Problem solved!

Some of the readers of this blog have been to our home and have seen the small breakfast nook. It is a small area where the previous owners built out the kitchen. When I say it was a small area, I truly mean it is a small area. Prior to the remodeling projects, we had a 36 inch diamater bistro table and two chairs in this nook. However, the area was so small that the table was practically unusable. You could not sit at the table without hitting the wall. The space is too small to sit and eat a meal, but we thought that a small diameter "pub table" and a couple of stools might fit perfectly in the nook. Thus began our quest: to locate a 30 inch diameter table and a couple of stools.

I thought that this would be a simple task. How wrong I was. Last weekend Deirdre and I went to the following stores to look for such a table: Holland Bar Stool Company, Furniture Etc., Art Van, Bed Bath & Beyond, Meijers and Ethan Allen. We say lots and lots of tables, but all of them were at least 36 inches in diameter. After our unsuccessful search, I turned to the internet to locate a smaller table. I was able to find a tables, but each of them had cheap particle board tops and metal legs. I was ready to order one of those cheap tables, but I thought I would stop at one more place to see if it had what we were seeking. We went to a woodworking store (which happens to be located about 300 yards from one of the stores we visited the previous weekend!) called The Wood Source. The Wood Source sells unfinsihed furniture as well as anything and everything for somone who does woodworking. The place is amazing. Lots and lots unfinished furniture, wood stains, woodworking tools, books, and it also has a mill room. A mill room is a place where they can basically make darn near anything you want out of wood.

Deirdre and I located an beautiful unfinshed wood table, but its diameter was... you guessed it 36 inches. We were looking at this table when one of the workers came by and asked us if we needed help. Clearly we looked like we did and she was able to quickly tell us, "OK. You need this table to have a 30 inch diameter, not a 36 inch diamter. No problem. We can mill this table top down to that size. It might take us a week."

Needless to say, we were thrilled with this news. The table is made out of adler wood, which looks a lot like maple. We also selected a couple of stools which have a rectangular top. So in about a week, the table and stools will be ready for us to pick them up and then the fun for me will really begin. I will stain the table and chairs with the same stain I used on all the trim for the kitchen. Attached is a picture of an example of what we will soon have in our breakfast nook. Updates to follow as conditions warrant.

Day 8: Mud, Tape and the Battle of the Bulge

Today much progress was made on the kitchen, though there was a slight set back. First, the good things. Jim taped and mudded a lot of the new dry wall. He also filled in some more dry wall where the pocket door will go. Here are a few photos:











Now for the set back. After Jim installed the dry wall to the ceiling, we noticed that there was a slight bulge along the one of the seams. Upon further investigation, Jim found that a non-load bearing joist in the ceiling needs a little tweeking. Tomorrow, Jim will work to minimize the bulge and then finish taping and mudding the rest of the dry wall. In preparation for next week, I started staining the pocket door with the assistance of our friend Deb. We applied a couple of coast of stain to one side of the door, and tomorrow night we will stain the other side. Once that stain is completely dry, I will apply a couple coats of polyeurothane to give the door a finished look. I will also start staining and sealing the trim over the course of the next few days. Little by little, our new kitchen is starting to take shape.