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Here are three popular ideas for built-ins. Serving Counters and Bars Certainly no recreation area is complete without a serving counter or bar. The trick in this type of construction is to build a framework of 2x2-in. lumber. Start the construction by framing two rectangles, one for the top and one for the bottom of the bar. You don't have to get fancy here, just butt-join the corners and nail them. Fasten the bottom rectangle to the floor, install the up_rights and attach the top rectangle. Then add the horizontal cross bracing. All this sounds pretty casual. To make the structure strong enough so your friends' elbows won't cave it in, be sure to line up all surfaces with a level. This maneuver will also enable you to match the paneling at edges and corners. Cover the whole framework with knotty pine tongue-and-groove paneling. Tops should be made of white pine shelving. Fasten down with wood screws. Finish the front and sides of the bar to match the rest of the woodwork in the room. Treat the top with several coats of spar varnish. For a completely alcohol-proof surface you may prefer to use a tough plastic laminate such as Formica. Wall Benches Wall benches are doubly handy because they serve two purposes. Besides providing seating, they add considerable storage space if you build them with lift-up tops. Start off the project by framing in a rectangle for the top of the bench. Use 2x2-in. lumber and standard butt joints. Make a smaller frame for the base. Fasten the large frame to the wall, the small one to the floor and add the supporting members in between. The front of the bench should taper and get narrower toward the floor. The idea behind this maneuver is to allow leg room for more comfortable seating. Cover the front and sides of the wall bench with tongue-and-groove pine paneling finished off to match the rest of the woodwork. Bench lids can either be the same tongue-and-groove boards or square-edged pine shelving. Allow a 1-in. overhang in the front. Fasten the top boards together with 1x3 battens and hold them in place with piano hinges. Add a nice comfortable cushion and you're all set. Chest of Drawers A standard and quite practical gambit in finishing off an attic is to build in a chest of drawers. Usually there's a huge amount of waste space at the point where the sloping roof makes the head room too shallow for comfortable use. Drop a wall down at this point and let the drawers extend into the triangular waste space so that the fronts are flush with the surface of the wall. And if you're not too keen on building a chest of drawers, see if you can rescue one from the secondhand store. Re-finish the front, frame in for it, and build it into the wall. Try the same framing-in technique to add a built-in shadow box. A simple wood frame can be set into the wall between the studs so that it projects slightly. If you want to make this a decorative accessory, connect up a light source and fasten an ornate picture frame in front. Then you're all set to show off trophies, awards, prize statuary or the other bits of nonsense that become so valuable in almost any household. Wall Cabinets Don't for one moment think you're limited to shelves or drawers. Wall cabinets are quite easy to build and make for excellent storage space. Make a supporting framework (2x2-in. lumber is a pretty good choice) and cover it with tongue-and-groove paneling or plywood in whatever veneer pleases your fancy. Any of these three built-ins will add to your enjoyment of the room.
Article Source: http://www.BharatBhasha.com Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/home_improvement.php/72461 Article Added on Thursday, March 27, 2008
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