Trim and Finishes

Base Trim and Door Trim and Window Trim can (and are) all called trim. Also known as Baseboard (or Base Molding), and Door and Window Casing.

Finishes are simple varnish (3 coats with a light sanding inbetween each coat.)

More elaborate finishes would include a sanding sealer as the first coat, followed by 2-3 additional coats of varnish.

Varnish is an oil based material that will "amber" over time.
Polyurethane can be/is either a chemical based or a water based product that doesn't "age" the same as varnish.
You can put polyurethane on top of varnish but you cannot put varnish on top of polyurethane.

Staining wood enhances its already beautiful graining. Wipe on, Wipe off.

Gell finishes allow you to be more creative, especially when needing to match older wood finishes.

Painted wood trim always has an elegant look. Oil-based paints are slowly being worked out of the market. Latex is all that will be available in the forseeable future (no telling what a chemist will develop.) Latex is an acceptable (though not quite as lush) alternative option to oill-based paint.

Planning for a Project

In planning for a project, there are dozens of things to consider. Here are 10 of the first dozen:

1. Timing (such as "Will this be finished before our anniversary?")
2. Cost: Which is where a budget is necessary and a plan that details all the ingredients and a signed contract that specifies the exact costs.
3. Materials: Where will they be stored until needed.
4. Home-life disruption, such as a closed kitchen, or unuseable bath or basement.
5. Dust!!!!!
6. Noise!!!!
7. Pets are generally dismayed.
8. That dumpster.
9. Or a pile of debris waiting for removal.
10. Questions: What color for the switch-plates? Base and door trim finish? Did you order the lights, plumbing fixtures, faucets, tile, door knobs, cabinet hardware, flooring, and what type of window?

Windows

The Government Rebate on Energy Efficient Replacement Windows ends this month. There is still time to have windows ordered and installed. Give us a call. We'll stop out, measure and bid the job. You can then decide how best to proceed.

Client Download Pages

Added client download pages to the website: www.mjpconstruction.com.
Clients are able to access:
Generic Timeline Spreadsheet.
Selections/Colors/Finishes Worksheet
Change Order/Extra/Additional Work sheet

Plus, our Standard Contract and Minnesota Recision Law.

More to come.

Garage Cleaning and Car Parking

Time to clean the garage (to allow for my wife's car, which tends to sit in the driveway all spring-summer-fall.)
Luckily, I have a nice ceiling mounted heater installed last spring, which allows me, this late fall, to work in relative comfort (not that it will be 70 degrees, but a comfortable 50 makes for a pleasant working temp when it's only about 15 degrees outside.)

Weather Changes

Living in Minnesota with the approaching winter (having already arrived) makes for changes in construction strategies, not the least of which is finding gloves and hats that have been relegated to storage for the past few months.

Kitchen Designing Steps/Ideas

1. Make a list. (Make several.) What do you like about your current kitchen? What do you like about kitchens from past homes and from those of friends'? What do you wish you had?

2. Needs: Sort of like current events. What do you currently have that needs a home? If you design a kitchen with the things your own in mind, you'll more likely find a home for those things that tend to be left on the counter, such as toaster, coffee/tea pots, mugs, knives, griddle, pans, etc.

3. Daily use items: Certainly plates, glasses, cups, flatware. Perhaps a favorite pan. Coffee/Tea. Sugar, toast, milk, cream, jam, spices, butter, etc.

4. Weekly use: Skillet, waffle maker, popcorn popper, pressure cooker, slow cooker.

5. Monthly/Seasonal: Roaster (hey, why don't we make turkey more than once a year?), Lefse griddle (what's that?), Juicer (we're supposed to use that daily!), Pasta Maker (Boy, we sure used that a lot when we first bought it.), Blender, Mixer, Salad Spinner, etc.

6. Space needs: Where do you want to chop, peel, cut, slice, crumble, mix, blend, puree, saute, fry, steam, roast, braise, etc? It's the work space, and perhaps you want to make daily coffee/tea and so that, perhaps has a permanent location (no getting things out and putting away, though perhaps behind a door would be nice, like a counter-top garage thing.)

7. Where is the refrigerator? Large box thing that is very difficult to place though indespensible.

8. Stove/Range/Oven(s):

9. Sink and, more likely than not, dishwasher:

10. Garbage, Recycling, Composting, Clean-Dry-Reuse items, Broom, Mop, Dust pan, Vacuum, Pail, Sponge, etc.

11. Extra Stuff: 9 boxes of cereal, 25 boxes of spaghetti, beans galore, etc.

There are more, especially when you consider your own particular needs.

Now, when laying out the kitchen, place these items (words) appropriately (approximately) so that everything has a theoretical home. Then, at least, you'll have a notion of where everything might fit (in a perfect, imaginary world.)

Perhaps, depending upon your circumstances, and space available, a butler's pantry would serve nicely to place a great deal of things on shelves for easy access and a simple closing of a door for clean up.

Mike