Stain Update

Hello Everyone.

Well...the stain is way too dark. We don't like it.

What we can't figure out is how come it looks so good in pictures but so horrible, and dark, in real life.

So...what to do - what to do... We turn back time, in a way.

We have started the process of removing the stain. Yup, you read that right - removing the stain. It is not an easy process and one I have never done before, but a knight in shining armor has come to our aid.

I wish I could go into more detail about this knight, but until I have permission to divulge his info we must keep it to ourselves. However, the method can be discussed.

As stated earlier, the stain turned out WAY too dark. At first I was stymied as to what happened - the recipe for the stain was followed to the letter. Turns out that the problem was with the wood it's self.

Let's backtrack. The stripping process started over two years ago. What this means means is that the wood has been exposed to the dry climate for quite a while and therefor the wood is completely dry. Since it is completely dry the stain soaked in faster, way faster, than normal.

Typically you apply stain and let it set for a bit then wipe it off. You then repeat until you get the desired shade you want. In our case, the moment the stain touched the wood it soaked in like water on sand. There was no time delay other than a few seconds.

I'm kicking myself because I didn't stop when this was first noticed. I figured I was being paranoid or something.

So, we are left with two options, the hard way, and the harder way. We can either try to remove the stain or we can replace the woodwork.

You might think that replacing the woodwork would be the easier of the two options, but is in fact the harder. It would entail the removal of matching wood from two of the upstairs closets. The hard part would be removing it without damaging the woodwork OR the original plaster. Then the stained wood would have to be removed without damaging it OR that plaster. So, this option has the potential of destroying plaster in several spots as well as original woodwork.

The other option is removing the stain.

The process is straightforward and sounds easy - just time consuming, messy and potentially hazardous. Following is a condensed version of the process as our knight explained it to us.

"Minwax is linseed oil and pigments,and the wood has absorbed way to much. Start by wiping it down with some mineral spirits keeping it as wet as possible, let it soak a bit then wipe it dry , then do it again, until you pull enough stain out to lighten. If you do not see a dramatic difference pretty fast, then use some lacquer thinner. Both solvents are very flammable, be sure to let the mineral spirits rags dry spread out, out side, they also are very flammable and subject to spontaneous combustion, also wear a good respirator. What you want to do is draw as much of the stain out as possible, the lacquer thinner will also help dry it down , when you feel you have removed as much of the stain as you can, let it dry, at least overnight. What I mainly want is to get as much of the oil out as we can, the mineral spirits and lacquer thinner will do that. If we can get the oil out, then we can bleach it to kill the stain color, but that’s a last resort."

There is more to the info, but this is enough to give you an idea.

We spent today wetting and wiping the woodwork with mineral spirits and then switched to lacquer thinner. We were amazed at just how much stain came out.

The pictures that follow do give an idea of how much we got out, but it still looks dark. This is another one of those times where the reality looks a lot different than the pictures.

You can see some of the lightening of the jambs, under the lintel.

Do you see how pale it is looking?

If I'm understanding my research properly, the spirits and thinner are pulling out the oils used in the stain along with some of the pigment.

The oil needs to be removed so that the bleach will kill the stain that's left over.

I wasn't able to get a good picture, but there are some spots where the woodwork is basically back to it's pre-stain condition. The spots are so small I just couldn't get the pictures to take.

If you look real close you'll see SWMBO in the picture!

You should also be able to see that the wood filler has had virtually all the stain removed. So now those spots are sticking out like a sore thumb.

While we are on the subject... I will probably remove all the wood filler. Yes, I know I was praising it, but I found out some more info in regard to this. As I learn more about this I'll post it.

This is about the best picture that shows some of those spots that are back to 'normal' wood. Look along the left edge of the jamb and you can see the spots.











Just another pic trying to show how the stain has lightened.















And another one.

















This picture is a photo shopped one so that two of the pictures could be side-by-side and you could see a difference.


The picture of the doorway on the left was taken right after the stain was applied. The one on the right is after we used the mineral spirits and lacquer thinner. Hopefully you can see the difference.

In reality the stain now has a light grayish hue to it and is lighter. I'm assuming this means the oil is out of the wood as much as possible and all that's left is the stain color.

It will be interesting to see what happens once the bleach is used.

Now, there is a two part A/B bleach that has been suggested I use by a few I've spoken to. However, when i did some research on this stuff, and contacted one of the main manufacturers, I was told that the two part bleach is used to remove the natural tannin color of the wood - not to remove stain thats been added.

I am wanting to talk to our knight about this a bit more. I'm not sure why some people have suggested I use this, but the manufacturer says not too. When I find out I'll let you all know.

Here is one last picture to share with you.

This is one of THE few spots in the house where you can see the original stain.

It's in the master bedroom closet. It is a bit dark but I figure that's due to natural aging. All the woodwork in the other closets have been painted. Why this section remained untouched we have no idea. We really like the warmth and richness of this stain.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

First Look at the Stain

As promised...I said I wouldn't post again until there were photos of stain to show.

So, without further ado here it is.

Right now all that has been stained are these two door ways.

Have any of you ever heard the old adage "never sit too close at the ballet - it ruins the illusion"? Well, this is a good case in point.

For some strange reason the photos of the stain look better than the stain in person!

I've only applied one coat and it looks darker than the sample we based our decision on. Not sure why this is, it's the same recipe and the same wood. Also, the first coat has not been sanded down with steel wool yet. This might lighten it. If you remember, the sample has two coats and a top coat of amber shellac. You can go here to read about it if you like.

There are a few problems and before I proceed I'm going to try and work out a fix. I'm not going to tell you where they're located, but there are some obvious bad spots. I might show you a close-up of the worst problem spots if I can figure out how to fix them first.

Here's another picture.

Is it just me or does it look darker than the first? In the first picture I didn't zoom in, the second one I did. Perhaps this makes it look darker.

One weird thing though... About an hour or two after taken these pictures I went and took another look. The stain actually looks like it has 'mellowed'. The only thing I can figure is that it was dark outside and the lights were on. Who knows what shade the stain will be in the morning!!

It has been pointed out by a friend, as well as by SWMBO, that the stark white walls might be making it look darker. Perhaps, once the paint it up, it will be a completely different shade!!

On a side note. I finally put words to why I 'think' I've been dragging my feet on this staining project. SWMBO's uncle stopped by today and when I was talking to him about it I told him I was dragging my feet because I was afraid of how it would turn out. As long as it isn't done there is always hope that it will turn out great. Once it is done though, the truth will be staring you in the face.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

YES!!! Priming is done!!

Today I applied a second coat of primer to the ceiling as well as a couple other spots that needed to be touched up.

The best news is about the spots on the ceiling.

Before I show you the 'after' pictures I must tell you my latest "DOH!!" moment.

Gary. over at This Old Crack House, left a comment in regard to the spots.

Basically, he reminded me that spots/stains could be covered up by apply a coat of shellac over them. Like I said "DOH!!"

I know you can use shellac for this purpose, as well as to cover odors, especially on wood. For some reason though I just sort of blocked it out for this application. I guess it was one of those 'can't see the forest for the trees' moments.

I felt very sheepish after reading Gary's comment...

Thanks for knocking the noggin Gary!!

That said, let's have a look.

Here are the spots covered with a layer of shellac. I didn't have any clear on hand so I used Amber.

I also applied a couple coats of primer before re-priming the whole ceiling just to make sure the Amber color didn't bleed through.

Not bad if I say so myself.











Here is a little tip I'll pass on to you all.

Before you mix your paint, stain, or whatever, punch a few holes in the inner rim of the can.

This allows the spill-over to seep back into the can a little easier. To be honest though, it didn't work as well this time because the primer is extremely thick. This little trick does work though - pinky swear - it really does.

Once all the primer was dry I went ahead and removed the masking tape. This stuff was AWESOME!! I highly suggest it for any of your painting projects.

I wanted to show you the tape I used last night, but couldn't find the wrapper. I found it this afternoon and can now give you a link.

Here it is.

It's the Scotch 'Ready Mask Paint Tape' by 3M.

This stuff works GREAT!! It went on easily and came off easily. Normally I have a mess when masking things off. either I just don't get it on right, or not well enough, and have all sorts of paint seepage. This time there wasn't any!!!

In fact the only paint that got on exposed wood was my own fault and involved using the regular masking tape.

Here's the spot.

It won't take long to deal with. Not bad considering just how much exposed woodwork there was!












These next few pictures are just for fun.

While on the ladder (did I ever tell you all I have a phobia in regard to ladders?) priming the ceiling I just happened to look down and thought "this would make a good picture". So here they are.

The north west section of the business end of the kitchen. Awful small ain't it.

It's not as small as the one used over at the Smitten Kitchen, but it's not much bigger either.

The north east section.











The south west section.

Can you believe that green stuff use to be in the kitchen?!

I'll start work on the powder room next. This roomlet will have to be gutted.

And here is the built-in/temp tool storage.

Look to the bottom and you will see that the 'code inspector' is checking out my work again.











Hmmm...he looks grumpy...

Wounder what he found wrong? OY!






I know, I know, I said I'd have some staining done by the next post and there wasn't any. So I promise next time I will have some staining pics for you all.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

And then there was primer...

Believe it or not - the walls and ceiling are primed!!!

I'm not as happy with the way the ceiling turned out so another coat is in order. There are also some spots that need to be touched up.

So, let's get right to what you all want - PICTURES!!

Some of the areas are a bit wet at the time the pics were taken so that's why there are some 'patchy' spots.

This is the door area leading to the back porch.

Before any of you get excited thinking I've splashed paint on the wood work, it is all covered by this funky painter's tape I found. So, there is no paint on the woodwork.

I can not believe how bright it is in the kitchen now!!



The wall that the sconces will be on, between the back door and the foyer door.














Doorway leading into the foyer.

You can also see the chimney chase, but the BIG deal is that the plastic baffle doors are gone!!

WOOWHOO!!!








The spot above the doors leading to the powder room and the basement.

You can really see that funky tape in this pic.

The corner area above the sink and stove.

If you remember, there use to be a vent above the two windows on the left side.

The corner on the opposite side of the sink area.

The back door is on the other side of the wall on the right.


Okay, this is a picture of the ceiling.

It is an area right between the wall the fridge is on and the built-in cabinet.

If you look close you will see blotches. Those blotches were not there (at least not noticeable) before the primer went on. I have no idea what has caused them, but I've applied two coats of primer and they are still showing up.

So, now that primer is up I might take my chances and dab some KILZ just to the spots and see what happens.

I'll keep you posted.

SWMBO was quite pleased with the results and noted how bright and fresh it looked in the kitchen now.

I am hoping that the next time I post you will be able to see pics of the woodwork being stained!!

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

"Oh I Wish I Was an Oscar Mayer..."

As figured...nothing got done on the kitchen yesterday.

After the birthday party we a lot of errands to run such as get lumber prices, looking at some router bits, etc.

However, the day had an interesting surprise - we got to see the Wienermobile!!

Isn't it grand!!

Who wouldn't want to take a spin in the Weinermobile?

It was a totally unexpected sighting so we didn't have the camera. We used the phone camera so the pics aren't the best.

Come on...admit it...you want to jump in the driver's seat and take for a spin don't you!

There was a modest crowd for being so cold. The 'Hotdogger' were great and fun to talk to. We even got whistles after singing the the theme song.

One the best, unexpected, treats was getting to go inside.









It was a lot bigger inside than I expected. It reminded me of the inside of a corporate jet. Can't you just imagine a huge hotdog flying through the air?

The door in the back leads to storage.








This thing is really roomy inside.

It has an awesome stereo system, GPS, sunroof, cloud painted ceiling and comfy armchairs.

Can you imagine spending a year touring the country in one of these? Take a look at the Hotdogger Blog to see what it's like. Perhaps you have what it takes to be a 'Hotdogger'.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

Ah...the Smell of Primer

I am happy to inform you all that as of 1:30 PM today I got to start priming!!

Can I get an AMEN from the choir?!

Seriously, I finished all sanding (that can't be done in the shop) and plaster work yesterday. Once finished I started the clean-up process so that the priming and sanding could commence. I figured there was a good chance that I could get started on the priming by that afternoon but the sanding and plaster dust needed to be cleaned up first.

That would be too easy though wouldn't it? Instead...two problems popped up.

The first problem had to do with the windows over the sink area and part of the built-in cabinet. While cleaning, a few spots that were missed came to light. Dang - it would require more sanding and possibley a little stripping.

Since it was already the middle of the afternoon I figured I'd go ahead and clean up and then take care of the missed spots.

Then the second problem popped up and it was a dozy!!!

I was just about done sweeping when all of a sudden the shop vac went 'PLEWY'!!!

There was a cloud of dust, dirt and grime all over!!! In fact, the kitchen was now worse then it was before I started. So it had to be cleaned all over again.

By the time it was done I was too tired to care and called it quits. The spots that had been missed would still be there in the morning.

Thankfully today got off without any problems and by 1:30 I could start priming.

At this point I need to point out something that is of major importance. This point CAN NOT be stressed enough so pay attention.

Tap tap tap...are you paying attention? I'm serious about this one boys and girls.

See this can?

This is a can of primer.

I can hear you now "what's the big to-do about this can of primer?".

EVERYTHING!!!

The brand isn't all that important. What is important is the 'PVA' designation.

PVA Primer is specifically formulated for plaster walls (new and repaired), drywall, sheet rock, etc. High-build PVA Primer fills and surfaces rough and uneven drywall construction (but still can’t hide a bad mud & tape job).

Again, I can not stress the importance of using this stuff enough.

As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words", so if you don't believe me look at the following picture.

Do you see it?

Can you tell what it is?

This is what happens to a plaster wall that is not primed with the correct primer. The whitish stuff you see is not dirt or dust from the air, it is plaster dust coming through the paint!!

That's right boys & girls...paint is porous.

You know those cheesy commercials "this is your brain, and this is your brain on drugs"? Well, this is your plaster wall without PVA Primer!

So, at some point we have to redo the walls of the master bedroom. Right now we just wipe them down about once a month.

Also - DO NOT use KILZ on your newly restored plaster, plaster skim coat or new dry wall. Do you have any idea what happens when you do use it (at least in our case)? The new paint you applied will peel off like sunburned skin! Imagine our surprise after painting our walls and finding out that it peeled right off! And I don't mean small little strips either but huge ones! I peeled off one section I could wrap around my body!

So, unless you want some problems down the road - DO NOT skimp on the primer!!!

Now that I'm done preaching, let's get back to the rest of the pictures.

In this picture you can see the primer that's up. What I've done is 'cut in' the primer in around the edges and corners.


Go here for a good video showing you how to 'cut in' paint.

Also, take a look at the right side of the upper corner section. Now follow along towards the light fixture. Almost to the fixture you should be able to see a line. That's the extent I primed to in that area. I mainly wanted to see how it would work.

It's hard to believe, but that part of the wall does look smoother - just like the primer brochure claimed it would!

This is the section above the powder room.

As you can see, I did not paint around the light fixtures yet.


Hopefully, you can see in this picture that I did go ahead and prime all of the chimney chase.

Tomorrow I will finish the walls and go ahead and do the ceiling as well. At least I will try to get it done - we have a nephew's birthday party to go to tomorrow as well.

Before we go to our next topic let me bring something else up. The area around the built-in cabinet isn't going to be as finished out as the rest until the cabinet is done. So, it might look a bit funny with no paint up by it for a while. The work that is going to be done on the cabinet can be done in the woodshop and brought into the house for installation.

Anyway...

Remember the crown moulding we've decided on? I have finally been able to hammer out a profile for it.

What you are looking at is a double profile of the crown moulding.

The one on the left shows the moulding along with the soffit support. The other one is without it.

Keep in mind, this is just a schematic and is subject to change.

Total height is about 6" and the little corbels are about 3" tall by about 1.5" wide. If you go to the link above you will get an idea of the size. The little corbels will be spaced about 8" apart.

Not counting the soffit supports, the moulding is made up of 6 pieces. This ought to be interesting to install. At least there isn't going to be the funky angle associated with traditional moulding. Best part...I can guarantee there isn't another house in our town with this type of crown moulding!!

So, tomorrow looks like it's going to be a full day. I just hope I get all the priming done.

Well, I've babbled on for a while now so I guess I'll let you all go.

Till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

Mistake Corrected

Hello Everyone -

As the title states, the mistake has been corrected.

Not the best pic, but it gives you the idea.

I spent most of yesterday making the repairs and such and today sanding. I might do one more pass with sanding before we stain.









You can see that the corners now line-up a bit better. It still isn't perfect, but it's a lot better.

I did have to use some wood filler in a couple of spots, we'll see how it looks once it's stained.

Also, I sanded down the corners a bit. None of the other 'corners' in the house, such as the columns in the foyer' are sharp and crisp. I hope this will help create the illusion of being older.

You will also notice that the face frame inserts are not in yet.

In case you are wondering what 'face frame inserts' are this picture should show you what I mean.

This is one of the column bases in the foyer. I am wanting to add molding inserts like these to the face frames on the column.

I have not found molding that matches this type yet, but while taking the picture it dawned on me - "picture frame molding"!!

So, I'll get a profile template and go to some of the framing shops to see what can be found. As long as it's close I'll be happy.

Had a visit from one of the local inspectors today...

He seems happy with the work.











Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

Correcting a Mistake

Okay...I guess it time to come clean.

I took a shortcut on a project and am now paying the price for it.

Remember the column I built to cover the plumbing chase? The way I built it was sound, and the column sturdy, except in one location. You could say it had an 'Achilles' Heel'.

About a week after the column was finished an acquaintance of ours (who will go un-named in case they read this - YOU know who you are) came over. While looking at it he made a fist and whacked the top panel that faces the back door. He did this with such force it busted some of the nails holding the thing together.

Basically, I didn't brace the main panels as well as I could have (and knew I should have). Doing this would have required additional work to deal with the pluming pipes and electrical cable inside. Besides, I never figured someone would come along and whack it like they did. It even broke some of the plaster behind it.

So, the top part of the column had to be taken apart. Larger, sturdier braces we installed (sorry, I forgot to get pictures of them) and re re-did the face frames.

When I first built the face frames I attached them directly to the panel without jointing them together. I thought that by doing this it might help keep the boards from breaking when the house shifts. Upon further research I decided to joint them properly.

I knew this would have to be done eventually, and because of this some of my Christmas wishes were effected.

Remember the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig w/Face Clamp I got? It was needed for this application as well as for the future kitchen cabinets.

This is the jig after the pocket holes have been drilled.

These are all the parts needed to make the pocket holes.

It's really quite simple to do and creates a strong joint.

This picture shows how it all goes together.

The clamp is holding the two pieces together while the screws are screwed in.

This last picture is just so you can see how the screws look when installed. Notice that you don't use the normal screwdriver tip.

Since the pocket holes will not be seen I didn't plug them.

For more info on the Kreg Jig Jr. R3 system have a look here and here.

The most interesting part about putting the face frames back together using the Kreg system was how solid it was. The face frames are just shy of 8' long and I could wave them with one hand and they didn't bend or twist.

Once all of this was done I held off reattaching the face frames. I wanted to show them to SWMBO.

Get this. When she got home and I showed them to her she pointed out the the top column did not perfectly line line up with the base. I tried to show her that one side of the column was wider than the other side and so they wouldn't line up perfectly with each other.

She wasn't happy. She pestered me all week-end to fix it so they would line up. So, guess what I did for part of the week-end and today? If you guessed "taking the column apart again" you'd be correct.

That's right, I took the column completely apart again and rebuilt it. It isn't perfect, but it is as close as possible.

Tomorrow I will finish it up and sand it. With all the extra work on it scuffs could not be helped and they need to be sanded out.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

Wainscoating is Done...For Now

The title says it all. The wainscoating is done...for now.

Yup, you heard me!!! The wainscoating is done - and let me tell you - it wasn't easy.

I had to cut some piddly parts on the table saw. Do you know how cold it is outside? Do you know how cold it is in the woodshop? It's about 8 degrees outside and about 10 degrees in the woodshop. There is no heat source in the woodshop yet except for a propane heater. Since I was only in the shop a few minutes each time I saw no sense in firing it up. I will say though, the saw was so cold, and I had to adjust it just so, my fingers just abut froze. The thumb and pinky finger on my left hand were so cold they were hurting!

BTW, we also got snow in the middle of the night so the place is blanketed in the white stuff. I feel for those in the northern states going through the worst part of the cold.

As stated, the half-wall of wainscoating is done for the most part.

Ain't it pretty?

Turned out better than I thought it would.

I just hope it looks nice once it gets a coating of amber shellac.

Okay, here is the end-cap.

While we're here I can tell you what I forgot to tell you yesterday about the problems that kept popping up.

The end-cap was no exception. When I took the measurements it turned out the thing was 3/4" wider at the base!! It was an interesting challenge to deal with. Not only was it difficult to cut the slats correctly, but the 45 degree mitered corners needed to match up.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a funky angle cut with mitered corners to match? I sweated the whole time. At on point the frustration set in so I had to take a break before finishing it yesterday.

Luckily, the corners look like a continuation of the beading.

As promised, here is a shot from the other side.

I did wrap around it with one slat, but plan to go no further until the new cabinets are installed. Since the sink's base cabinet will need to be slid out I didn't want the bead board to interfere.

And yes...the cabinet door is missing. I removed it to make it easier to work in that area.

Take a look down at the base. See that piece of pine? That has been attached in order to protect the end of the base molding. Since the molding will also need to wrap around, the ends needed to be cut longer for the future 45 degree cut.

The pine board is just screwed in for easy removal.

Here's the corner do-dad.

Look how tight that sucker is in there. It's going to be a pain to paint the wall next to it.

You can see where the plaster skim coat stopped (the white part between the window and the wall). It was way too difficult to get into that small place even before the wainscoating was put up.

The only bad problem that popped up today happened when working with the 4" section of top-molding.

It might be hard to see it, but there's a rounded topknot at the very top of the molding. This section is attached to the rest of the top-molding by a thin, curved section that isn't even a 1/4" thick where the top curve attaches to the topknot.

When attaching this small piece of top-molding that round topknot section broke off along the entire length! I'm telling you, this stuff is super fragile. Well, I did the only thing I could do - glue it in place. At least it's not noticeable.

And there you have it - all done.

Now I get to work on the project that will not be mentioned.......

Before I go though, let me pitch a product and give a tip.

When it comes to repairing nail holes, cracks, and gouges I use Minwax Stainable Wood Filler. However, for deep gouges, rotted areas and termite damaged areas I use a 'plain Jane' wood putty as filler and top it off with this stuff.

I highly recommend it.

Here is my tub of filler.

I'm sure your sitting there thinking "WT...?" when looking at the picture, but let me explain.

This stuff is not cheap compared to the putty I use. One of the problems is keeping it from drying out. So the tip...use a piece of plastic wrap!

What you do is smooth the remaining filler down, smash the plastic on top of it and then tap the lid back down. The plastic will keep evaporation down and make the filler last longer.

This little trick can also be used on putty as well as spackle/plaster. I even did this with the 5 gallon tubs of plaster and it really helped.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry

More on the Wainscoating

Okay...before you ask - NO - the wainscoating is not done; but I can explain.

It was a long night last night and I was dragging today. I'm beginning to wonder if a cold is in the immediate future for me.

Since I was dragging I had to take extra care to make sure I didn't screw up. Didn't help though.

Anyway, lets get to the pictures and I'll tell you the saga as we go.

As you can see, the wainscoating is all installed.

Well...as installed as it's going to get until the new cabinets are installed. The wainscoating does wrap around the half wall and continues on the other side by one slat.

The most important thing about this picture is the OSB used to give a flush surface for the mop-board and it's top molding.

Speaking of the mop-board and it's top molding... I did a lot of thinking about it. Remember the one that shattered? It dawned on me that this will be a high traffic area and I'm not sure if the repair would hold up to the abuse. To fix the problem I recycled a few pieces from another spot.

Here are the new pieces of the top molding ready for instillation.

I'm jumping ahead a bit, so lets back up.


Here is a picture of the first problem of the day. Can you tell what it is?

Remember the piece that was cut off the very first slat? The piece that was going to work perfectly between the wall and the run of slats?

Well, it did fit perfectly until the very bottom. I had to trim the sliver by about 2mm at a time until it fit correctly. If you look close at the picture you will see a red line. That was added to make it easier for everyone to see the shape of the cut-off piece. I had to make sure the profile stayed as true to this as possible. Do you have any idea how hard it is to shave off about 2mm at a time with a table saw? I would have to shave a bit, check fit, shave a bit more, and check again. All-n-all it took about 12 trips to the woodshop to get it cut just right.

Also, in case you are wondering, the nails you see in the pic have not been set yet. This portion of the wainscoating will be covered by the top cap and molding, so it won't show.

Next is the second problem to pop up.

Here you can see the corner do-dad. Remember, I had to remove it to make room for the wainscoating.

I wanted it to be a perfect fit, so, once again trips had to be made to the woodshop. This time extremely small slivers, less than 1mm, had to be made.

As you can see it fits. However, if you look real close you can see a small gap between the do-dad and the mop-board. This is due to the added width on the end cap because of the OSB. This problem will be fixed tomorrow.

You can also see some paint residue I didn't quite get. It had seeped up into the crack where the top mold sets on the mop-board. I started removing that today and it took time as well.

Here's a picture of another problem that was unexpected.

The picture shows the mop-board after it was fixed.

The original mop-board turned out to have a nasty, horizontal, crack running all the way through it. When I went to remove one of those monster nails it just broke in half. Again, a replacement had to be made.

What you see in the picture is the replacement. I have saved the pieces of the broken one. It can can be mended and used in a less high profile/traffic area.

Tomorrow all I need to do is fix that gap I mentioned and attach the mop-boards top molding. I also need to put in a temp mop-board on the sink side of the wall. I'll talk more about that later and get some pics as well.

Before I forget...we have decided to just shellac the wainscoating with amber shellac. We decided to do this for a couple of reasons; 1) the wood has a rich quality about it, & 2) we want to set off the wainscoating from the rest of the molding and future cabinets. The shellac will high-lite the color of the slats and will be a bit lighter than the molding.

Before I sign off you might like to see a picture of one of my 'helpers' that were hanging around.

This is Boo-Boo our tailless cat. Sorry about the haziness of the pic but sometimes you get a bad one.

Aren't his eyes creepy?!











Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry