Leveling out the Shelves

The lower shelves that we got for the kitchen stove area were sagging, so I decided to get some 1 inch dowels to support and level off the ends.  I picked up a miter box and saw from Discount Builders to cut the dowels since my current hand saw was getting really dull.  .


I measured the height of each shelf from the edge where they connected to the vertical piece of wood.  I think they were all 9 3/8 inches or so.  This saw was a bit different than the previous miter saw.  It only cut in one direction.  The two directional one makes a HUGE difference, if anyone else is looking to buy.

Anywho, I but each one, then used painters tape to mask around the base of the dowels.  I applied the Liquid Nails to the ends of the dowels, then lifted the above shelf to place the dowel down.  I wiped the excess glue from the top and bottom, but figured I'd clean the rest of it later.  With a level, I checked to make sure all dowels were square to the shelf and the shelves were all level.  I had some wiggle room time, so I wanted to make sure everything looked good.

All in all, this took less than an hour.  I guess I'm getting better at this kind of stuff!

Kitchen Sink!

Here are some of the pipe fittings I picked up from Discount Hardware Supply.  The P drop has to be at least 17 guage chrome pipe.  The rest of it is 20 guage.  The T-joint has a flange that dips downward on the inside to direct the flow from the garbage disposal waste line into the drain.  

Here's the new basket drain!  It was a Kohler one that was solid as hell from Home Depot.  I'll be damned if this one rots out like the old one!

It was something like this one to the left.

Plumbers putty applied nice n thick all the way around.

The new basket drain installed and clamped down.

Here it is from the top, before I scraped off the excess plumbers putty.

I connected the pipes underneath, and sure enough - I hit the issues I thought I would have.  Water stayed in the pipes, and the entire system just held water!  

This is not going to work...  I need to have the drain in the wall lowered about 3 inches!

Cleaning the Hardwood Floors

We finished the paint in the front bedroom, except for the doors, that is, so we cleared everything out. What we noticed was how dirty the floors were. The hardwood floors had a really dull sheen to them, even after we swept and wiped them down.

We tried Bona cleaner from Discount Builders, which I realized is everywhere, but cheapest on Amazon. It cleaned it, but it didn't leave a shine.















We bought some Pledge hardwood floor cleaner, and it pretty much did the same thing! What am I supposed to use to clean the floors?!  It was this product here, but in a single spray bottle.















I think we're going to try to get something that's also a polish, next.

Putting a Latch inside the Garage

The garage is below my floor, but it's also somewhat detached. The door can be accessed through the backyard, and I wanted a way to lock it from the inside. Sandra and her sister have started putting their stuff in there, so it's just a little more peace of mind to be able to lock the door.

I went to Discount Builders to look at the different latches they had. I already had a mental picture of what I wanted - something that could twist to lock with or without a padlock on it.

This is the one I got.



It was perfect! It was exactly what I was looking for! It costed about $7. What sucked about it was that I found out when I got home, that the bag was opened, and it was missing a few screws. That's the explanation for the three black, wood screws. Whatever. The ones I used were longer than the ones provided, so if anything, it's a little more secure.

The door's really shut solidly now. Because the frame doesn't line up well to begin with, now that it's closed and locked, you really can't open it, or even budge the door from the other side!

Installing the Dishwasher Part III

I exchanged the 48 inch for the 60 inch water supply line with no problem from Discount Builders. It was a whole $1 more! HAHAAHAH! They were surprised that it was just one inch short, and even did the fist-in-the-air-yell that I did when I discovered the previous one wasn't long enough! Hilarious.

Now, it reaches from here:


To here:

Installing the Dishwasher Part II

Let's try this again, shall we? Discount Builders is my new Home Depot. Everyone there is super knowledgeable and always willing to help. I started to explain to the guy in the plumbing aisle what I needed, and he interrupted: What size? I said 3/8 inch, and he immediately grabbed everything I needed. He asked how far the dishwasher was from the water lines. I didn't think it was that far. I figured 4 feet would be more than plenty, so I got a 4 foot water supply hose.

This is everything I bought today:


Ugh, it turns out the water supply hose was ONE INCH too short!


With the electrical plugged in, and the bottom of the dishwasher still open, I decided to just make sure everything was level and plumb. It took quite a bit of fannegling, but I got it! I secured it to the wood under the counter with two screws. All set!