Studio progress and bench decision

Yesterday, I shared three concepts I had for creating an extra-long bench to cowl my 19.5-foot wall within the studio, and also you guys had some tremendous artistic concepts for me! My thoughts is spinning with all of the completely different concepts and in the long run I made a decision to make use of wooden flooring to create the countertop.

There have been a number of explanation why I made a decision to go together with this selection. First, I’ve achieved this earlier than, so I do know it would work. I used 3/4 inch purple oak hardwood flooring to make the countertop in our pantry.

So there will probably be no guesswork or trial and error with this. I’ve already achieved this and it turned out nice, and I’ve my outdated weblog posts to refer again to so I can refresh my reminiscence on the method. You possibly can see how I made these counter tops right here.

The second purpose I made a decision to make use of hardwood flooring as a countertop is as a result of the result’s a sturdy stable hardwood floor at a fraction of the price of butcher block. I will in all probability go together with unfinished maple for studio counter tops, and that is about $6.30/sq ft. That is about $283.50 for the 19.5-foot lengthy bench, after which I will want to purchase plywood for the substrate. However even with that, I am nonetheless taking a look at underneath $500 for a 19.5-foot wooden bench.

The third purpose is apparent – no seams or straight joints. That was my major concern with utilizing butcher blocks or laminate. Whether or not I’ve one seam or joint within the center, or two displaced seams or joints, they might trouble me anyway. I simply needed one thing to look as a stable, unbroken floor.

And the ultimate purpose is that it may be constructed on website. There are a number of countertop choices that should be constructed elsewhere after which put in place. And the instance could be the butcherblock-style countertop I made for the corridor tub.

This bench is product of stable 2 x 3 pine glued and screwed collectively after which lower to dimension. I needed to construct it the other way up (utilizing my entrance porch as a workbench) and as soon as it was assembled I turned it over, lower it to dimension and introduced it inside and put it in place.

Now think about doing this with a bench 6 meters lengthy. 😀 Yeah, that may be not possible.

So creating my very own butcher bench utilizing this technique was by no means an choice for the studio. I wanted one thing that may very well be in-built place and by no means wanted to be picked up, carried and put in place.

The profitable thought, and the one with which I felt extra assured and relaxed, is to construct a countertop utilizing wooden flooring over a plywood substrate. And now that I’ve determined, I am actually enthusiastic about it. I simply have to resolve on the precise wooden species I need to use. I am fairly positive I do not need to use purple oak. I’ve had my fill of purple oak, since it is the hardwood flooring all through the home, and that is what I used on the countertop within the pantry. To get the countertop colour I needed to bleach the wooden to take away the purple/pink tones. I want I might skip this step by deciding on a wooden that does not have that purple/pink hue. I believe I lowered it to white oak and maple.

In different information, I am lastly going to begin portray the checkerboard design on the ground right now. I’ve every part prepped, taped and able to go. So by Monday I ought to have this a part of the ground achieved and able to present you guys!

I am so excited to see actual progress on this room! It has been a very long time coming, and it is so enjoyable to lastly see my imaginative and prescient come to life.