DIY Life

DIY Concrete Espresso Bar

Will O'Brien — 2008-01-09T14:00:00 00:00

Filed under: kitchen, stone and concrete

To kick off the updates for my circa 1969 family room, I started with a new, built in espresso bar. I started with a new cabinet, added some plumbing, wiring and topped it off with a concrete counter top. The counter cost about $100 in materials and took about two weeks from start to finish. Rather than re-create the book in blog form, I'll walk you through the process and try to share my experience with this entertaining project.
The best place to start on this project is Fu-Tung Cheng's book on the subject. If you're serious about taking on this project, don't even think about not reading it. The process for making the counter is relatively simple. Build the mold, caulk the seams, build a re-bar structure inside the mold and fill it with concrete.

Before I could begin making the counter, I built a new cabinet. The sides and center panels are cabinet grade birch plywood, the back is 1/2 inch ply and the top and bottom are 3/4 inch sanded ply to provide plenty of support for the heavy counter top. After cutting a hole for the cast iron sink I scored off of ebay, I used my router to cut a lip in the 3/4 plywood top to allow the sink to sit flush with the top of the plywood.

Once the cabinet was in place, I was able to determine the dimensions that I needed. My cabinet is 24 3/4 inches deep, so I added 1 and 1/2 inches for overhang and 1 inch to the length to come up with the dimensions. Then I measured the location of the sink and noted where I wanted to add holes for the faucet, soap dispenser and the power and water lines for my espresso machine.

I built the mold out of 3/4 inch melamine coated particle board, from Home Depot. (My local Lowe's charges $10 more and their panel saw has been broken for over 2 months!) I had them rip a few lengthwise pieces off the top, and I did the final cuts on my table saw with help from my wife. The parts were screwed together with drywall screws, and PVC pipe was used to create the holes for the faucet and espresso line feeds.

Once the mold was built, I caulked the seams with silicon caulk. After it dried, I used pre-cut lengths of 3/8 inch re-bar to build a metal reinforcement grid inside the mold. to keep the re-bar in place, I used wire to float it above the bottom of the mold (where the top of the counter would form.)

The prep work took forever. Once it was done, I rented an electric cement mixer for $30. Mixing the cement and filling the mold took several hours. I made the mistake of pouring a bag of cement into the mixer before adding water - half the bag ended up stuck to the back of the mixer for the duration of my session. I had to use a shovel to loosen it later on.

I used 5 bags of Quickrete 5000 pro finish concrete along with about $10 of red and black concrete pigment from Lowe's to create the actual counter top. I couldn't help but feel like a mad artist as I grabbed handfuls of cement in my rubber gloved hands and packed it into the mold. Despite the recommendation to use as little water as possible for the concrete mix, I found that it was quite a bit easier to evenly fill the mold and reduce air pockets by adding a bit more water than the minimum.

Once the counter cured for a few days, I pulled the mold apart. The PVC inserts popped out with some light hammering. Since the counter weighed at least 200 pounds, I found that I couldn't turn the counter over to check out the top without some help from my wife. After another week of curing, it was a bit easier to handle.

I bribed a friend with steak and beer to help me relocate the new counter top from my garage to the bar top. We made it, but I'm glad that I didn't make the counter any larger. The book suggests a good coating of silicon caulk to adhere the top - I opted for a set of Tap-con style concrete anchors. the counter is nicely placed, and a thick bead of silicon seals the top to the under-mounted sink.

Because i didn't vibrate the mold after I added the concrete, I was rewarded with loads of air bubbles. I applied a slurry of concrete to fill the voids, then smoothed everything over with a grout sponge. Since concrete is very porous and will absorb liquids like a sponge, I sealed the surface with three coats of semi-gloss tile and grout sealant that I already had on hand.

After a day of curing, I installed my faucet, set up my trusty espresso machine and got down to business.

Making your own counter is a challenging and rewarding project. You can try to control everything to achieve a specific look, or just go for it like I did and treat is as a learning experience. Personally, I love the earthy, rocky look of the new counter top.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ponoko: Custom manufacturing for your idea

Will O'Brien — 2007-09-18T18:00:00 00:00

Filed under: art, Crafts, computers and internet, wood working

If you've got an idea that needs some advanced manufacturing techniques, Ponoko might be just what you've been looking for. This wine rack is a nice sample of what they can do. Each piece is cut by a powerful laser, and shipped flat. On arrival, you assemble it - just like one of those wooden dinosaur models.

For now, they're offering custom laser cutting for your product. If you want to get started, grab their download their making guide. To create your design, you'll need some vector graphics software like Adobe Illustrator. You'll need to create a login, but then you'll have to wait a while - the site is getting so much traffic that the login page reports that it's too busy to me in... yet.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Install Recessed Lights

Will O'Brien — 2007-08-31T14:30:00 00:00

Filed under: electrical, lighting, remodeling

Recessed lighting is an inexpensive way to give your home a stunning new look. A fairly simple project, here's how to install recessed lights in any space.

Now that we've been in our new house for a month or so, my home theater room is starting to take shape. I'll be writing more on it as I slowly transform our finished basement into a fully functioning ~~battle station~~, er, home theater. because I'm using a front projection system, normal ceiling lights can't be used at all during shows. Recessed lighting offers the perfect combination of room filling lighting that's directed everywhere but the movie screen. Here's an easy way to to install lighting in a pre-finished room.
To get started, we took a trip to Lowe's. They have a nice selection of lights, and I discovered the hard way that not all recessed lighting is create equally.

Once we knew that we wanted a very sturdy installation method, we found these six inch remodel style lights. They're rated for contact with insulation (there isn't any in our basement ceiling) and use a very sturdy three leg retainer design. They include an offset wiring box to terminate the connections and run about $11 each.

Aside from the light, we'll need the following bits to finish the installation:

Wire clamps (found near the conduit at the hardware store)
Wire strippers
Wire nuts (probably to fit 10ga wire if you're on a 15 amp circuit)
Drywall saw
Utility knife
Pen or pencil
Tape measure (for laying out your light locations)

Once you've decided on your light placement, mark the center of the fixture, then grab the template that comes with the light and hold it in place. Trace all the way around it with a pen or pencil to mark where you'll need to cut.

Grab your utility knife and make a shallow cut all around the mark. (The hole is from a previous light that we ended up returning to the store.)Otherwise, just grab your drill and put a half inch hole near the center.

Don your safety gear and grab your drywall saw, Cut radius lines from the center of the hole to the edges - just think of it as a pie.

Push up on each piece of your drywall pie and they'll pop loose at the line you scored with the utility knife earlier.

Make your way around the hole and pop each piece inward.

To keep it clean, use your utility knife to cut the paper backing loose. If you're daring, you can just rip them off the ceiling, but this will yeild a stronger mounting surface for the light.

Now true up the hole with your drywall saw. You want to remove any lumps that are sticking out into the path of the new light.

Once you've pulled your new wiring (if needed) grab your wire strippers and remove about 3/8's of an inch of insulation from the black and white wires.

Return to your new light fixture and pop out one of the hole in the wiring box. It's easy, just insert a flat bladed screwdriver and move it back and forth. The insert will bend and pop loose.

Now insert the wiring clamp in the hole you opened up and screw on the retainer nut. It's usually easier to tighten these with a pair of pliers applied to the clamp side, rather than the actual nut.

Feed the wire through the clamp and tighten down the screws to firmly (but not crushingly retain the jacketed wire.

Hold the two white leads evenly together. It's not neccesary to twist them, just line them up.

Put the wire nut over the end of the wire and twist it until it stops. Check that both wires are firmly retained. If one's loose, try again. Repeat the process with the two black, and again with the bare ground wire and the green ground lead.

Push all the wiring into the box unti it fits neatly. Be sure not to loosen anything in the process.

Now you can snap the cover in place over the wiring. The tab slips into the slot, and the spring clip holds it in place.

Inside the light you'll see a funky horn shaped tab. This if for mounting a baffle later on. The black clip is designed to retain the light. This is why we really like these lights. The clips are heavy duty and adjustable for various depths of drywall. Ours were already set up for a single 1/2" layer of drywall, so we were good to go.

Now we carefully insert the light, wiring first into the ceiling. Pay attention to the final location of the wiring box, you don't want to shove it against a ceiling joist. You shouldn't have to force it in, just gently push it in place. If you did a decent job on the hole, the light should slip right in. If it catches, you can probably just work it in. Otherwise, grab your drywall saw and fix the problem.

Once the fixture is flush with the ceiling,

Grasp the clip and pop it down a bit to unlock it from the fixture.

Now it's just a matter of pushing it all the way in until it locks. You might have to rotate it a bit to keep from hitting a ceiling joist with one of the clips. We found that we could rotate the light even with one or two clips already engaged.

Repeat the process for all three clips and you've mounted your light. Don't forget to remove the blue socket protector if there is one.

After that you can add a baffle of your choice. I'm still waiting to get mine, but I went ahead and installed some nice fllood lamps to get things rolling. These put of a nice light, but they're not cheap!

%Gallery-6673%

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Is the FUBAR XTREME worth $40?

Will O'Brien — 2007-08-16T19:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Tools, remodeling

I've been eyeballing this aptly named tool for a while. My new house has a few extra walls, so I finally had an excuse to buy one. There are actually two versions of the 'Functional Utility Bar' made by Stanley. The normal FUBAR is a bit lighter, smaller and the prying end isn't divided. For an extra $10, I opted for the FUBAR Xtreme. It's a bit heavier than a medium size sledge hammer.

In the last few days, I used the FUBAR to punch through drywall, pry apart 2x4s and 2x6s, and literally shred a few of them along the way. It's fantastic for punching holes to see if wiring is present before you start using power tools.

Alone, the FUBAR is pretty handy. Combine it with a reciprocating saw (aka Sawzall), a pry-bar and a hammer, and you'll be ready to demolish just about anything in your way. If you've got much of prying to do, I'd suggest a normal pry-bar. The weight of the FUBAR can be a bit much for extended prying jobs - like pulling up carpet tack strips.

Is the FUBAR worth $40 and change? Yup. The combination of high mass and small profile make it highly effective as it delivers your wrath upon unsuspecting drywall and lumber. Just make sure you grab some padded gloves before you get rolling. (I use a pair of inexpensive leather workout gloves)

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Remove old ceiling texture

Will O'Brien — 2007-07-27T15:00:00 00:00

Filed under: home decor, remodeling, Know-How

At the demand of my wife, I've been removing crusty old popcorn ceiling texture from our new house. It's a messy process, but a few tricks can make it (and cleanup) an easy task. If things go well, you'll end up with a fresh, clean ceiling.To get started, you'll need:

Ladder or step stool
A wide 4-6" scraper/putty knife
Garden sprayer (that's never had chemicals in it)
Tarp or drop cloth
ShopVac(recommended) or a broom and dust pan
dust mask and safety glasses (optional, but recommended)

Wether you're working over a carpet or sub-flooring a tarp will make cleanup much easier later on. Spread it out underneath your future texture free ceiling. It'll serve to catch the texture as it falls, and keep the floor free of moisture as you work.

Put a half gallon or so of warm water in your garden sprayer and pump up the pressure. Ours has a few spray nozzles, we selected one that sprays a wide fan of water. We bought ours for $20 at our hardware store, but we've seen them for $15 at the ginormous discount stores. (Personally, I like the local guys better.)

Spray down the ceiling, giving a thorough, but not dripping we coating on the texture. You want a nice even covering. A good rule of thumb is to move the nozzle whenever you're spraying liquid.

Wait about ten minutes, then re-spray the area. If you're removing texture that's been painted over, you might want to repeat the process. Latex paint is water based, so it'll usually let water soak through given enough time.

You should be able to see the area you just wet down with the spray. If you can't see it anymore, you'll probably want to go over it again with your sprayer. Don't get too excited with the sprayer, you probably want to avoid water streaks on your walls. You might consider taping plastic over anything that might become water damaged.

When you're ready, set up your ladder and grab your scraper.

Set the scraper at a 20 to 45 degree angle to the ceiling and gently, but firmly push the scraper across the ceiling. Be careful not to gouge the soft drywall ceiling. If you rip any of the paper covering, you can come back with some spackle later. The texture should be soft from the water, so it'll fall off with very little dust. If the texture is hard, spray it with water again and let it soak in for a minute or so. It won't take long.

When you're done, you'll end up with a clean ceiling, and a tarp that's covered in bits of plaster. Be careful as you walk on it. The texture will crush and stick to your shoes. You can drag them outside, or dump it in a nice pile by lifting the tarp.

Now's a great time to get out your shop vacuum. Mine easily sucked up piles of ceiling texture. Once the majority of the plaster was up, I used our regular vacuum to finish the job. If you're going to paint the ceiling later, consider using a coat of primer first.

%Gallery-5245%

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Build your own Predator drone

Will O'Brien — 2007-07-18T11:00:00 00:00

Filed under: toys, photography, robotics, electronics

Chris Anderson put together his own Predator style R/C airplane drone that can actually go on autonomous picture taking missions. After strapping a 7 mega-pixel Pentax camera to it, he installed a nice small GPS guidance system.

Once the landing gear is disengaged, the GPS system takes over and directs the planes through up to 20 predetermined waypoints. Chris points out all the details, but you'll need some R/C experience before attempting this project on your own.

NOTE: don't depend on R/C airplane insurance to cover it, autonomous airplanes were specifically excluded from last membership form I checked out. [Via]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Plan your project with Google Sketchup

Will O'Brien — 2007-06-26T12:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Tools, remodeling

While I wait to move into my new house, I've been trying to visualize some re-modeling for the new digs. I created floor plans with Microsoft Visio, but it'll cost you and it's only good for 2 dimensions. A while back, Google released a free 3D drawing software called Sketchup. The pro version will cost you some green, but Sketchup is free - and it's really, really easy to learn. Even though I was missing a few critical dimensions, I managed to create this model in about 15 minutes of messing around.

You can download Sketchup here. Trust me, it's definitely worth the time to do the short tutorial that comes with the software.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments