If you are like most people today, your single most valuable asset is your home. Your home is your castle and in today’s uncertain financial conditions, it’s the safest place to invest your hard earned dollars. With unemployment on the rise few people can afford to hire professional to make all the improvements that they would like to make to their homes but what everyone can afford to invest is a little “sweat equity,” if I can borrow the title of one of my favorite shows on the DIY Network, in their homes. Most people will be surprised at how many major improvements they can make themselves at a fraction of the cost of having a professional contractor do it. This is just the first in a series of articles that will help you make those improvements on your home. That’s my primary objective in writing these articles. My secondary objective is to help you build up your tool kit job by job.
A couple of years ago, a young couple that I met while teaching an Adult Ed class bought their first home. It had been built during the post Second World War housing boom and looked like every other house on the block and they wanted to make it uniquely their own so I took the lessons out of the classroom and into their home and helped them make their house into a home and I hope to do that for you too. The two room most often remodeled are the kitchen and the bathroom because these are the two remodels that increase the market value of a home the most so we started there. We started in the kitchen with simple, easy projects that a beginner could complete successfully. With each project they built their skill level until even the most difficult project became easy for them. We will do the same here.
They had already painted their kitchen’s walls and ceiling but they were still plain and unattractive. To add a little pizzazz to the walls we decided to install bead board and a chair rail. Beadboard has been used in homes to add beauty and protection to walls since the 1600s and with the invention of the milling machine in the mid 1800s it became an affordable option to every home builder and remodeler. This improvement was a simple project that was well within the skill level they had displayed in class.
The tools that you will need for this project
If, like the young couple I mentioned earlier, you are just starting out as do-it-yourselfer and have few tools you can expect to make a sizable investment at this time. Before I list the tools that you will need and you rush out to buy them I want to advise you to buy the best tools that your budget will allow, especially where power tools are concerned. Buying good tools is a sound investment because they will, with the proper care, last you a lifetime and good tools are a true joy to use. With a little judicious shopping around you can get some professional grade power tools at a very reasonable cost. Once you become familiar with power tools and know what to look for you can even save more money by buying used and reconditioned tools. For this project you will need
· A drill/driver
· Set of twist drill bits
· A jig saw
· A 10” table saw
· A 10” compound miter saw
· A Dremel multimax tool
· Brad nailer w/compressor
· Hand coping saw
· Compass
· Utility knife
· Nail set
· Caulking gun
· Combination square
· 25’ locking tape measure
· Block plane
· 16oz claw hammer
· 2 foot level and a
· 4 foot level
The supplies that you will need for this project are
· Beadboard wainscoting
· Cap molding
· Shoe molding
· Cap rail
· Ogee molding
· Baseboard molding
· 4d finishing nails
· 6d finishing nails
· ¾” brads and
· Construct adhesive
Doors, windows and floors
The trickiest part of this remodel is handling the cuts where the Beadboard, cap rail, cap moldings, etc meet doors, windows and floors. When cap rails meet windows and doors they should overlap. The overlap should extend the width of the rail minus the thickness of the casing. Where the Beadboard meets the “horn” of a “stool” notch out the back of the “horn” where it meets the wall and slip the Beadboard behind it.
Let the remodel begin
1. Begin by cutting all the beadboards to length. The standard height of Beadboard is 36” from the finished floor so begin by cutting all the Beadboards to length using the power miter saw. If your kitchen has a 4” baseboard cut the Beadboards to 32” because you will be seating the Beadboard on top of the baseboard reveal.
2. Using the 4 foot level, locate the floors highest point along the walls. At this point place a cut piece of Beadboard vertically and mark a line on the wall. Starting at this point with the 4 foot level scribe a layout line around the whole room.
3. Begin the installation at a corner of the room, preferably an outside corner. Rip cut two pieces of Beadboard on your table saw with the blade set to cut a 45 degree miter. Assemble those two pieces using construction adhesive and brads. Place the assembled corner piece against the wall, using shims, if necessary, to make it plumb vertically. Check it for plumb using the 2 foot level. Once plumb, toe nail it in place through both tongues using 4d finishing nails to hold it firmly in place while the construction adhesive dries. TIP: When installing Beadboard begin the installation where it will be most noticeable and finish it where it will be least noticeable.
4. Apply the construction adhesive to the wall in 2 foot strips spaced about 6” apart starting a couple of inches below your layout line.
5. Slip each length of Beadboard in place, matching tongue to groove and aligning the top of each section with the layout line.
6. Press each board tightly into the adhesive and toe nail in place through its tongue at the top and bottom ends. If using a hammer, drill pilot holes before nailing to keep from splitting the boards. Countersink the finishing nails using the nail set. If the board is bowed you will need to nail it in the center to force it tight against the wall. Check for plumb after every third or fourth board. TIP: Use the construction adhesive sparingly. Too much adhesive loses its ability to hold the boards in place once it skims over.
7. Carefully notch the Beadboard to fit around outlet boxes using the combination square to scribe the cut lines and then use the jig saw with a metal cutting blade to cut the notch. A metal cutting blade is less apt to chip out then a wood cutting blade.
8. When you come to within 2 feet of a door casing measure the distance from the top and from the bottom ends of the Beadboard and the door casing. If there is a difference in these two measurements, gradually fan out the Beadboard until they become parallel with the door casing. Dry fit (no adhesive on wall) the last two full width pieces and then measure the distance between these pieces and the door casing. Cut the remaining piece of Beadboard to this width on your table saw.
9. Apply adhesive to the wall and install all three pieces as one piece. When installing these pieces place the tongue of the first piece into the grove of the next and the piece tight against the door casing. If the cut was made properly the pieces will be bowed outward in the center assuring a tight fit when it is forced against the wall. To insure a really tight, professional looking fit, cut a back bevel along the edge touching the casing using the block plane.
10. When all the Beadboard is in place you are ready to cut the cap rail to length. In the real world few wall form perfect 90 degree angles at their corners. The easiest way to cut the cap rail so it makes perfect corners is to overlap the two pieces and mark each side of where the upper piece overlaps the lower piece.
11. Remove the upper rail while holding the marked rail in place against the top of the Beadboard and against the wall. Using the combination square connect the outer end of the outer most line to the inner end of the inner most line marking the angle of the miter cut. After carefully cutting this section of cap rail use it to mark and cut the angle on the matching section of cap rail.
12. Start by fitting cap rail between all inside corners. Miter and glue all joints and then toe nail to the top of the Beadboard with 4d finishing nails every six inches.
13. Attach the Ogee molding to the underside of the cap rail beginning with the inside corners. On the inside corner joints use coped cuts to insure tight fitting joints. Secure in place with ¾” brads.
14. Use the same procedure for installing the base molding.
15. Finally, replace all the receptacle covers and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
RESOURCES
Harbor Freight (one of my favorite places to buy tools) http://www.harborfreight.com/
Lowes http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=home
