I’ve come to the top of week three of engaged on my walk-in closet and laundry room mixture. And whereas progress appear to have slowed fairly a bit this week, that’s solely as a result of I hit the a part of the method that takes the longest. However these tedious steps are additionally a very powerful for getting a stunning closing end result. I spent all day yesterday sanding, and sanding, and sanding some extra. And I’m so glad that by the top of the day, I had the entire cupboards sanded, the entire mud vacuumed up, and now I’m prepared for priming and caulking.
I had already finished a ton of wooden filling, utilizing wooden filler to fill each single nail gap, screw gap, and joint. I went by way of one complete huge tub of wooden filler (that is the one I take advantage of – affiliate hyperlink) simply on that a part of the mission alone. That’s along with the 2 full giant tubs of wooden filler that I had used simply prepping the person items of plywood since I made a decision to make use of a lesser grade of plywood in an effort to save cash.
And since it slows me down significantly once I hook my little 5-inch orbital sander to my shopvac, I made a decision to forgo the shopvac and simply let the mud fly in order that I may get it finished quicker. Happily, the temperature exterior was fairly good, so I used to be capable of shut off the HVAC, open the home windows, and shut the doorways to the master suite suite to maintain the mud contained in that space of the home. There are few issues that I hate greater than having to work with gloves and/or a masks on however not masking up wasn’t even an possibility yesterday.
After sanding all day and prepping the cupboards for primer and caulk, that is the mess I used to be left with on the finish of the day…
It was fairly a job to get all of that mud cleaned up, however cleansing up the mud was nonetheless far simpler than making an attempt to sand every part with my sander hooked up to a shopvac all day.
Earlier than I stop for the day, I had most of it cleaned up. I’ll nonetheless want to provide the entire cupboards and cabinets a fast wipe down earlier than I can prime them, however that shouldn’t take lengthy in any respect.
I’m nonetheless not completed with the tedious prep work. The whole lot nonetheless must be caulked, and that can in all probability be an all-day job, or at the least a most-of-the-day job. It’s additionally my absolute least favourite a part of any mission, but it surely’s such an essential step to get that excellent (or as near excellent as attainable) end that I attempt for.
As you possibly can see, I didn’t get the beautiful molding hooked up but. So at present, my objective is to get the remainder of the ground sanded across the cupboards to take away the present end after which get the entire fairly molding (baseboards and crown molding) put in.
As soon as the nail holes within the fairly molding are all stuffed and sanded, I’m going to go forward and prime the entire cupboards.
After the cupboards are primed and dry, then I’ll give the cupboards a fast sanding by hand utilizing 220-grit sandpaper after which caulk every part.
The rationale that I’ll prime every part earlier than I caulk is as a result of utilizing caulk on primed wooden and wiping off the surplus caulk is an entire lot simpler than utilizing caulk on naked wooden. Whenever you use caulk on naked wooden, it tends to soak into the naked wooden extra and seize on, which makes it a bit tougher to get these good, clear caulk traces.
So the primer creates a barrier between the caulk and the naked wooden, maintaining it from soaking into the wooden an excessive amount of, and making it a lot simpler to get these fairly, clear caulk traces.
I additionally discover that it’s a lot simpler to see the areas that must be caulked after the cupboards are primed. When I attempt to caulk naked wooden, particularly on such a giant mission as this one, it’s simple to miss areas, after which these missed areas are fairly manifestly apparent after the primer goes on. So once I caulk naked wooden, after which prime the mission, I at all times discover myself having to return and caulk areas that I missed. I’ve simply come to comprehend, after years of expertise, that it’s a lot simpler to prime every part first after which caulk.
However the entire main sanding is completed, and I’m so glad to have that huge step checked off in order that I can transfer on. I actually am hoping that by the top of the weekend, I can at the least have every part primed. That’s the objective. I’d love to truly get paint on these cupboards this weekend, however I feel that is perhaps too lofty of a objective. Perhaps, on the very least, I can get some paint samples on the cupboards and make my closing coloration determination.
However let’s revisit the flooring. Yesterday, throughout certainly one of my breaks from the entire sanding, I discovered a Visualizer Instrument on the Bona web site that means that you can add a photograph and see what every sealer coloration will appear like in your room. Sadly, it received’t permit you to select the precise species of wooden that you’ve, however at the least it may give a common concept of what every sealer may appear like. So listed here are the photographs that it generated.
First up, that is the Bona NordicSeal, which is the lightest, brightest coloration.
I actually suppose that that is too mild and brilliant for our home. I get pleasure from seeing it in different houses, and I feel it’s actually stunning. However for our home, I want a contact of heat to the wooden.
The following one is Bona NaturalSeal. I feel this nonetheless provides a contact of white whereas additionally permitting the pure wooden coloration to return by way of.
I discovered quite a lot of real-world examples of this on pink oak yesterday, and it’s very fairly on pink oak, but additionally very mild.
The following one is Bona ClearSeal. This one is only a easy clear sealer that preserves the pure coloration of the wooden.
I additionally discovered many real-world examples of this one on pink oak. It’s very fairly as effectively.
Subsequent is Bona ClassicSeal. This one could be very common and works very effectively with pink oak.
I actually love the look of this, however there’s no assure that it could look precisely like this on my pink oak flooring.
And eventually, this one is Bona IntenseSeal, which provides a little bit of a hotter tone to the wooden.
On the ground visualizer, that is my favourite. However I’m having hassle discovering real-world examples of this one on pink oak flooring.
Simply going off of the images from the Ground Visualizer, my favorites are the ClassicSeal and the IntenseSeal.
Primarily based on the generated photographs, both a type of would loosen up the ground significantly from what I presently have, whereas additionally nonetheless giving me the heat that I like.
Right here’s my present ground in comparison with the ClassicSeal…
And right here’s my present ground in comparison with the IntenseSeal…
So I’m nonetheless choices and looking for extra real-world footage of those merchandise used particularly on pink oak. Simply this morning, I discovered this instance of the ClassicSeal used on pink oak, and it seems actually fairly. Nevertheless it additionally seems completely different in each room they present relying on the lighting within the room, so it’s actually arduous to inform what the precise coloration is.
If I had been simply going by these generated photographs, I’d in all probability select the IntenseSeal. However that identify alone scares me a bit. 
It sounds a bit overbearing. I don’t need to undergo the entire hassle to redo these flooring solely to wind up with them too darkish once more. I got here throughout this video yesterday, and he’s utilizing IntenseSeal, however he doesn’t specify which species of wooden he’s working with. It seems like pink oak to my untrained eye, and it additionally seems darker than what the Ground Visualizer exhibits. I don’t need my flooring that darkish.
Despite the fact that my favourite with the Ground Visualizer is the IntenseSeal, I’ve a sense that the ClassicSeal would be the one I’ll find yourself going with. It’ll give me that heat that I would like with out making the flooring too darkish. However I’m going to provide myself a pair extra days to make my closing determination. I actually need to get my tasks ordered ASAP, although, as a result of I can’t transfer my washer and dryer into the closet till the flooring are redone.
UPDATE: I wished so as to add the pattern of the paint coloration that I’m planning to make use of together with the flooring coloration. Right here’s the Valspar Matt on Monday paint coloration with the Bona ClassicSeal ground sealer. I feel that is beautiful!!! Oh my goodness, simply seeing these collectively makes me so excited!
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can study extra about me right here.
