JLB builders LLC
Member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
- Messages
- 339
Wow still great pics. Cool looking dog. The kitchen looks like it has a really good view outside with those windows. Seems to really open up the space. Not to shabby ;D [thumbs up]
Kitchen Renovation and Cabinet build
- Thread starter Vindingo
- Start date
Danny E said:
I got the stainless shelves from these guys http://www.danver.com/categories/113/169/default.aspx
To be honest, they weren't as nice as I was expecting considering what they cost. They look nice, but the corners aren't as crisp as I would have liked and the there is quite a bit of play in the mounting brackets.
Hey Vin I was looking at your parents kitchen again and a question, did you finish the counter top in enduro var or finish with something else. Still trying to figure out best and most durable finish for my bamboo top and doors.
thanks
Lambeater.
thanks
Lambeater.
Vin,
What a great job. I am sure your parents will get a great deal of enjoymnt from that remod. Even more than the enjoyment, I can just hear the pride they will have. Twenty years from now, they will be telling their friends, “Come in and see what our son, the doctor built for us.”
I like, especially the arches over the entrance. When I was building fireplaces and masonry terraces and walls, I liked to design/build with curves. Lots of curves. I told people “God never made anything absolutely straight. I like curves.”
I have a story that goes along with the glass chandelier. I’ll put that into a separate post.
If you end up doctoring, I am sure you will be one who pays a LOT of attention to detail. On Friday, I had a double hernia operation. One of the student doctors (he said he is a student) was doing some of the prep work on me and I could not help but think, “I hope he does his doctoring some place far away from Connecticut.” I just felt there was a certain amount of carelessness to his work. In your work, I see no carelessness.
Tinker
What a great job. I am sure your parents will get a great deal of enjoymnt from that remod. Even more than the enjoyment, I can just hear the pride they will have. Twenty years from now, they will be telling their friends, “Come in and see what our son, the doctor built for us.”
I like, especially the arches over the entrance. When I was building fireplaces and masonry terraces and walls, I liked to design/build with curves. Lots of curves. I told people “God never made anything absolutely straight. I like curves.”
I have a story that goes along with the glass chandelier. I’ll put that into a separate post.
If you end up doctoring, I am sure you will be one who pays a LOT of attention to detail. On Friday, I had a double hernia operation. One of the student doctors (he said he is a student) was doing some of the prep work on me and I could not help but think, “I hope he does his doctoring some place far away from Connecticut.” I just felt there was a certain amount of carelessness to his work. In your work, I see no carelessness.
Tinker
For Vin, A story about chandeliers:
True
Back in the 60’s I was at a party with lot’s of good beer flowing. One of my friends, the operator of a large tree business that did (and still does) much of the power companies work. They were clearing limbs from over power lines along a narrow road way off the beaten track. There were few houses with lots of woods between properties.
It was one of those unbearable mid summer days with temps in the 90’s, no breeze and humidity you could swim in. It was getting late in the afternoon and the crew was just about out of drinking water and gasping. The crew foreman told the youngest young man of the ground crew to take a water jug to the nearest house and ask for a refill. He (the foreman) knew the people who lived there so he knew it was alright.
The A-frame house was well surrounded by trees. There was a long hallway leading the length of the A-frame with an addition for rooms off to each side of the hall way. Along the center of the high ceiling were a row of five very large and expensive looking cut glass chandeliers.
The young man knocked on the front door, or rang a bell, or whatever, and waited. He had to knock several times before the lady of the house finally arrived to open the door. I don’t want to get into a long description of the woman, but I knew who she was and being a young and single guy myself, had often seen her around town and had as often come away with very sore eyes from the avoidance of ----- well, you guys probably get the idea. Anyhow, she opened the door totally naked.
The poor kid had never had anything like that happen to him before and in total fright, he tossed the jug, turned and ran back to the tree crew. He was shaking and babbeling to the boss “ the- er-ah- uh th-th-theres a ------“ and so on. Completely incoherant. The foreman told him to go sit down and calm down while he went back to the house to find out what ever was the problem.
By the time he got there, the woman had gotten some clothes on and very calmly told Joe, the foreman, “You really need to have more mature help.” Together, they inspected the damage. That jug had hit every one of those five chandeliers and the damage had been extensive to every one of them. Joe told me the insurance company paid somewhere around $20k.
Tinker
True
Back in the 60’s I was at a party with lot’s of good beer flowing. One of my friends, the operator of a large tree business that did (and still does) much of the power companies work. They were clearing limbs from over power lines along a narrow road way off the beaten track. There were few houses with lots of woods between properties.
It was one of those unbearable mid summer days with temps in the 90’s, no breeze and humidity you could swim in. It was getting late in the afternoon and the crew was just about out of drinking water and gasping. The crew foreman told the youngest young man of the ground crew to take a water jug to the nearest house and ask for a refill. He (the foreman) knew the people who lived there so he knew it was alright.
The A-frame house was well surrounded by trees. There was a long hallway leading the length of the A-frame with an addition for rooms off to each side of the hall way. Along the center of the high ceiling were a row of five very large and expensive looking cut glass chandeliers.
The young man knocked on the front door, or rang a bell, or whatever, and waited. He had to knock several times before the lady of the house finally arrived to open the door. I don’t want to get into a long description of the woman, but I knew who she was and being a young and single guy myself, had often seen her around town and had as often come away with very sore eyes from the avoidance of ----- well, you guys probably get the idea. Anyhow, she opened the door totally naked.
The poor kid had never had anything like that happen to him before and in total fright, he tossed the jug, turned and ran back to the tree crew. He was shaking and babbeling to the boss “ the- er-ah- uh th-th-theres a ------“ and so on. Completely incoherant. The foreman told him to go sit down and calm down while he went back to the house to find out what ever was the problem.
By the time he got there, the woman had gotten some clothes on and very calmly told Joe, the foreman, “You really need to have more mature help.” Together, they inspected the damage. That jug had hit every one of those five chandeliers and the damage had been extensive to every one of them. Joe told me the insurance company paid somewhere around $20k.
Tinker
Guy Ashley
Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2010
- Messages
- 661
Hey Vin,
If you ever need to get the chandelier cleaned these guys from London come highly recommended!! [laughing] [laughing]
FUNNY! Only Fools: Del Boy & Rodney smash the chandelier - Comedy Greats - BBC
If you ever need to get the chandelier cleaned these guys from London come highly recommended!! [laughing] [laughing]
FUNNY! Only Fools: Del Boy & Rodney smash the chandelier - Comedy Greats - BBC
misterjordan845
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2026
- Messages
- 1
Wow, sounds like a massive but rewarding project! Going from quick paint-and-pull fixes to full roof raise, cathedral ceilings, bigger windows/sliding doors, and custom cabinets + concrete counters is huge—your parents are lucky to have you handling it. Love the ambition with the dormer and new roof over old for the kitchen/breakfast nook. How’s the concrete countertop coming along? Any pics of the progress so far? Keep us posted, this is going to look amazing! 
Vondawg
Member
Just curious for all you tech savvy….is this a real 1st post ?…14 yrs old…”keep us posted” ?
Packard
Member
I agree that clear coat over black stain is more durable than black cabinet paint. I use Benjamin Moore’s Advance for cabinets, and while the light colors and white dry very hard, the dark colors, and especially black are noticeably softer. For shelves, they are inadequate.I did not veneer the plywood. I am using prefinished maple for the boxes and purchased the rift cut oak on MDF for the doors. It ended up being cheaper to purchase it already veneered. I have made plywood (MDF core) with a vacuum kit from http://www.joewoodworker.com/ and veneers from his materials website. He goes into pretty good detail on how to go about it, but would be happy to get into more detail if you wish. It wasn't cost or time effective for this project.
Finish - 180, wet, 220, india ink, 3-4 coats satin enduro-var. For the edge banding on the boxes 180, wet, 180, india ink, paste wax
Hi Karl,
It is white oak, and this is the exact product being used:
I first wiped (with paper towel) across the grain to fill the pores, then with the grain. I used a paper towel because it was the closest thing to me. I had no problems with pooling at all. Did you raise the grain before applying the dye? If you raise the grain, or lightly dampen the surface, the wood might take the stain more evenly.
Edit: I just remembered finishing a red oak countertop with Waterlox. I would wipe it down and when I came back 30 min later there were all these little pools coming out of the grain. I think it has to do with the grain structure of red oak. I don't know if grain raising or dampening pre-dye will work. I think white oak is a different animal when it comes to stuff like that.
I also used to use India ink as a stain and top coat with an oil-based clear. Very durable.
A few years back, I switched to General Finishes’ Milk Paint in “lamp black” color. Although it is called “milk paint”, it is actually a modern exterior acrylic paint meant to mimic the appearance of milk paint. The matte finish takes a top coat very well.
Applied with a foam brush (per GF’s instructions) in two light coats, the finished product looks like it was sprayed. No drips, no brush marks, no sags.
The biggest issue I had was that I did not want a high gloss finish. But the matte finish and semi-gloss finishes turned the finish to gray. The solution I came up with was to use gloss top coat followed by Butchers’ Wax applied with a 0000 steel wool. That knocked down the gloss and retained the black color. It also had a superior tactile finish that feels very lux.
The wax could complicate any additional coats of clear. If you anticipate that, then use “wool oil” with the steel wool. It will clean easier.
I recently tried Minwax’s Polyshades “Classic Black” as a top coat. That added a depth of color reminiscent of black chrome. I generally wipe on Minwax’s oil based poly by first cutting it to 50% with mineral spirits. It wipes on nicely and seems fool-proof for application.
I would note that Minwax’s oil based poly rarely makes the top choice in comparison tests, it is almost always in the top 3 for quality of finish. It is a very good finish; it gets bashed because it is so widely available and it is marketed to the general public and not to woodworkers specifically.
I would also note that it takes about 200 hours for a “full cure”, but my 20 year old projects have much tougher finishes than the one year old projects. I’m not sure when the cure is complete, but 200 hours (about 7 days) is cured enough for use. The same applies to most clear finishes. They continue to harden as they age.
luvmytoolz
Member
Well it might be long pauses inbetween updates! ;-)
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