Real Carpenters Do Not Fly By the Seat of Their Pants

Okay, when I started this island project, I intended to just fly by the seat of my pants when it came to measuring for how much I needed in materials. I thought I'd just eyeball it, estimate a little, and VOILA! Like magic, the project would come together and be perfect! Not so, my dear people, not so.

There is actually something called precisely measuring, and then adding a little more to account for error when it comes to building/making/embellishing something. Who knew?! Not me. So as I had to run out to Lowe's again today since I had not calculated the right amount for materials yesterday, I learned a valuable lesson. MEASURE beforehand what you need.

So as we left our project yesterday, I had framed one side of the island. Today, the whole island is framed. Well, at least the parts that matter, the bland parts, the sides and back. This has not come at a small cost,  everyone. This isn't easy. Things are not precise. It did not turn out perfectly. But I have not yet caulked it/filled in the seams. Here it is framed out:

Since I was a bit skittish at times with the brad nailer, my nails did not always go in perfectly flush. Here is an example of a mishap:

Which meant I had to use something called a nail punch and a hammer to drive my nails in so they were flush with the surface. This is not so easily done on this foam polyurethane moulding material. The material will dent if you apply that kind of pressure (meaning I missed a few times with my hammer and accidentally slipped and dented the surface of the moulding with the nail punch). I will have to touch that up before I paint. Here is a pic of the nail punch (on left).

Another thing that added time and energy to the project was adding that screen moulding to the top and bottom parts of the island (since the sides already had some that stuck out 1/4"). Here is an example:

I affixed this screen moulding with Liquid Nails. This is a construction adhesive that acts like a glue. Here is a pic of it:

Here is a pic of the inside corners, where I again added the screen moulding underneath so it would stabilize the base moulding on the top:

I did not use Liquid Nails for these inside moulding pieces since I just laid them flush and nailed them in at the same time as I nailed the base moulding in. Once I became comfortable with the brad nailer and not afraid of it, things went well. Almost all my nails went in perfectly flush. This gives me promise for future large projects, such as my crown moulding project. This brad nailer is addictive. It has a lot of power and is so much easier than nailing in each individual nail. Who knew something so cheap could give so much pleasure?! 

As a side note, I probably would not install this type of moulding on an island where there is a lot of traffic that could dent it (children, etc.). I will have to see how it goes after living with this island for awhile. My husband's verdict on this new foamy moulding material? "I like wood." And when you cut the moulding (at least with an electric saw), it smells like burning plastic, not a good smell at all.

Tomorrow's project: paint and glaze the moulding. See you then.