Category Archives: Reader Submission

Reader Submission: DIY Vessel Sink

Posted on August 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Local designer and DIY enthusiast Ginger Rodriguez sent us this story about how she built her own vessel sink. It’s pretty amazing that you can turn practically anything into a sink with a little planning and the right tools. Below, Ginger also shares some tips for creating your own custom-built and designed sink.

I love vessel sinks and wanted to add one to my Old World style bathroom. The manufactured ones are gorgeous, but are only 14 to 16 inches on the inside. When I wash my face at my bathroom sink, I make a big, splashy mess. So I was really hesitant to go with one of those. But also, it’s more interesting and more fun to have one that is unique.

I wanted a sink that would look like a pitcher pump pouring into a big wooden bowl or bucket — or anything that seemed like what would have been under a pitcher pump. Now, I can do some crazy and unorthodox DIY stuff, but even I am not nuts enough to try to have my bathroom sink be wooden. Then the answer came to me — resin!

Resin is similar to plastic but much harder and heavier and also totally waterproof. Manufacturers are making bowls with cut marks and gouges that make them look just like a 150-year-old antique bowl. Also, it’s not at all hard to drill through resin and it is very hard to distinguish from real wood.

I took a standard, cheap, garden-variety vanity cabinet and I cut the bottom off of the whole thing to make it shorter. Then I cut some 1 inch thick x 12 wide regular pine lumber, added a curve with my jig saw, painted it with a crackle finish, and made it look like an antique wash stand.

I definitely accomplished my desire — a sink that looks like a pitcher pump with a wooden bowl under it.

Here are some tips for helping you create your own unique vessel sink.

Possible Vessel Sources

  • Copper: basins, party buckets, bowls, pans, even some trays!
  • Stoneware: a large mixing bowl or crock
  • Garden pieces: ceramic planters, shallow pots or even the top part of a bird bath
  • Galvanized steel: tubs, wash basins, planters

Things to Consider When Selecting a Vessel

  • The ability to drill through it
  • What it will sit on (a vanity cabinet or whatever)
  • The thickness of the vessel
  • The thickness of the vanity’s top
  • A drain assembly that will fit the combined thickness of the vessel and the vanity top
  • A “vessel sink faucet” or wall-mounted faucet that is tall enough for the sink

Drilling the Hole

Obviously, you’re going to have to make a hole in whatever is going to become your vessel sink. I recommend you go to the store before you commit to your bowl.

For the size of hole you’re going to need, you will probably have to use either a spade bit or a hole saw bit. A competent tool department clerk should be able to tell you what can and can not be cut by the bits available.

Check with the tile department if the vessel is ceramic, concrete or stoneware. Generally speaking, whatever you choose can probably be drilled through.

Installing the Drain

You or a plumber are going to have to fit your sink with a drain. Be sure that there is a drain assembly that will work with the thickness of what you’re considering. Check with an actual plumbing distributor company for this — the regular home improvement stores don’t have much that is out of the ordinary.

Also, if the drain assembly is not set down into the hole, then you will usually have a small bit of water standing at the very bottom of your sink. In this case, you’re going to have to countersink the drain hole and you might have to make a larger indention for that.

Once you have your vessel, a drain assembly that will work with it, and drill bits that will cut it, the rest is pretty obvious. If you have to countersink the drain hole, cut the large indention first then, inside that, the hole for the pipe itself.

The drain assembly is going to have a big nut for underneath the vanity, or whatever the sink will sit on. This will hold it all together. If your vessel does not have a flat bottom, you’ll need a ring that will only cost about $8.00. Also remember, a vessel sink sits on top of your vanity, rather than being recessed down into it. The counter surface of the vanity will need to be a bit lower than normal.

Good luck with yours!

If you have any questions about building a vessel sink, contact Ginger through her website or email. Have you made a vessel sink? Tell us about it in the comments.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Reader Submission

Tagged , , , ,

Reader Submission: Mason Concrete Coffee Table

Posted on July 19, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Thanks to Katie Moore of Olios Design in Old Town for submitting this incredible concrete coffee table her husband Andy built.  It looks just like the inspiration piece from Crate and Barrel but at a fraction of the price!

Last fall, my husband and I had a craving for a few new pieces of furniture yet didn’t have the cash to purchase much. Although we found ourselves hunting and hunting at stores like CB2, Crate and Barrel, and even Room and Board, everything we liked was out of our price range. At one of our trips to Crate and Barrel, we spotted this beauty.
Source: Crate and Barrel

You may have seen this mason coffee table in their furniture showroom so you probably know what I am talking about. I walked in circles trying to find cheaper options, but my eyes were fixed on this table! The only thing holding me back was that price tag. At $799 I just couldn’t come to grips with it.

Luckily my husband was there assisting with the selection process (or wish-list making, if you will). He is a contractor and is an artist at building things, including furniture! Right there in the store he began brainstorming, thinking, measuring, and sketching. At that moment we decided to build it ourselves.

The next day we went to Lowe’s, shopping list and sketch in hand. The material list consisted of:

  • 5/8 inch particle board
  • Caulking
  • ½” rebar
  • Wire mesh
  • Quikrete 5000 mix
  • Ad mixture

The total cost for supplies came to about $90 (plus a few extra dollars for coffee and gas).

First, Andy made the form based on the sketch he had created. He cut the pieces of particle board using an electric handsaw and nailed/glued the form together. We chose particle board because of the smooth texture. Other types of wood would have left wood grain marks within the concrete which was not the look we wanted to achieve.

The form was made using ⅝ inch particle board and the inside joints were caulked to allow rounded edges on the concrete. 1/2″ rebar and wire mesh were used throughout for tensile strength.

concrete coffee table

The concrete was poured using a combination of Quikrete’s 5000 mix with an ad mixture to allow greater flowability. We had an old plastic storage container which Andy used for mixing the concrete. The concrete had to be mixed and poured all within one sitting. It took about 4-6 hours to complete this step.

Note: Concrete is messy and can be difficult to mix properly and pour at the same time so make sure you have help. If you have never used Quickrete before, read the directions carefully before starting your project.

concrete coffee table

After pouring the concrete, we let the table sit and harden for about 10 days. During this time it did rain a few times so we used a tarp to protect the table. Once we felt the table was ready, Andy removed the form piece by piece.

concrete coffee table

After the form was removed Andy sanded the table many times in order to get the look we wanted. From there, it took two very strong men to lift the table and carry it from our back patio “construction site” into our living room. To make this table our own, Andy had designed the frame to have indents on both interior sides of the table about half way down so we could add a glass shelf. The picture below does not show the shelf (it was still on order).

concrete coffee table

Here’s the finished product with the glass shelf installed and a little redecorating.

concrete coffee table

Side Note: The table weighs between 350-400 pounds (about the weight of a piano) so be sure your floor can support the load.

Total time: 2 weeks
Total cost: $90 (for supplies)

If you have questions about this project, please contact Katie Moore. Have you used concrete in your home decorating? Tell us about it in the comments.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Build It, Reader Submission

Tagged , ,

Reader Submission: DIY “Thomas and Friends” Train Table

Posted on June 1, 2012 by | 3 Comments

I love the “build a better mousetrap” aspect of this reader submission. Daan set out to DIY a wooden train table for his young son Noah modeled after the popular Thomas the Tank Engine train table. Sure enough, he succeeded in making a solid, long-lasting version that his family can pass down for generations. Here’s how he planned and carried out the project in his home workshop.

daan-8

Noah loved to play with the “official” Thomas the Tank Engine table at Barnes and Noble which was out of service half of the time we went. This appeared to be directly related to the shoddy quality of that table (particle board and failing glue and joints) , which made its exorbitant price even more objectionable. I figured I could build one better myself and for less.

I found the plan for the train table online. There are a ton of plans out there, some free and some you can purchase. My requirements were:

  • It should be possible to disassemble the table without destroying it.
  • It should be solid enough to carry the weight of one or two 4-year olds.
  • The table should be true to the Thomas the Tank Engine specification, so it would hold the reversible “Island of Sodor” playboard that I’d planned on buying separately.

Most materials were sourced from Home Depot. The wood is a combination of select grade pine (for the outer surfaces) and #2 grade pine.

daan-1

I used my miter saw to cut all pieces to spec and coated screws rated for pine and glue to put it all together. The screws were hidden with wood filler. However, the four sides can be disconnected because they are bolted together rather than screwed and glued.

The horizontal supports are held in place by notches in the side support and can be removed easily as well.

daan-3

IMG_3262

I removed sharp edges by hand using a miniature molding plane (from the excellent Lee Valley and Veritas tools). I did the finish sanding with 240 grit sandpaper prior. Then, I primed and painted the wood with acrylic Behr paint that more or less matched the Thomas color scheme.

IMG_3265

daan-7

After 2 years and plenty of abuse, the table still looks pretty much like the day I finished it. The ready-bought Thomas and Friends Island of Sodor playboard not so much unfortunately. It’s showing some wear and tear, such as blistering from water and juice, and scratches and chips to the plastic foil sticker. The board actually is the single most expensive part of the table, not quite cheap to replace really – I think I paid about $80 with shipping for it. If it fails entirely, I’ll probably replace it with a piece of painted 1/4″ MDF. (Allegedly, the manufacturer discontinued the board but it can still be found for sale online.)

daan-4

I think the tables were selling at around $300 at the time. I probably spent $60-80 in materials (wood, glue and paint, hardware) and another $80 for the playboard – so $140-160 total – for a better quality table, or so I like to tell myself.

If I had to cut costs, I’d lose the Thomas playboard and make one myself (MDF and paint). One can get very creative here in drawing the streets and painting a map. Should be doable for less than $20 or even less when when using left-over paint from previous projects.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Build It, Living with Kids, Reader Submission

Tagged ,

Reader Submission: Kids Chores on a String

Posted on January 24, 2012 by | Leave a comment

My friend Rachel created a clever chore system for her two older children, ages 7 and 5, that’s a cinch to make, nice-looking, and easy to use. She used twine, clothespins, and Sharpies. It helps too that Rachel has absolutely perfect handwriting, making her chore chart even more aesthetically pleasing. You could do this with a label maker too.

The concept goes like this: The kids have daily “must do” tasks as well as weekly chores that they get to choose. They can rotate the weekly chores. The tasks are listed on clothespins. When the task gets done each day, they turn the clothespin over to the blank side. By the end of the day, all pins should be on their blank side. At night, Rachel takes note, and flips the daily tasks back to the “chore” side for the following day. When in full affect, Fiona and Eamon each get a $1 allowance on Saturday.

This is the string of weekly chores with their telltale double green and blue stripes.

chorechart4

Here’s what the system looks like as a whole. Weekly chores line the top string, Fiona’s blue clothespins are on the middle string, and Eamon’s green clothespins are on the bottom string.

chorechart2

Rachel hung the clothes “lines” along the edge of a shelving unit within Fiona and Eamon’s easy reach, but too high for her youngest son Calder’s reach. The kids each choose one weekly chore from the top string and move it down to their individual string. Rachel keeps a blank pin ready in case she wants to add a new weekly chore. It’s nice that you can see what chores are done and not yet done at a quick glance.

On Fiona’s string, you can see her chores and “must do’s.” The six blue pins on the left are daily chores. The blue-and-green pin on the right is the weekly chore she chose. I’m going to add the garbage chore to my 8-year-old’s roster too; if her pal Fiona can accomplish it, Ana can too!

chorechart1

Here you can see how two chore pins are flipped to their blank side to show that they’ve been completed.

chorechart3

Rachel admits that they sometimes let the routine slip as can be expected with any busy family, but it’s great the weeks when it does works. I’m betting it lessens the need for the nagging I  succumb to when it comes to those daily must do’s like brushing teeth.

Let us know if you have a chore chart or system you’d be willing to share!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Arts & Crafts, Living with Kids, Reader Submission

Tagged , , ,