Home Office Remodel

[Sparktrician]

Nicely documented, Matt!  One suggestion, though - when you're joining two rails with the Betterley, I'd suggest that you use the
Guide Rail Index LA-LR 32 FS, Item number 496938 to space the holey rails properly to get a consistent 32mm pattern at the join point.  Feel free to ping me if this doesn't make sense.  [smile]

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member]: Is this 496938 accessory different than the two blocks that come with the LR-32 kit?

Thanks, Dick

[member=18203]dicktill[/member], it's the very same piece.  [smile]

 

[DynaGlide]

This came in today. Playing around with it, it has a little wobble but should do nicely. I could really use two but I'm not convinced I would need the second on a regular basis.

For the amount of space it occupies and cost vs making something I couldn't do any better if I tried. 4 wing nuts and it stores pretty much flat.

Matt

 

[thender]

Matt and all you other contributors:
- what an informative and helpful thread for anyone considering one or more elements of this project - including handling of surprises.

Taking the time to illustrate the project adds that much more to the usefulness of all the helpful information!

Matt, you serve the FOG's "Just do it" Award - seriously.

Hans
PS: been just a tad busy at TSO this past year or so . . .

Ditto!  Thanks to all for sharing!

 

[Rick Herrick]

This came in today. Playing around with it, it has a little wobble but should do nicely. I could really use two but I'm not convinced I would need the second on a regular basis.

For the amount of space it occupies and cost vs making something I couldn't do any better if I tried. 4 wing nuts and it stores pretty much flat.

Matt

I am impressed, that looks like a good deal of weight for it to carry.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Cheese, that's great advice that I wish I had known about some time ago.
The first job I did in the temporary shop (after the fire) was to re-make a reception desk that had several rows of lights going along horizontal panels inside the wall itself. It was quite a pain in the first place. I had sections that would flicker or look like a different color temp and the connections were in hard to reach places (corners) and I wrestled with it way too long before submitting and going out to get a soldering iron. Then the next day, the fire killed it, so I had to do it over.
I did talk the supply buyer into getting some different lights and drivers, but is was still a difficult thing to thread through and wire up. At all times my concern was serviceability later. I just knew it would be an issue "someday". I didn't know how soon though. It was only a few months and one of the installers had to go back and deal with it. Fortunately it was just replacing one of the drivers, easily reached behind an access panel.
Those sliding connectors suck. In the future, I would solder everything that needed this type of extension from the beginning.
The last little bar back wall that I did just had the round puck style lights that plugged in directly, it went well.

 

[DynaGlide]

I made some time yesterday to start on painting. I basically have to take off work if I want to do this which drags projects out for months.

I got my steps in and was exhausted by the end. Spray in the garage, dry in the house, sand in the basement. Two coats of primer, sanded in between and after with 25 parts. I must've ran up and down the stairs over 100 times. I'm always pretty rusty when I start spraying and make mistakes but I don't worry too much about them at that stage with the primer as it gets sanded. By the time I get to the finish coats I remember how to use the Fuji setup.

Between dropping off and picking up kids and cleanup I didn't have much time. I'll have to save the top coats for another day.

That Vac Sys cart I built has earned its keep many times over. It gets extensive use on every operation.

Next project I tackle will not involve paint.

Matt

 

[nclemmons]

Great job!  What paint are you using?  And curious if you'll assemble with glue and screws and then respray on a final coat?

Glad to see the VacSys cart getting continued use.

Thanks for the updates!

 

[DynaGlide]

Great job!  What paint are you using?  And curious if you'll assemble with glue and screws and then respray on a final coat?

Glad to see the VacSys cart getting continued use.

Thanks for the updates!

Hey [member=167]neilc[/member] just screws and Dominos on this one. I'm hoping to avoid any spraying after assembly.

Edit: I'm using Kem Aqua+ Surfacer and top coat

 

[mike_aa]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member]  That is really looking great.  Are you gluing the Dominos?  This may be a dumb question, but doesn't the overspray in the Domino mortices cause issues with gluing and fit?

Thanks, Mike A.

 

[DynaGlide]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member]  That is really looking great.  Are you gluing the Dominos?  This may be a dumb question, but doesn't the overspray in the Domino mortices cause issues with gluing and fit?

Thanks, Mike A.

Hopefully I can cram them in there but no I'm not using any glue. The Dominos are just there for alignment and a little bit for strength. The screws will be doing the work. Once the boxes are up on the wall and screwed together and to studs they aren't going anywhere.

 

[DynaGlide]

When we bought the house there was an old cabinet in the basement with a laminate top. I trashed the cabinet but kept the top. I use it for all sorts of things like protecting the MFT from water when I'm cleaning my spray gun, or when I'm sharpening. This time around the 7mm MDF backs warped on me after spraying and I was able to flatten them back out overnight.

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

It really is looking terrific.

How do you like the Kem Aqua Plus with that Fuji HVLP?

 

[DynaGlide]

It really is looking terrific.

How do you like the Kem Aqua Plus with that Fuji HVLP?

Thank you. I like it well enough. I'm new to spraying compared to most. Its main selling point is I can spray it without thinning the primer. I loathe thinning it messes with the chemistry and it makes refilling the gun more time consuming. I've had my base cabinets with KA+ for a year now and they're holding up well. With any product you have to be willing to adapt unless you're in a climate controlled setting. It's something you get a feel for.

I do add 10% General Finishes Extender to the top coat as I've heard it helps it go down smooth.

 

[DynaGlide]

Been a while but here's the progress. Hanging cabinets is a pain. Especially these frameless where all the boxes have to be flush. That Eazy Hang bracket system made it less of a pain though especially in the space I was working. Slip a box up the wall, engage the brackets, and it just hangs there until you're ready to finish assembly. Really great for doing things like the electrical box cutout. Downside is if the wall isn't flat and you need adjacent boxes to flush up you start having to play around with the hang rail and shims. I got it done though and I'm happy with the outcome.

I used the Fastcap powerhead screws to connect boxes to each other and GRK white cabinet screws to attach to studs. It's all very sturdy and I have zero concerns about it coming down. I hit each box to a stud at the top and bottom with the GRK #8 x 2 1/2.

Matt

 

[DynaGlide]

I'm kind of regretting my design decision to do 5 separate boxes and a faux face frame. The Zeta P2 is getting a workout. Apparently this style of cabinetry is called hybrid where you just almost flush the frame to the carcass interior but leave ~1mm overhang to cover the edges. It's some tricky operations but I have the hardest part done with the inset doors.

The alternative option would've been to build a 10ft face frame then the boxes to match but I didn't feel great about that option either since the built in is captured on both sides by walls.

As it is the frame pieces are individually applied with Tenso connectors. Once all the milling is done it's surprisingly easy to snap them into place. I may elect for some selective use of dominos to flush up adjoining pieces after I'm done making them all and scribing the ends to the walls.

Matt

 

[nclemmons]

Had not heard of Tenso connectors.  So those just push in place on the face frames? Glue or nails added?

The cabinets are looking great.  I just hung 25 cabinets for a friend in their garage.  All pre-made.  I used the laser and third-hand stands from FastCap.  Marked studs on blue tape below the cabinets, then put each in place and aligned the laser to the tape marks for attachment to the wall.  All screwed to studs. 

That easy hang system you used looks interesting for ease of adjustment.  I'll keep that in mind on my next project!

Visually, I'd run the top and bottom rails all the way across.  But what you've done really looks nice!

Thanks for the updates.

 

[DynaGlide]

Had not heard of Tenso connectors.  So those just push in place on the face frames? Glue or nails added?

The cabinets are looking great.  I just hung 25 cabinets for a friend in their garage.  All pre-made.  I used the laser and third-hand stands from FastCap.  Marked studs on blue tape below the cabinets, then put each in place and aligned the laser to the tape marks for attachment to the wall.  All screwed to studs. 

That easy hang system you used looks interesting for ease of adjustment.  I'll keep that in mind on my next project!

Visually, I'd run the top and bottom rails all the way across.  But what you've done really looks nice!

Thanks for the updates.

[member=167]neilc[/member] Thank you Neil. The crazy thing is I knew exactly where the studs were and when I went to hang the eazyhang rail I still missed quite a few times. The studs on this wall are wonky and kind of wavy. What I learned, if I had to do it again, would be to open the walls and put blocking in. I think high end kitchen fitters do this.

I thought about the continuous rail but there's just so little room for error the way I'm doing this. I have inset doors in the middle which means the rails can only protrude into the cabinet so much. If I tried doing one long rail I'm sure it'd either not cover the plywood across the 10ft or if it did it would interfere with the doors. I'm getting away with it visually since only the middle has doors. The left and right sections will have a long rail spanning two boxes.

Matt

 

[squall_line]

Had not heard of Tenso connectors.  So those just push in place on the face frames? Glue or nails added?

Tenso connectors don't need glue or nails, although those can be added.  If I were building a box with Tensos, I'd use glue, at which point the Tenso is basically just a clamp to hold the piece until the glue dries.  For a face frame, there's no stress to worry about and I would just use Tensos to clip the face on and move on to the next phase.  The smaller clamps (P10) have 10 kg of clamping force.  The P14 connectors have an active clamping force of 150 Newtons (~33 lbs) and a retention force to pull them back apart of 250 Newtons (~56 lbs).  That should easily hold a face frame without much concern.

The only concern might be lateral movement, since there is a small amount of adjustability with the Tenso connectors. If one was worried about them sliding back and forth, you could pin or glue them to eliminate that (or fully capture the frame so it didn't have a single direction to move in).

 

[DynaGlide]

I'm nearing the finish line on this. My to-do list still has several things on it but once I get the frames and shelves/doors painted I can use the new cabinets while I tinker with the rest of the room.

The Lamello and Domino have been indispensable.

 

[Sparktrician]

Great job, Matt!!!  [smile]