My wife started a "Honey-do" Pinterest board a couple of days ago. We are converting our spare back bedroom into a craft room for her, and she wanted to start a board of things she might need to get the ball rolling!
One of the things on the list was a ribbon storage shelf. I opened up the pin and checked it out. It gave me some dimensions, so I saved it. I made a shopping list and planned on hitting up Lowe's on the way home from work the next day.
But then...
As I was finishing up the Custom Serving Tray project, I stumbled across a bathroom storage cabinet that I had in my workshop. I got it for $5 at a garage sale and I planned on possibly using it for my daughter's kitchen (check out the blog entry!). But alas, it never panned out for that project... So, I held on to it and it's been collecting dust in the corner for over a year.
That could work...
I took out my measuring tape and checked the dimensions of the cabinet I had. Luckily enough, it'll work! It deviates from the dimensions from the shelf on Pinterest, but the overall shape is the same! In fact, it's going to be a little bigger, so it can fit MORE ribbon!
BONUS!
But, I have to confess, it wasn't in the best shape right off the bat...
As you can see, there was some definite water damage on the bottom of the piece and the lower part of the rear panel.
I have a small leak in my workshop that I've since corrected (bucket lol), so some water must've found it's way to the cabinet. No big deal! At least I can still use the bones!
First, I peeled the rotten board off the back of the cabinet. It was secured to the rear using staples, so I used my firm putty knife and a flat-head screwdriver to peel off the backing and remove the staples. This worked really well!
I also went ahead and removed the bottom shelf of the cabinet; it was dirty and actually starting to "bubble" from the water damage...
Much better!
The rest of the parts looked to be in good shape, so they get to stay! On to the shelves!
I decided on using 3/4" whiteboard to create the shelves (surprise surprise).
I started with the bottom shelf and screwed it on each side using 1.25" nails. Definitely had to be careful to screw through the board ONLY and not come out the side or crack the wood. I didn't worry about paint because I'll paint the whole piece down after it's assembled.
The plans had the shelves spaced out every 4.75 inches. But, because of the hinges, I had to work around them in some cases, resulting in a little deviation.
NO BIG DEAL!
It's still going to serve the same purpose, and the slight difference in the shelf spacing may help my wife with organizing her ribbon, maybe from smallest to largest?
Who knows...
The shelves were all made from a single 3/4" board: the length of each shelf was about 23-in by 5.5" wide. After cutting each plank to length with my miter saw, I screwed each shelf into the side of the cabinet with the 1.25" screws.
To the front!
All of the plans I searched online had a ledge in the front on each shelf to keep the ribbon from rolling outwards. Even though I have doors on the cabinet, I figured it was better safe than sorry!
So, I added a 1" strip of 3/4" whiteboard to the shelves using wood glue and clamping them to dry overnight. A couple of the shelves, because of where I positioned them, didn't need ledges, so added bonus there!
After letting the wood glue dry overnight, the clamps came off and all the bare wood got a thorough sanding to remove splinters and round the sharp edges!
Next, I turned my attention to the backer board...
My wife really wanted bead-board on the back; she said it was "cute." I was just going to attach it to the wall and let the wall behind be the background color. She didn't care for that idea... But hey, what do I know? So, I picked up some bead-board at the hardware store and brought it home. After cutting it to size (approx 28" X 36), I fastened it to the back of the piece using a staple gun with extra long staples. The staples had some difficulty driving in all the way, so I helped them a little using my hammer.
I did one final sanding with my palm sander on all the bare wood and wiped the entire piece down with a wet rag to remove the dust.
On to paint!
I removed the doors and door hardware to prep for paint...
I decided to use French Cream colored spray paint with a matte finish for the entire piece. I sprayed every part of the cabinet with multiple layers of paint, being mindful of any drips! I let the cabinet and the doors dry for 24 hours before handling them!
The color looks fantastic! The nice, even coat of paint covered extremely well! Now that it's fully dried, it's time for reassembly!
I reinstalled the door hardware first. I also replaced the gel "stoppers" on the corners of the doors (the old ones were gross and discolored). I had to adjust the doors a little bit to make sure that they matched up well when reinstalling them to the cabinet. The final step was putting the doorknobs back on the piece!
It's DONE! And it looks beautiful!
I showed my wife, and she fell in love with it instantly. She couldn't believe I got it done in 2 days!
*shoulder brush*
In fact, she wanted it hung up immediately so she could start putting away ribbon!
Because this is a heavy piece, only securing it using the backing seemed a little dangerous. So, I went ahead and installed a cross-plank to go underneath the cabinet for it to rest. I used a level to install the plank; it's screwed directly into the wall studs.
After installing the support plank, I put 4 screws into the bead-board backing with washers for added security. I also put in 2 diagonal nails as a fail-safe directly into the studs; one came from the top straight into the cabinet, while the other came from inside the cabinet bottom shelf and screwed directly into the wall stud.
It didn't take long for my wife to start filling it up with ribbon!
Not only that, but she knows she has more. She just has to find it!
*heavy breathing*
I love making things for my wife. She appreciates everything I make and she only asks for things for herself if she really needs them. Usually, she's only thinking about others or our daughter. But, judging by the amount of ribbon she has, I can safely say that she needed this one!
I really want my wife to have a space of her own in our house to do some crafting and other things that she enjoys to do. After all, I have my workshop that she could have easily turned into storage or something else. But, she graciously let me have my space, and I feel like I want to return the favor.
So, for the next couple weeks, we are going to be cleaning out the back bedroom of all the clutter and turning it into her dream space! Along the way, she'll be getting ideas for custom pieces she may need to make it more functional and to make it her own.
That's where I come in! I'll be taking those orders in and getting them done!
Having your own space is so therapeutic, especially if it's organized and clean. Everything has a spot, and you can keep track of what you have and what you need. Projects get done faster, and it's just overall more fun! I am very fortunate to have this luxury. In fact, this project would not have gotten done so quickly if I didn't know what I had in my workshop, or if I didn't have a workshop at all!
So stay tuned for more craft-room projects in the coming weeks!
-Kevin
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