We’ve officially passed our one month mark – so far, so good! Here’s the re-cap from last week:
1. After the Benite dried, we applied a coat of SatinThane, a non-toxic polyurethane finish.
The old growth fir soaked up the finish nicely and we decided one coat was plenty.
2. Since the joists will be exposed, we needed to add blocking in between so the drywall will have something to attach to.
But first we added a layer of rigid insulation to help reduce thermal bridging.
3. Kyle also framed in the wall for the new bedroom/flex space! We need to pick up some more lumber for the door header, but the width you see will be the actual opening. There will be a barn door track above (something like this) with two doors that slide to each side. The idea is that the space could be a second bedroom (doors closed) or an extension of the adjacent living room (doors open).
4. Today, Kyle and Dustin started the framing for the vaulted ceiling. So fun to see the space begin to take shape!
And sometimes, living in your house while you remodel it can be beneficial. (Sadly, the fridge is too tall to fit in the basement.) I also have a new found respect for the “work triangle”. Having the fridge, sink and cooking area in different rooms and on different floors does not encourage actual cooking.
5. We’re still trying to find the right countertop material! We’ve amassed a collection of various quartz products and are leaning towards one of the middle options – not too white but not too busy – we like the ones with small flecks of blues and browns that match the cabinet color and island top (the butcher block sample below is lyptus, still deciding on the exact material).
6. Tonight, we laid out and painted the first two sheets of MDO. This will go over the exposed joists and become the finished ceiling.
One more coat and we should be good to go! We’re using the same paint that was used in the mudroom – Benjamin Moore’s Aura in “super white”. We painted our exterior with Aura and used the mudroom/porch as a test for their interior product. We were happy with the color and quality of the paint, but Aura is only low-voc, so we may try out their Natura line (which is zero-VOC) for the rest of the interiors. Has anyone tried out Natura? We’ve used other low and zero VOC paints on past projects – but love the quality and consistency of Benjamin Moore.
But really…painting seems like a long ways away.
We’ve used Natura in two rooms, and we love it. I’ve never used Aura, but compared to Benjamin Moore’s regular paints, Natura is fantastic. No VOC means no smell, and the coverage is really good. A gallon of Natura seems to go a good bit further than a gallon of regular. If you do try the Natura, I’ll be interested in hearing how you think it compares to Aura.
I have noticed that back rolling the Aura doesn’t work too well and I’m getting lots of inconsistencies, I think this is because the Aura dries so fast! Even when keeping a wet edge you wind up with some roller marks. I’ve heard this from someone else who started out with Aura and then switched to Natura. They liked the Natura better and it’s Zero VOC!
Favorite quote of the post: “Having the fridge, sink and cooking area in different rooms and on different floors does not encourage actual cooking.” 🙂
We used Lowe’s Olympic paint in our bedroom when I was pregnant. We both liked it and it’s much cheaper than other no/low-VOC paint. We definitely noticed the paint smell was minimal!
Can you tell us more about the MDO? Is it like hardwood plywood? Why that instead of sheetrock to cover the joists? It looks so smooth and unblemished.
Hi Yolanda,
MDO stands for Medium Density Overlay which is an engineered plywood product that has a smooth paper face. It’s often used for poured-in-place concrete formwork. We used it for the ceiling over the exposed joists because it doubles as a finished surface for the living room and a plywood subfloor for the loft above. Pre-painting the MDO will give a cleaner look in the end as opposed to putting it up, masking the joists and then painting. We just put up those 2 painted sheets tonight and we’re really happy with the process.
The other option would have been to put up a plywood subfloor and then attach custom fit drywall to the bottom of that which would have been tedious and not look as good in the end. It’s a unique detail but we think it works well. Really good question.
Yay for progress!
For some reason, my favorite point in a renovation is after the demo has been done, and things are just beginning to come together. There’s something about the endless potential and exposed components of the building that I just love.
Kelly
p.s. I have not used Natura, but I’ve heard good things.
Are MDO panels expensive? Do you need to get them at a specialty lumber yard, or can you pick them up at Orange or Blue? Do they come in other than standard 4×8 panels?
We need to build a 6’8″ x 6′ sliding barn door (with Crown Industrial hardware) for our kid’s playroom closet. We’re considering salvaged lumber for the frame. I’m wondering whether an MDO panel might make a good smooth outer face? We want to be able to mount a large format art piece or paint a mural on the door.
Thanks Yolanda! The MDO panels are more expensive than drywall (about $50 for a 3/4″, 4’x8′ sheet) but it also serves as a subfloor for the loft above and because it has the paper face it’s a lot easier to paint than plain plywood. We bought ours at a local lumberyard…not sure if they’re at one of the big box stores but it’s a fairly common building material. You might be able to get them in 4×10 or 4×12 panels too, but 4×8 is standard.
We’ve actually been doing some research recently on materials for our own sliding doors. You can get custom door sizes, but something 6′ wide would probably be pretty expensive. Maybe you could do (2) 3’0″ x 6’8″ door slabs? If you go with a less expensive wood like birch, it can be pretty affordable (and you could paint them too). The only issue with MDO (besides size limitations) is that you’d probably want to treat the edges since they’re a little rough. Also, MDO usually comes in 1/2″ or 3/4″, and most interior doors are 1 3/8″ thick. We’re still mulling over the various options ourselves…and will post any ideas we have. Good luck!
You can get custom made wood doors in 6′ 8″ x 6′ starting around $450.00 from http://www.woodstarproducts.com. They will ship you the completely constructed door, made to fit your dimensions and in the style you choose. Might be a better option than making the door yourself, then you have time to design all the other elements of the playroom.