Category Archives: Small Projects Around the House

Microwave Stand

Finally, an end to the MICROWAVE MADNESS!  The microwave on the countertop has been a topic of conversation since the day we moved into this house.  We really don’t like losing all of that counter space, but there haven’t been many options for places to move it.  If we had designed this kitchen ourselves, we would have chosen a microwave range hood above the stove, or integrated into the cabinets.  However, the previous homeowners decided to go with a decorative range hood, which we actually like, and must have liked having the microwave on the counter.

This brings us to our latest project: building a microwave stand!  Lucky for us, when the previous homeowners did renovate this kitchen, they were kind enough to leave the granite remnant from the sink hole.  For this project, I set out to use that piece of granite to build a microwave stand, to be placed in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen.  The first step: cutting the granite.

I fitted my circular saw with a masonry blade and cut it down in size.  Personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended…along with a hat since I waited until December in Minnesota to do this project:

The granite remnant after I cut off the edges, but before the edges were professionally polished. This thing weighed a good 70 lbs!

After making the cuts, I debated learning to bevel and polish the edges myself, or hire a pro to do it for me.  It would have cost me around $110 to buy a bevel wheel and all of the necessary grit sand paper to use on my angle grinder.  I called around to a few granite shops in town to get quotes, and found one that was willing to do the work for $80 cash.  Easy decision.  I went with the pros.  Also for this project, I bought oak hardwood and rented a miter saw to ensure I had perfect cuts.

The granite is very heavy so I used screws to fasten the wood together, then covered up the holes with wood putty.

George watched as I painted the wood:

Finally, I needed to cut some hardwood floor remnants that Sara’s parents gave us a while back to use for the shelving.  My dad was able to help make those cuts when we visited Iowa for Christmas.  His radial-arm saw is able to rip hardwood length-wise, which is something none of my current tools can handle.

Both my Dad and I make the same face when we’re intensely focused!

For the stain, I used the same black cherry from other woodworking projects around the house, including the banquette, front bench and banisters.  And here’s how it looks finished:

Now, our microwave has a home, our kitchen counter is spacious once again, and we have another piece of hand-crafted furniture that continues to tie together our home.

Thanks for reading!
-Mike

First Attempt at Wainscoting

I call this my first attempt at wainscoting, but to be honest, I should really call it my first attempt at making faux wood paneling that lines the lower part of a wall, because I didn’t learn about the word “wainscoting” until we had finished and I sat down to write this blog post.  Sara saw this project done on another blog a couple of years ago and thought it could help give texture to this wall in the first bathroom we renovated:

It’s been two years since we renovated this bathroom.  We re-tiled the shower and floor, upgraded to a quartz vanity top and painted the walls with the Behr color Seagull Gray in a satin finish. The project also involved removing a mirror cabinet on the wall opposite the vanity, which after finishing the project, left that wall feeling very empty.

Rather than installing paneling across the entire bottom half of the wall, I wanted to try a simpler approach: strips of pine trim.  I bought two 8 foot lengths and 5 pieces that were 4 feet in length.  I used primer before painting in a semi-gloss ultra white.  The primer helps keep pine sap from seeping through the paint later on.

Before I could nail the trim to the wall, I first needed to do a little more drywall work.  When I remodeled this bathroom, I replaced the drywall where the recessed mirror/cabinet used to be using the same 1/2″ concrete backer board I used behind the tiles in the shower.  However, the drywall in the rest of the bathroom is 5/8″.  This 1/8″ difference is quite noticeable on the finished wall, and would be even more evident with the wainscoting.

Photo from 2015 renovation shows hole for old mirror/cabinet. Drywall was replaced a couple of feet out from the tub with 1/2″ concrete backer board.

A few thick coats of drywall mud did the trick.  Flat surface!

I used a trim nail gun to put the wood in place.  The vertical pieces are just under 4′ in length.

I used moulding caulk to fill in the nail holes and also around the edges of the wood.  A quick sanding with fine-grit sandpaper, before painting the whole bottom half of the wall with ultra-white semi-gloss paint.  (3 coats did the trick)

The finishing touch:  3 hooks mounted using drywall anchors.

Finally, the before and after:

Oh yeah, we also replaced the door knob.