I think I found my new home! - Page 69

frau kaleun · 06-25-13, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TarJak

Wash, rinse repeat?

Lol, I may skip step ten and just buy one bracket from Amazon.

Because I'm sure I can TOTALLY go to Amazon and just buy one thing and not spend a hundred dollars.

The good news is that the other cabinet with the long half shelf sits up against a wall, so I can screw the bracket into the back of it and not have to worry about putting some kind of framing in just to attach the shelf support.

Jimbuna · 06-25-13, 09:05 AM

Step ten: After fixing said shelf....don't dare put anything on it

Sailor Steve · 06-25-13, 10:14 AM

Look at it this way: Once all the projects are done

and life settles down to a boring routine, you'll always have that cool lightsa...flashlight to keep you entertained. You've also learned a valuable new lesson: Eye protection is important. Never shine the flashlight directly into your eyes without first putting the Jedi lampshade over your head.

AVGWarhawk · 06-25-13, 11:10 AM

Home ownership....the projects are never done. The is always something to paint, fix or replace.

frau kaleun · 06-25-13, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolferz

The gift card/s took one for the team, eh?

Like I have any gift cards left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Never shine the flashlight directly into your eyes without first putting the Jedi lampshade over your head.

I KNEW I BOUGHT THAT LAMP FOR A REASON!

Wolferz · 06-25-13, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Like I have any gift cards left.

Well, I figured as much but wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

I KNEW I BOUGHT THAT LAMP FOR A REASON!

Put that on and stretch out with your feelings. No, don't swing the lamp around.

It's not the flashlight you're looking for. Move along.

frau kaleun · 06-25-13, 09:01 PM

HOW TO *REALLY* FIX A SAGGING HALF SHELF IN A KITCHEN BASE CABINET INSTEAD OF WASTING AN EVENING SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY AT LOWE'S AND WATCHING TOP GEAR,
by Frau Kaleun

Saggy shelf is saggy. But first, I had to deal with the bare nails sticking out everywhere.

I don't know if they were originally supposed to be nailed into the shelf and cabinet frame or what, but whoever did the work missed all over the place... either that or someone ripped out what they were originally hammered into and just left them there. I found three of them sticking out like that just under the shelf and another in a back corner of the cabinet. Plus a couple that had already been bent back towards the back of the frame, so I did the same with these after an aborted attempt to snip them off flush. I figured if I did a bad job snipping I'd just end up with a more jagged thing that wasn't sticking out far enough to bend back, and trying to snip them while half laying down and half hunched up in the cupboard proved to be almost impossible anyway.

That bit of business taken care of, I proceeded to break out the stuff I bought to get the main job done.

Now you may ask yourself, how do I work this?
And you may ask yourself, what is that beautiful house?
You may ask yourself, am I right, am I wrong?
You may say to yourself, my god, what have I done?

But in that case you'd be singing a Talking Heads song, which is completely irrelevant to this story, even though it's a really really awesome song.

What you *should* be asking yourself is, what the heck does that wooden coat rack have to do with fixing a saggy cabinet shelf?

Well, the answer is - I decided that rather than use the bit of board I had, which would have to be cut to fit anyway, I'd look for a bit of board that was a similar size and was already finished and painted white so it would blend in with the existing cabinet innards. I knew that if I didn't I'd be looking at that raw bit of board every single time I opened the cabinet and kicking myself for using it because it would look so ugly up against the white cabinet back.

So I found this cheapo white wooden coat rack at Lowe's, and since the pegs were already falling out of half the ones on the shelf, I figured it would be suitable and all I'd have to do is wiggle the pegs a bit and they would just come right out.

WRONG!

The pegs on the one *I* bought were in there so tight that no amount of fiddling would get them out. I had to cut every single one of them off.

Good thing I needed to cut the board itself and so picked up that saw thingy.

Then it was time to measure the height of the existing side shelf supports and cut the board to match.

Now to get the bracket attached...

and wedge it into place under the middle of the shelf. But how to raise the shelf up enough while I push the support into place? What do I have a ready supply of, that could be used to form a pylon of the precise desired height, and then be easily shifted from one spot and/or height to another while I work on placing the makeshift frame and securing the bracket under the shelf?

Then I just needed to wedge myself into the cabinet again and apply a little elbow grease, and that was that!

Oh, and just for Jimbuna: what you see in that last picture is what we in the saggy shelf fixin' trade like to call "a buttload of cast iron." Don't know exactly how many pounds are sitting on there, but it's a fair amount, and so far, so good!

Sailor Steve · 06-25-13, 10:00 PM

I see the no-longer-saggy kitchen countertop has been temporarily converted into an on-the-spot workbench. Good job utilizing the tools at hand.

Wolferz · 06-26-13, 06:11 AM

Jimbuna · 06-26-13, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Oh, and just for Jimbuna: what you see in that last picture is what we in the saggy shelf fixin' trade like to call "a buttload of cast iron." Don't know exactly how many pounds are sitting on there, but it's a fair amount, and so far, so good!

LOL....my wife says "She's handier around the house than you are, besides, when was the last time you washed a pan to find out how heavy it was"?

AVGWarhawk · 06-26-13, 11:10 AM

Worked like a charm, Frau. Nice work.

Wolferz · 06-26-13, 11:48 AM

What would you do if you didn't have Idea Kitteh and a stack of books on odd subjects?

u crank · 06-26-13, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

HOW TO *REALLY* FIX A SAGGING HALF SHELF IN A KITCHEN BASE CABINET INSTEAD OF WASTING AN EVENING SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY AT LOWE'S AND WATCHING TOP GEAR,
by Frau Kaleun

You're hired. Can you start tomorrow?

Nice work and play by play commentary.

frau kaleun · 06-26-13, 09:46 PM

Thanks guys!

I am really focusing on the kitchen right now, obviously.

Went to Ikea tonight and picked up two of these

one of which will go on the wall above the sink and the other above the stove. Got two of these

to hang on the rail over the stove. I'm used to keeping small cooking needs - salt and pepper, etc. sitting on the upper ridge of the back of my stove but this newfangled model isn't flat but curvy which makes that habit problematic. Thus the little shelves, which will let me still keep that stuff handy without risking it falling onto the stovetop or (more likely) me knocking it over all the time. Or as much, anyway.

Got a third shelf for the rail that will go over the sink, plus one each of these:

The round one I can store my Oxo dish scrubber in when I'm not using it so it's not just laying in the sink. The other one I figure I can use for the bottle of dish soap and whatever other cleansers I use all the time at the sink. Both those containers have solid bottoms but a drainage insert at the bottom so they should do nicely for storing items that are frequently wet, I'll just need to remember to wash out the insides once in a while.

The shelf I can put hand soap on and maybe a dish scrubbie, I dunno. Anyway it'll get all that clutter off the counter around the sink while still keeping it handy for everyday use.

The one over the stove will be just a matter of measuring and marking and putting it up, the one over the sink will be more complicated since I'll have to take down the paper towel holder that's already up there - which I would do anyway, so no great loss there - but I'll have to spackle the holes where it's mounted and maybe dab some paint on there after it dries. Or maybe it'll dry just the right shade of white and blend in with the rest of the wall, we'll see.

Then I'll need to take down the flourescent light that is mounted under the cabinet and put my own paper towel holder up there, and put some new lighting up. Already ordered a wireless LED lightstrip for that but won't have it til Monday and I don't want to mount the towel holder until I know where the light will go since both will be mounted under the cabinet.

But I should be able to put a full roll of towels on the holder and just hold it up there to give me some idea of how high or low I should place the rail on the wall.

So I may still get that done this weekend. But I'll probably do the one over the stove first anyway, so who knows.

OTOH if I want to buy a new fridge before my 10% discount card expires in mid July, I also need to pull the fridge out and at least measure back there and I want to clean back there and possibly tear the baseboard off and clean and paint the newly exposed wall... and that will take a while. Doesn't have to be a perfect job, if I rip that baseboard off it'll only be because I want to put a larger fridge in the space and that means none of the exposed wall will be exposed for long, so I dunno. Another "we'll see" project.

TarJak · 06-26-13, 11:37 PM

I'm more interested in the titles of some of them books. Looks like you've got some interesting philosopical reading done.

06-25-13, 09:05 AM	#1022
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 191,447 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Step ten: After fixing said shelf....don't dare put anything on it __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

06-25-13, 10:14 AM	#1023
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Look at it this way: Once all the projects are done and life settles down to a boring routine, you'll always have that cool lightsa...flashlight to keep you entertained. You've also learned a valuable new lesson: Eye protection is important. Never shine the flashlight directly into your eyes without first putting the Jedi lampshade over your head. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

06-25-13, 11:10 AM	#1024
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,303 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Home ownership....the projects are never done. The is always something to paint, fix or replace. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

06-25-13, 10:00 PM	#1028
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	I see the no-longer-saggy kitchen countertop has been temporarily converted into an on-the-spot workbench. Good job utilizing the tools at hand. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

06-26-13, 06:11 AM	#1029
Wolferz Navy Seal Join Date: May 2007 Location: On a mighty quest for the Stick of Truth Posts: 5,963 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	__________________ Tomorrow never comes

06-25-13, 09:01 PM	#1027
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	HOW TO REALLY FIX A SAGGING HALF SHELF IN A KITCHEN BASE CABINET INSTEAD OF WASTING AN EVENING SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY AT LOWE'S AND WATCHING TOP GEAR, by Frau Kaleun Saggy shelf is saggy. But first, I had to deal with the bare nails sticking out everywhere. I don't know if they were originally supposed to be nailed into the shelf and cabinet frame or what, but whoever did the work missed all over the place... either that or someone ripped out what they were originally hammered into and just left them there. I found three of them sticking out like that just under the shelf and another in a back corner of the cabinet. Plus a couple that had already been bent back towards the back of the frame, so I did the same with these after an aborted attempt to snip them off flush. I figured if I did a bad job snipping I'd just end up with a more jagged thing that wasn't sticking out far enough to bend back, and trying to snip them while half laying down and half hunched up in the cupboard proved to be almost impossible anyway. That bit of business taken care of, I proceeded to break out the stuff I bought to get the main job done. Now you may ask yourself, how do I work this? And you may ask yourself, what is that beautiful house? You may ask yourself, am I right, am I wrong? You may say to yourself, my god, what have I done? But in that case you'd be singing a Talking Heads song, which is completely irrelevant to this story, even though it's a really really awesome song. What you should be asking yourself is, what the heck does that wooden coat rack have to do with fixing a saggy cabinet shelf? Well, the answer is - I decided that rather than use the bit of board I had, which would have to be cut to fit anyway, I'd look for a bit of board that was a similar size and was already finished and painted white so it would blend in with the existing cabinet innards. I knew that if I didn't I'd be looking at that raw bit of board every single time I opened the cabinet and kicking myself for using it because it would look so ugly up against the white cabinet back. So I found this cheapo white wooden coat rack at Lowe's, and since the pegs were already falling out of half the ones on the shelf, I figured it would be suitable and all I'd have to do is wiggle the pegs a bit and they would just come right out. WRONG! The pegs on the one I bought were in there so tight that no amount of fiddling would get them out. I had to cut every single one of them off. Good thing I needed to cut the board itself and so picked up that saw thingy. Then it was time to measure the height of the existing side shelf supports and cut the board to match. Now to get the bracket attached... and wedge it into place under the middle of the shelf. But how to raise the shelf up enough while I push the support into place? What do I have a ready supply of, that could be used to form a pylon of the precise desired height, and then be easily shifted from one spot and/or height to another while I work on placing the makeshift frame and securing the bracket under the shelf? Then I just needed to wedge myself into the cabinet again and apply a little elbow grease, and that was that! Oh, and just for Jimbuna: what you see in that last picture is what we in the saggy shelf fixin' trade like to call "a buttload of cast iron." Don't know exactly how many pounds are sitting on there, but it's a fair amount, and so far, so good!

06-26-13, 11:10 AM	#1031
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,303 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Worked like a charm, Frau. Nice work. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

06-26-13, 11:48 AM	#1032
Wolferz Navy Seal Join Date: May 2007 Location: On a mighty quest for the Stick of Truth Posts: 5,963 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	What would you do if you didn't have Idea Kitteh and a stack of books on odd subjects? __________________ Tomorrow never comes

06-26-13, 09:46 PM	#1034
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	Thanks guys! I am really focusing on the kitchen right now, obviously. Went to Ikea tonight and picked up two of these one of which will go on the wall above the sink and the other above the stove. Got two of these to hang on the rail over the stove. I'm used to keeping small cooking needs - salt and pepper, etc. sitting on the upper ridge of the back of my stove but this newfangled model isn't flat but curvy which makes that habit problematic. Thus the little shelves, which will let me still keep that stuff handy without risking it falling onto the stovetop or (more likely) me knocking it over all the time. Or as much, anyway. Got a third shelf for the rail that will go over the sink, plus one each of these: The round one I can store my Oxo dish scrubber in when I'm not using it so it's not just laying in the sink. The other one I figure I can use for the bottle of dish soap and whatever other cleansers I use all the time at the sink. Both those containers have solid bottoms but a drainage insert at the bottom so they should do nicely for storing items that are frequently wet, I'll just need to remember to wash out the insides once in a while. The shelf I can put hand soap on and maybe a dish scrubbie, I dunno. Anyway it'll get all that clutter off the counter around the sink while still keeping it handy for everyday use. The one over the stove will be just a matter of measuring and marking and putting it up, the one over the sink will be more complicated since I'll have to take down the paper towel holder that's already up there - which I would do anyway, so no great loss there - but I'll have to spackle the holes where it's mounted and maybe dab some paint on there after it dries. Or maybe it'll dry just the right shade of white and blend in with the rest of the wall, we'll see. Then I'll need to take down the flourescent light that is mounted under the cabinet and put my own paper towel holder up there, and put some new lighting up. Already ordered a wireless LED lightstrip for that but won't have it til Monday and I don't want to mount the towel holder until I know where the light will go since both will be mounted under the cabinet. But I should be able to put a full roll of towels on the holder and just hold it up there to give me some idea of how high or low I should place the rail on the wall. So I may still get that done this weekend. But I'll probably do the one over the stove first anyway, so who knows. OTOH if I want to buy a new fridge before my 10% discount card expires in mid July, I also need to pull the fridge out and at least measure back there and I want to clean back there and possibly tear the baseboard off and clean and paint the newly exposed wall... and that will take a while. Doesn't have to be a perfect job, if I rip that baseboard off it'll only be because I want to put a larger fridge in the space and that means none of the exposed wall will be exposed for long, so I dunno. Another "we'll see" project.

06-26-13, 11:37 PM	#1035
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	I'm more interested in the titles of some of them books. Looks like you've got some interesting philosopical reading done.