tip if you are buying Blum cup hinges: buy the 107 degree ones. They make a clip that limits them to 86 degrees. I had bought 100 degree hinges which was too much, but the clip doesn't fit them. Luckily they are the exact same dimensions so it was just a matter of changing them out. The 107 degree hinges also have a little nicer adjustment for the Z (in and out) dimension, so I'll use them in the future.

Yesterday we also went on what I believe to be the final shopping trip for this project and picked up the shower doors.

The painter is coming again Saturday to do the second coat, which I'm really hoping she can finish. Then I can reinstall trim, install the shower door, toilet, accessories like towel bars and hooks, and have a tub-carrying party. I'm hopeful that we can wrap everything up by the end of the month.

[Matt Meiser]

We are almost there. The painter finished on Saturday while we were out of town, so yesterday I installed the toilet, shower doors, some towel bars, and the trim. I still need to install the trim at the top of the skylight (waiting for a cool day for that since it gets a little warm up there) and the tub, which has to wait until I get some help since it weighs a couple hundred pounds. I did get to take the first shower in there this morning though.

[Jim Becker]

Everything really looks great, Matt!!!!

[Matt Meiser]

Final update as this project is now officially DONE!!!

Tonight two of my brothers came over and we wrestled the tub into place. Actually it wasn't too bad because we were able to get it from the shop to the deck with the help of the tractor, then carried it up two steps on onto the deck, put it on a furniture dolly and wheeled it over the the sliding door. Then up one step, throught the door and onto another furniture dolly. From there it was just a matter of rolling it through the house to the bathroom and setting it in place.

The tub is an original found at an antique store about a 1/2 hour west of here. We got it for $120 about 2 years ago. Then I found the faucet at an architectural salvadge place in Minneapolis during our visit to my brother this spring. It is actually a modern faucet that they happened to have. However I paid about 1/3 of new for it so I was happy. The rest of the plumbing came from Van Dykes Restorers and the "foot coasters" came from another Internet retailer which I can't remember the name of.

The tub was significantly out of level between the tile floor and the fact that the feet weren't level to start with so I had to shim under one foot with some 1/4" phenolic. And then we used a true vintage technique I found on the internet to shim between another foot and the coaster--two pennies. Apparently that is how the plumbers did it in the old days according to the tip I ready--they frequently find pennies of the proper vintage when removing tubs for salvadge.

I'm really glad I used Sketchup to do the original design for this project as it really let us play around with the design and see how everything would work. In the end, we came out almost exactly as designed because there were almost no suprises.

[Jim Becker]

Nice!! Great job Mat!

And now on to the next job on the honey-doo list! LOL

[Matt Meiser]

I think the next immediate project is going to be painting our bedroom to coordinate with the bathroom. Right now it is a grey-white color. Hopefully sometime this winter we can also get new carpet to replace the burgandy. Its not in bad shape but I don't like the color and it shows every piece of lint, etc. Just coming off all the stuff we had to buy for the bathroom, plus pre-buying 1100 gallons of propane it will have to wait.

I think my next project out in the shop will be a metalworking one--I'd like to weld up a cart for my smoker to make it easier to pull out and put away. I even bought some monster casters a couple months ago.

[Art Mulder]

Isn't it great to have a big project complete? And a MBR ensuite is, IMHO, one of the most satisfying of projects, as you use it every day. (Every time I step into our large shower, I'm so glad we put the work into renovating our ensuite.)

The plumbing looks very slick. I can't see anything that looks crooked. Great job lining it up.

I'm curious ... how are those tubs fastened down? I know they weigh a lot, but still, I'm sure it could move if you pushed. Are they bolted to the floor?

[Matt Meiser]

No, they aren't fastened down. I was actually suprised at how easy it moves.

Yes it is great to have it done. We've been planning this project since the day we first saw the house right about 4 years ago. We've at least painted virtually every other room in the house but our own so it was about time to do this one.