Project BackBreaker - house

[slammmed]

After a year in our house(damn I can't believe its been that long) I finally decided to tackle the office/laundry room that the wife had been wanting to do.

Plans are pretty simple, new tile, install new cabinets, a laundry folding/sorting station and a two station desk system.

I started taking pics after I started emptying the office. Time to just jump right in I reckon.

1.General shots of the area, showing how ugly it is. The previous owner half assed a LOT of things. This was one of the areas where it really shows.

1.a - entry way into area http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=886&stc=1&d=1213010309

1.b - to the right when you walk in - note. the tile doesnt go into the laundray area *rollseyes* - http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=887&stc=1&d=1213010309

1.c - desk area. this is where the two work stations will be -
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=888&stc=1&d=1213010309

[slammmed]

Here are a few of the examples of the high quality installation from the previous owner.


bah.. we dont need whole tiles...
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=889&stc=1&d=1213010537

We dont need to clean up our trowel lines either.....
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=890&stc=1&d=1213010537

if we leave the tile spacers IN we don't have to use as much grout!... GENIUS!!!

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=891&stc=1&d=1213010537

[slammmed]

this is my messy wiring/media rack that distributes audio/video throughout the house. This is being moved to over the laundry station once the new washer/dryer is in.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=892&stc=1&d=1213010800

Here is the top shelf.... looks normal right?
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=893&stc=1&d=1213010800

to me... it looked a little off level... lets double check if my eyes are deciving.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=894&stc=1&d=1213010897

[slammmed]

Time to start ripping the tile out.. The hammer and chisel method works prtty good but leaves alot of thinset left over.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=895&stc=1&d=1213011023

Tools of my amateur trade.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=896&stc=1&d=1213011042

Here is my solution to the thin set morter removal... yay for home projects which mean new tools.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=897&stc=1&d=1213011061

[slammmed]

Proper safety equipment is they key...

Hand safety
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=898&stc=1&d=1213011246

Thinset dust contains silica something or other that is known to cause cancer if breathed in over a period of time. so dust mask is imperative.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=899&stc=1&d=1213011246

and of course proper footwear is imperative in south florida.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=900&stc=1&d=1213011246

[zxtwou2]

damn..i'd come give you a hand if i could afford to take off work!

[slammmed]

After being half way through I remembered I bought a roofing shovel at home depot for $3 on clearance one day. It has a fork like high gauge steel front and a petal bracket on the back for leveraging up. I thought that this might help me with removing the tile... damn did it ever. Here is a shot of how I used it.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=901&stc=1&d=1213011538


Here it is sans tile.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=902&stc=1&d=1213011605

Now its time for some touch up painting. We painted the walls blue when we moved in so those were left to just touch ups. The ceiling however never got painted. And I never realized how bad it really was untill I through some white paint on it.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=903&stc=1&d=1213011669


I had a little supervisor that, true to management form, doesn't responsibility for nothing.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=904&stc=1&d=1213012071

[slammmed]

Now onto laying the tile.

We chose a 16x16" ceramic tile that has a pattern similar to travertine. Managed to get it on clearance at home depot for $0.62 a sq ft
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=905&stc=1&d=1213012332

I decided to do it right and tile all the way to the back where the washer/dryer is. The previous owner only tiled one tile back. That area is receiving new coat of paint tonight.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=906&stc=1&d=1213012415

Here the tile is completely laid.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=907&stc=1&d=1213012501

[slammmed]

Onto the cabinets. You can see in one of the first pictures the white cabinets that we are installing. We bought one originally to test the layout,color,design,etc..

We decided to go with the home depot distinctions line. They are build it yourself particle board cabinets. Not the best but for the money they are great cabinets. We ended up spending about $1100 on cabinets. Considering this is essentially the same as doing an entire kitchen I think it was a good deal. By assembling the cabinets myself I save on average $40 a cabinet vs the prebuilt ones at lowes multiply that by the 14 cabinets im installing and I figured it'd be worth it to build it myself.

Here is an example of them installed.
http://www.distinctionscabinetry.com/PublishingImages/RoomScenes/RS_r_WickfordArcticWhite.jpg


Man I love my truck. I had already started emptying the truck before I snapped this picture.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=908&stc=1&d=1213012927

Here you can see the amount of door packs we have. It's gonna be fun assembling all these lol. The wife figured while we were at it might as well upgrade the bathroom vanity.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=909&stc=1&d=1213013250

Here it all is waiting to be assembled, toe kicks, wall and base cabinets, doors, etc..
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=910&stc=1&d=1213013099

That's all for now. Tonight I grout, tomorrow I paint the inside of the laundry area and start the prepwork to hang the wall cabinets.

[Buster]

Yeah, scraping up old flooring is a PAIN. When I re-rid our second bathroom, it took me 3 1/2 days of scraping and chiseling and a few hours to put the new tiles down. :D

It's always worth it when the job is done though.

Can't wait to see the final look.

[Sir William]

Can't wait to see the finished product..

Looked like you had a good sweat goin there!!!

[McG35]

I did far to much of this kind of thing at my mom's house. She bought a house built in 1959 and was rented for 30 years.... The bathroom was 100% tired except for the ceiling, had a cast iron tub they must have got in before the walls were up and 75% of the piping cracked or broke when we removed the sink/tub. Beating stuff off walls is fun until you get tired...

ANYWAY, looks awesome and i hope the rest of the project works well for you

[slammmed]

yup thats about how old this house is. Fortunately for us it has had some upgrades and was built rather well.

I got about half of the grouting done last night before calling it quits. I dont know how people do this tile stuff for a living. between the sweat, the sand from the grout, the constant mess... im considering this to probably be the largest tiling job i'll do again lol. I was going to do the flooring in our condo but at the $2 sq ft home depot charges for install i'll just pay them to do it

[daveyfx]

Looked like you had a good sweat goin there!!!

Dude. Brian sweats just thinking about manual labor.

[slammmed]

Dude. Brian sweats just thinking about manual labor.

so true :( thank god for cold beer.

[slammmed]

okay got the tile grouted, sealed and the laundry area painted.


http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=979&stc=1&d=1213378987
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=980&stc=1&d=1213378987

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=981&stc=1&d=1213378987


got the two base cabinets built for the outer edges of the desk area.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=982&stc=1&d=1213378987

Got the first cabinet installed. As you can see I have the 1.75" x 3" on the wall levelled out as my alignment guide. I use this in combination with shims to ensure I end up with level cabinets.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=983&stc=1&d=1213378987

yay for more tools. This along with the new hammer drill will come in handy. It's ryobi which is, so so quality but for the price and the minimal use I put it through its hard to justify the best for everything.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=984&stc=1&d=1213378987

My faithful assistant who is constantly stealing objects from the job site. If it isn't carpenty pencils, its sponges.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=985&stc=1&d=1213379276

[Mike]

Love the progress...keep it up. :)

[slammmed]

thanks its been a tough process, I forgot how hard tiling was. I also realized I am WAY too picky on things.

[slammmed]

okay more updates. Got all of the cabinets installed this weekend. Need to finish putting hte doors on and aligning the doors.

Here I am done with the right side and half way done with the left side
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1007&stc=1&d=1213624419

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1008&stc=1&d=1213624419

Right side all up.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1009&stc=1&d=1213624065

Here's how I installed them, First I installed a support 1.75x 3" as level as I could. I then installed the corner cabinet as perfectly level as I could. I then was able to put the cabinet on the support piece, use two bar clamps to secure it in place next to the first cabinet.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1010&stc=1&d=1213624065

Once they were clamped together I used 1.50" drywall screws to secure the cabinets together. This helps distribut the weight amongst all the cabinets. If you place the screw between the holes for the hinges you won't see these when you put everything together. which results in a nice clean look.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1011&stc=1&d=1213624065

Normally one would use #10 trusshead screws with a finishing washer. Unfortunately because These walls are concrete block with wood slats and drywall the trusshead screws would sheer before securing tight. My solution was to use hurricane rated tapcons. I figured if they are good enough to withstand 150mph winds then they should hold a cabinet. They are actually thicker and have a larger washer head than a finishing washer.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1012&stc=1&d=1213624065

Here is everything together on the wall. The base cabinets are in their final resting place. Pending the install of countertops I will shim accordingly and secure them to the wall.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1013&stc=1&d=1213624065

you cant see it in this picture but there is another 12" cabinet to the right to finalize the two workstations with a single solid countertop.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1014&stc=1&d=1213624065

Here is where I am building a matching melanine bookcase. it will be as wide as the gap and floor to wall cabinet.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1015&stc=1&d=1213624065

Here it is looking torwards the outside. We decided to leave the doors off of the middle cabinet to break the cabinets up.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1016&stc=1&d=1213624065


Thats all for now. I am picking up the countertops tonight, and installing them tomorrow.

hopefully this gives inspiration to others, its rather simple to do. If anyone wants more detailed pictures lemme know.

[Buster]

That looks GREAT. Good job.

Glad you remembered to seal the grout. I sealed mine and it's still bright white 2 years later. Supposed to last 15 years according to the can. :)

I like the color choices of everything: floor, paint, cabinets...

[Buster]

That's a ton of cabinets for a laundry area. Looks like a kitchen almost...but if you have the room, why not? :D

[slammmed]

That's a ton of cabinets for a laundry area. Looks like a kitchen almost...but if you have the room, why not? :D

yeah its a pretty large laundry area, about 153sq ft. our goal was to maximize storage but still make it easy enough for two computer work stations.

if you notice there are no handles on wall cabinets, we are keeping it that way to reduce the illusion that it is a kitchen lol.

[slammmed]

time for a little update.

the details take a lot longer than I anticipated. It's coming together though.

sorry for the tilted pictures, its hard to get a good picture the way the room is.

Here is the left side.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1087&stc=1&d=1214252073

Got the desk together. I still need to order the wall mount for the lcd though so I can mount the lcd and the bose speakers on the wall.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1088&d=1214251674
Here is the bookcase I built, I need to go get 6 more shelves tonight at the depot. This was by far much more difficult than I had imagined, I wont go into details but it was a pita.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1089&stc=1&d=1214252073

Here is the right side of the desk.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1090&stc=1&d=1214252073

Here you can see on the left side is the home to the computer, plenty of room for air to move and you can see how I am managing the wires. Pretty basic for now, just a surge protector that has swivel connectors as well as two clips for cable management.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1091&stc=1&d=1214252073

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1092&stc=1&d=1214252306
As you can see above its sort of a tall desk but with the chair all the way up it's a good height. Plus its perfect bar stool height for kids workspaces.


here we are looking out the door from the desk basically. The doors still need some adjustments.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1093&stc=1&d=1214252336

I figured while I was straightening everything out I would make the wires going into the house(phone and data) to be a little more modular.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1094&stc=1&d=1214252401

Previously it was just a hole drilled through the wall with a long cat5 and phone run.

thats all for now. Hope to have the other side prepped for countertops tonight and countertop installed tomorrow or wednesday.

[Buster]

yeah its a pretty large laundry area, about 153sq ft. our goal was to maximize storage but still make it easy enough for two computer work stations.

if you notice there are no handles on wall cabinets, we are keeping it that way to reduce the illusion that it is a kitchen lol.

Actually, my kitchen cabinets have no handles. I like it better that way. :D

[Buster]

Still looking good. My only suggestion : pull those stickers off the computer! ;)

(the ones bragging about the features)

[slammmed]

I agree I love the cabinets with no handles. I HAVe to put drawer pulls in but im debating on the knobs for hte bottom. I can stick my foot underneath and open the doors on the base cabinets.

As for the stickers meh, no one sees it anyways and frankly im soo sick of using goo-gone

[CraZx2ing]

Looking good!!

[ilarson007]

That's looking really good, definitely better than the previous owners' job.