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studio loft: completion
Last Friday was a gorgeous evening. Even though it wasn’t particularly warm, it was sunny…the kind of March day where people flock to outdoor bars and empty the contents of their purse looking for a pair of sunglasses. For us, it was a perfect evening for desktop hoisting! (Ok, it also distracted me from fantasizing about basking in the sun with a glass of wine in hand.)
First, Kyle prepped the stairwell. (Seriously, I came home on Friday to this sight and Kyle napping in the bedroom.) The plan was to hoist the slab up and into the loft between the wall and edge of the loft ladder. (It was far too long to go up the loft ladder and have enough room to rotate into position.)
It would be a tight fit, but we measured everything beforehand to make sure we had enough clearance. (Or so we thought, keep reading…)
Our neighbor Blair came over to help. (He was incredibly gracious and patient and we owe him big time!) As they brought the slab in from the garage, Kyle took the lead and walked it up the ladder…
…while Blair and his brute strength took the heavy end.
I don’t know how much this thing weighs, but moving it was no easy feat. One rung at a time.
I mean, it’s a big piece of wood. [Obligatory inappropriate photo-op.]
All was going well until we ran into one minor snafu…the loft ceiling. The low-end of the slab hadn’t quite cleared the ceiling below so it was literally stuck. Swearing ensued. (We blame the curvature of the tape measure during our earlier measuring.)
But we put our heads together and decided the only alternative was to remove the ceiling fan blades and the loft ladder and then slide it up on its side.
When we installed the loft ladder, I’m pretty sure we mumbled something like, “at least we don’t ever have to move this thing again!”.
Ha. If there was a bright side, it was that we didn’t have to completely remove it, just lower it enough so the slab could clear the top of the guardrail. The ladder is attached to the floor below and joist above with hefty lag screws. So Kyle removed those and then we used a scrap 2×4 as a kicker to keep it from sliding further.
It was an unintended extra step, but it worked. Turned horizontally, Kyle and Blair had no problem getting the slab into the space and then turning it 90 degrees.
With one final heave, the three of us hoisted the wood up and onto the steel angles. The final step was to attach the slab using stainless steel 1/4″x2″ screws and 1/4″x1″ fender washers at pre-drilled holes at each of the four angle supports.
At this point, it was in place and we called it a night.
But it didn’t take long for me set up shop the next day.
I had thought about moving the painted IKEA stool down to the nursery, but it’s actually a great height for the sewing machine and can easily tuck under the desk when not in use.
For now, I’m using a small IKEA table lamp for task lighting (the only other light we have in the space is the sconce over the ladder). It’s ok, but eventually it will move to the nursery and be replaced with a flexible and brighter work light. (Just need to find one first!)
In lieu of gifts last Christmas, Kyle and I bought each other a Macbook Pro. I’m in love and not just because it’s so pretty. After using a PC my whole life, it’s just so much more intuitive and well…smarter. I still use a PC at work and my brain has gotten better about switching back and forth between the two. We also have a printer/scanner/copier that now has a nice little home in the spot between the last Stolmen unit and the wall. Due to space limitations, we used to keep the printer in the basement so it’s great to finally have everything consolidated in one space. Even better, Kyle has set up everything wirelessly so the printer talks to the laptops and the laptops talk to the Airport Express which talks to the stereo system which talks to our iPhones. Our house is small enough that sometimes the microwave gets bitchy and interrupts, but we deal.
There is still a lot of accessorizing that needs to happen, but I’m totally thrilled with how it turned out and more importantly how the space feels. With the pleasant weather this weekend, I’ve had the roof window open and the soft north light makes the room feel bright and airy. Best of all, I no longer have the visual distractions that come with working at the dining room table or kitchen island.
The walls aren’t perfectly straight and plumb (this is the attic of 102-year-old house after all), so we intentionally created a gap between the edge of the wood and wall. Not only does it look good, but it also provides a space for cords to snake through.
I’m still debating if the sewing machine stays out or instead lives in its case under the desk. Let’s be real, I still haven’t used the thing yet.
Bonus perk of owning a Mac, one minimal white cord.
In the desk progress post, Ron and Nate left some smart comments about better ways to fasten the wood to steel angles (to deal with differential movement) and we listened. Kyle made the holes in the steel slightly larger and used the fender washers in conjunction with the screws.
In addition to a new desk light, there are still several things left to tackle. We have a large IKEA file cabinet that is too big to fit in the loft so I’ve been in the process of purging and organizing all of our paperwork (as seen above). We still had files labeled “architecture school” and “high school” (eek!) so there was plenty of room to edit things down. The plan is to buy a used metal 2-drawer file cabinet that goes under the desk on the window side. I’ve been scheming about finding something ugly but in good shape and spray painting it a fun color (I thought this type of thing would be easy to find on Craigslist or at Goodwill, but no luck so far). Kyle is not on board with this idea. Yet. =)
It’s not done-done, but it’s a good start. As we continue to use the space, I’m sure we’ll get a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. I like the idea of keeping it simple and minimal, but I could also see something going on the gable wall behind the desk and maybe a twin-sized daybed/chaise on the wall opposite of the Stolmen units.
I’m super excited to have this little space to call my own (or at least share with Felix, who is smitten with the new set-up). It feels like a treehouse of sorts and an escape from the constant to-do list downstairs. Up here, I feel more organized, more creative and a renewed itch to tackle projects. A set of curtains for the nursery? A new blog design? Let’s see where this goes…
To see past posts on the studio loft, click here.
studio loft: the desk saga continues
Posts on the studio loft have been slow because progress on the desk has been slow. Last month we scored two reclaimed fir beams and a few weeks ago we showed you how we turned them into a solid desk and fabbed up some steel angle supports. The last remaining step was to fill any voids and apply the finish before the big install. We thought we could get it done in four or five weeknights. Well, easier said then done (which I guess is a recurring theme in home renovation).
The first step was to fill some of the splits and knot holes with epoxy. During winter we typically do finish work in the basement, but to keep me clear of any fumes Kyle decided to keep the job in the shop. Seattle is a reliable 46 degrees this time of year (give or take a degree), but it just wasn’t enough for the epoxy to cure properly. So we finally ended up buying a couple of radiators to keep the space at about 80 degrees. This did the trick and within a day or so Kyle go to work sanding the wood starting with 50 grit and working his way all the way up to 400 grit for a glassy smooth finish. Unhappy with the wavy surface achieved by his hand sander though, he started searching around for a local shop to do the job.
So last Friday he loaded the slab up in Orange Crush and took it down to OB Williams in South Seattle. Since I wasn’t part of this adventure, I’m going to hand the blogging reins over to Kyle and let him explain how it all went down.
First, a big thanks to Mario at OB Williams for really taking care in sanding this large piece of wood. I also got a full tour of their entire shop area which I must say is one of the most impressive woodworking places I’ve seen. Like Lauren said, while using a hand sander it’s nearly impossible to sand such a large surface perfectly flat without over-sanding in some areas which creates what is called “dishing” in the surface of the wood. This first photo shows the 52″ wide sanding belts that easily gobbled up our 27″ wide slab. The whole process only took about 30 minutes and we even changed the belts a few times for different grits.
52″ wide sanding belts…that’s a whole lotta grit.
Here’s Mario and I carting the slab over to the machine feeder. That’s me in the back.
This was one of the first passes. The slab was actually warped a bit so it took several passes to get it flat.
What appears to be wet spots on the slab are actually fully cured epoxy crack filler. The machine is auto feed so you just have to get it started then go to the other end to catch it.
Here you can see how warped the slab was where it’s lifted off the table in the bottom right hand corner. All in all we made about 5 passes on the bottom and 10 passes on the top which got it sanded down to 150 grit. In total we removed almost 1/4″ in thickness.
After doing some research on very durable finishes for a worktop surface we found this Enduro Varnish in a satin finish. It’s water based so it’s easy to work with.
I think this was about the 4th coat, I plan on doing at least 6. As soon as I can round up my guys we’re going to hoist it into the loft so Lauren can blog some more from her new desk. 😉 Really though, who needs a 13 foot long desk anyways? [Lauren’s edit: um, everyone?]
studio loft: desk progress
A few weeks ago, we showed you those two big reclaimed beams that we bought to build a work surface for the studio loft space. It would be easy – two beams turned on their side and connected together. Boom! Insta-desk!
But of course, it’s never that easy.
We had a rough idea of how we wanted to install the desktop, but before we made any cuts or bought any supplies we came up with some detailed hand sketches.
The sketch above is a section through the desktop. Originally we were just going to biscuit the hell out of the joint where the two pieces meet, but after a chance meeting with a woodworker named Burly, Kyle arrived at a better solution. (More on that later.)
For the connection to the wall, we went with our original idea of using steel angles. The dimensioned portion of the sketch above shows a plan view of where the angles would go on the walls and the larger section detail in the middle shows how the angle will attach to the wall and wood. Once we had the design fully flushed out, it was time to take stock of our inventory, buy supplies and get on with our building business.
First, Kyle cut the steel angles to size and then grinded the edges smooth.
Next, he marked the locations of the holes…
…and used a center punch to create a divot for the drill. Definitely don’t want your drill going all wonky on you y’know.
To set the holes even further he used a high speed steel countersink to create a bigger divot.
Next he loaded a high speed steel drill bit into his grandpa’s old drill press and occasionally dipped the bit in cutting oil the keep it from overheating. (If the bit gets too hot it dulls down really fast.)
After the holes were drilled, he then made a proper countersink so the screw heads flush out with the face of steel.
Meanwhile, superintendent Bailey keeps an eye on the operation.
After all of the holes were drilled, Kyle used his angle grinder with steel brush attachment to smooth everything out and prep the steel for painting.
Enough with the steel, time for wood! In addition to biscuits and glue, Kyle decided to install four hidden pieces of 3/8″ all-thread that would literally tie the two pieces of wood together and create a stronger connection. To do this, he first had to drill a series of parallel 1-3/4″ deep holes using a 1-1/2″ diameter forstener bit. To ensure he wasn’t over drilling, he kept an eye level view as he went, stopping when the blue tape line on the drill bit was aligned with the top of the wood.
Ta-da!
Next, he attached an auger bit and drilled through the side of the wood, in the same line as his previous top-drilled holes. See where we’re going with this?
With a steady hand, he guided the drill until it connected with the other hole. We debated using the drill press for this but Kyle has a calibrated eyeball and mad drilling skills.
The long, skinny hole was sized to accept a piece of 12″ (3/8″ diameter) all-thread. Success. Phew!
But before anyone gets too excited about fasteners, Kyle still needed to chisel out a portion of the round hole to make a flat surface for the fender washer and nut to bear on.
Once the holes were all cut, we realigned the boards so Kyle could mark biscuit locations. (Since biscuits are like a type of tongue and groove connection, you have to be precise that you get both sides perfect so everything fits together.)
Then he used his biscuit joiner to cut thin, wafer-like slots along the entire length of each beam.
Taking a break from all that sawdust, Kyle set up the steel angles on his welding table (with an old canvas sheet on top) and gave everything a nice even coat our favorite automotive gray-black primer (same thing we used on the barn door track and loft ladder). As you can tell by the lack of sunlight, he’s officially been at it all day.
Back to the wood – Kyle calls this part “biscuits and gravy”. (Mmm…) Before inserting the football-shaped wood biscuits, he squirts a generous amount of wood glue into each slot. (Side note: we used this same process to join two pieces of lyptus for our kitchen island, saving a ton of money.)
Once all of the biscuits were inserted, we slipped in the 4 pieces of all-thread and pushed the two slabs together.
We needed the help of a few large clamps, but there she is, in all of her connected glory. (Note: we worked with the slab upside down so we could more easily install the hidden fasteners, so that’s why the wood looks a little less-than-perfect.)
Finally, Kyle used his nimble fingers to install a fender washer and nut to each end of the all-thread. You’ll never see this connection unless you’re laying under the desk. And no one is going to do that. Except maybe for Felix. And we don’t make design exceptions for judgmental cats.
Here’s a top view of the all-thread connection. Pretty clever, huh? If you had x-ray vision you would see the piece of all-thread buried within the slab. But you don’t, so you’ll just have to trust us on this one.
The last thing we did that night was to install the steel angles (the primer drives super fast).
We used 3″x3″x3/8″ steel with fasteners at stud locations (which we figured out beforehand as seen on Kyle’s sketch). The wood desktop will be fastened from the underside through the screw holes in the top of the angle.
Structurally, we didn’t need continuous lengths of steel and this was also a much cheaper route to take. Additionally, the gaps between angles allows a slot for cords to go (since we’ll be holding the wood off the wall by an inch or so).
I can’t wait to get the big sexy slab up there. But first we have to finish the wood. (And when I say “we” I mean Kyle. No fumes for preggers.) In fact, Kyle is outside right now sanding it down. Then there’s epoxy filling, more sanding and applying a few coats of finish. Oh, and devising a way to get it into the loft (hint: strong and willing friends).
Still, not bad for a day’s work. (Who says Sundays are for relaxing and rejuvenating?)
Oh, I also thought some of you might be interested to know how Kyle and I tackle a project. For weekend tasks like this, Kyle usually does a majority of the manual labor (he’s detail-oriented and good at being “in the zone” for long periods of time) while I take care of all the other tasks that we don’t have time for during the week (laundry, bills, dishes, etc.). That’s not to say we’re not a team though. In fact, we’ve devised this high-tech messaging system for when Kyle needs a hand with something or wants me to take some photos:
Poor guy, I assumed “Elmo” was one final plea for help. Damn you auto-correct. (For the record, I tend to just act out charades (like putting food in my mouth) in front of the back door till Kyle sees me.)
So yeah, not an easy project, but that’s how we roll. If we’re lucky, in the end it will look elegant and effortless, masking all of the hard work, sawdust and time that went into it.
studio loft: weekend progress
Between travelling, skiing and recurring colds, work on the house has slowed down a bit lately. But we still made some good progress, like this:
A big thanks to a few of our readers who had the genius idea of installing casters under our IKEA Stolmen units. (We considered steel hairpin legs or building a wood plinth, but the casters were easy and will allow us to more easily more the units around if needed.)
On Friday I headed over to Northwest Casters in north Seattle. I drive by this place all the time and had always been curious about what they had. Basically, I was looking for the cheapest wheels that were at least 4″ tall (so the units could clear the base trim). The least expensive wheels that would do the trick were rated for way more weight than we would need and were about $9/each. So on Saturday I headed down to IKEA (thanks to a tip from a reader) to check out the Rill casters. They were basically the same size as the $9 version but only $5/each. Score. Plus, these came with a detachable brake.
Because of the 360 degree swivel, we decided to inset them so no matter what position they were in, they wouldn’t stick out from the unit. The bottom panel for these units is one solid piece of fiberboard, so it didn’t matter where they went. Kyle used 1″ self-tapping screws for the job.
They turned out to be just about the perfect height, with the back of the units barely clearing the base trim. (A word of caution though, we had to be very careful to not knock the wheels against the floor when turning them back upright. On the first unit, we snagged one wheel and it easily ripped out of the fiberboard.)
Here’s a detailed shot of the casters. We installed the plastic brakes on all of the front wheels to keep them in place (though it probably isn’t totally necessary).
Next, I spent an hour or so filling up the drawers. This is going to be an evolving process as we figure out what we actually use and what we don’t. For instance, we probably don’t need this many t-squares, straight edges and triangles.
For now, I’ve dedicated one drawer to crafts, sewing and wrapping supplies. Obviously, I need to up my crafty inventory.
Another drawer became a home for paints, glues, tapes and cutting tools. Again, it’s probably more than we actually need so we’ll likely edit things down in the coming months.
I organized the drawers based loosely on their proximity to the future desk area (with more frequently used items within closer reach). This drawer is dedicated to writing/drawing utensils. I know, what are the Crayola crayons doing next to the more dignified Chartpaks and Prismacolors? Well, as a kid I always put “sharp-tip crayons” on my yearly Christmas list. It became a tradition, with each year promising a bigger and better box. At some point the tradition fizzled out and this is my last remaining box. In a way it seems silly to keep them, but I rationalized that it’s now only a matter of time before I’ll be coloring with our kiddo. (Wow, that’s almost as exciting to think about as having a reason to re-read the Harry Potter series!)
So wow, what’s a couple of architects to do with way too many sketch pencils and tech pens? It doesn’t seem right to get rid of them but we really haven’t used them in years. Although we still sketch, our graphite preferences have changed (Kyle likes the red ITOYAs and I’m a softie for the good old Dixon Ticonderogas). Maybe time to put together a care package for my youngest brother (who is a 2nd year architecture student)?
Ahh, I also unearthed the upper echelon of architecture school writing devices – Lamy fountain pens and those fat nubby lead holders (perfect for bold, I’m-a-badass sketching). A few of these even travelled through Europe with us nearly 10 years ago. Hello again friends.
Finally, a drawer dedicated to envelopes, stationary and general paper goods. We’ll eventually locate our printer in the loft (it’s been in the basement since we moved in) and it will be nice to finally have everything in one place.
On Saturday we also headed down to Earthwise Salvage in South Seattle. We’ve been on the hunt for some boards that could be used as a desktop in the loft and so after finding a Craigslist ad for some reclaimed fir boards, we revved up Orange Crush (our work truck) and went to check them out.
Seattle has a handful of salvage places and this one is by far the most eclectic.
See what I mean?
They also had a decent supply of building materials, mostly tubs, windows and old doors.
Hidden under a blue tarp, they also had a stash of reclaimed fir that came from an old brewery in Tacoma. We’ve been giving a lot of thought to what type of material we could use for the desktop in the loft. Ideally, it needed to a continuous length (the space is about 13′ wide) and thick enough that it could be supported on three sides so we could avoid any pesky legs or L-brackets. (Since the desk space will be multi-functional, we wanted to be able to easily switch between sewing, working on the laptop, etc. without banging a knee.)
So long story short, we culled through the stack and found the two best boards that were long enough and the same thickness. One is 14′ and the other 15′, so we’ll be trimming them down to fit into the space. The two boards will also be biscuited together to form a single desktop (similar to what we did with our kitchen island).
So how does one transport 14′-15′ boards? Tie-down straps.
Kyle looped one set through the roof of the cab, another at the end and a third in the middle. The set-up was solid and we had no problems getting them back home.
The boards will need to be trimmed (with extra care taken to prevent splitting) and sanded before they’re biscuited together and finally finished. It’s going to be a bit of a process, but we think they’ll clean up real nice. To create the floating look, we’ll likely use small steel angles (painted in our favorite gray primer) that are fastened to the wall framing. Project time!
studio loft: stolmenized
Last weekend Kyle and I went down to IKEA to take a closer look at the Stolmen drawer units that I wrote about a few weeks ago. We went on a Sunday evening, thinking it would be less busy. Yeah, just kidding…it was crazytown.
As is tradition when shopping at IKEA with Kyle, our first stop was the cafeteria. After devouring plates of meatballs and glasses of lingonberry juice (apparently I could eat 15 Swedish meatballs) we headed to bedroom wardrobes, but not before making a quick detour to look at cribs(!). I’ve been eying the new Sundvik style since my last trip to IKEA, which comes in a gray-brown (for some reason that color doesn’t show up on the website) and looks similar to the much more expensive Oeuf Sparrow crib. Well, similar enough when there’s a $600 price difference at stake. So even though it felt way too early, we agreed that we could just keep it in the box and return it if we found something we liked better. Unfortunately, when I went to look up the aisle and bin number the tag read “temporarily oversold”. Of course.
After a few more diversions, we finally made our way to the sparse and rather neglected Stolmen display. After about 45 seconds of deliberation we decided it was worth a shot and I tracked down an employee to look up the information. I could tell he was reluctant to design an entire wardrobe system so when I told him I only wanted three drawer units, he looked at me with a raised eyebrow but also let out a sigh of relief. It was Sunday night and he didn’t want to be there either.
One night last week (while Kyle played catch up on the first season of Downton Abbey) I went to town assembling the three units. (The boxes had to be opened in the living room and then Kyle handed the individual pieces up to me.) Overall, I’m happy with the quality and design. Because they’re designed for clothes, the drawers aren’t meant to hold a lot of weight, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most office and art/craft supplies. (By the way, who let that crazed racoon in the house?)
The big dilemma now is legs. Although they look ok sitting on the floor, I think they would look better at least 4″ above the floor. At this height, the units would also clear the base trim and sit flat against the wall. I’ve been looking (ok, dreaming) for a way to use hairpin legs somewhere in our house and originally I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. But after realizing how many I’d need (8 if the middle unit shared a pair of legs with the one next to it) the cost added up quickly. So I’m now brainstorming other, less expensive ideas.
We’re also looking into a few options for the desktop. What would you think about some reclaimed wood and steel? Yeah, I thought so. =)
Felix has been my little “helper” during this process – playing in the empty boxes, stealing hardware and getting all up in my business. Actually, he’s been especially “helpful” in general lately, so this picture is a good reminder that he does have his cute moments.
