Getting rid of a smoked mirror wall

So how do you get rid of a smoked mirrored wall?  You cover it!

So my brother and I did this over a weekend and it did take the two of us.

Before picture - 14' wide x 12' high

Cover the wall with plywood - using special screws - the mirrors
were screwed and glued - so they weren't coming down

Used 1x3 to build a frame

Cut out a 'window' and plugged in a regular mirror (6'x3')

Insulated with sound insulation - this is an attached wall to another unit and
so sound insulation was critical

Cover with drywall 

And....you are done.  Tape, mud and paint when ready.  This treatment has significantly reduced the noise we could hear from next door and it got rid of the smokey mirrors :)

Entertainment Centre

OK - so this takes two - one person who has an eye for detail and a second (me) who can do the rest :)

This took months - mainly though because I get distracted easily.  The unit is 8' wide by 12' high and has a fireplace in the centre.  We used maple plywood and locked everything in place via routing out the edges and then screwed it all in.  The centre piece - was hard because it's mounted using bolts and it's heavy!

Frame out the entertainment centre, after the new window was installed

Pull out the drywall - so you can run electrical and cable

Instal plywood where the TV will sit - and make sure electrical is cut out

New fireplace

Framing out the fireplace - the biggest issue is installing the metal and heat resistant drywall

The metal has to be at or above the triangle pieces to meet code and not catch fire

Starting to take shape - the cabinets and AV unit are now attached

Removable shelving has been added

Frame around the rest of the unit, including the fireplace itself

Ready for staining

1st coat - looks barny - which would be great, but I'm going for a sub-modern look
(a mix of art deco, mid-century modern and bauhaus)

Final coat on

With backlit LED lighting - oh and the window has an electronic window shade

 So...it took a few months to finish, but it's awesome and I couldn't have done it without help from my brother.  Onto the next project!

Caulking around windows & doors

So I bought this beautiful front door and sidelight - but the installers couldn't get the sidelight right... so that resulted in a broken seal and a draft when it hit -20 outside.

I decided to fix this by caulking around the glass and frame.

Frame off the area being caulked with painters tape

Use a caulk that cleans up with water (easier for you)

Finished product - you can't even tell the caulking is there, but no more draft!

Framing out a bulkhead - version 1

Framing out a bulkhead is a lot of work - I did my first framing of a bulkhead for the water pipes in the garage.  In order to meet code (so they don't freeze) you have to build a bulkhead and then insulate and cover the frame - although my garage is nice and toasty year round - had to get this done.  It's not pretty - but it can be done.

You need a work bench and a skill saw - measuring tape, insulation and drywall.