Ever wonder how long it takes to have bookshelves built. I'll tell you...one year. From the first destructive rip of the carpet to the last handle screwed on, it took us one year. But it was worth it. We had my dream book shelves put in by my ever talented brother-in-law, Fred Hermansen. He custom designed them per my requests and basically he and Andy did EVERYTHING right there in my garage. It was terrifying to come home one day and see things that you had only talked about actually taking place, so I held my breath and trusted the both of them.
The shelves are basically strong enough to withstand an atomic bomb. I can't believe the number of nails and details that are put into these. During the process, Andy stepped on a teeny, tiny nail. It went through his shoe, and therefore was unnoticed for quite a long time. Until his foot doubled in size and he couldn't walk on it. He had quite the infection. Wimp.
And then came the painting. Let me explain the details that you can't see in these pictures. Behind all of the shelves is bead board. Lots of it. Meaning, days and days of me caulking prior to being able to paint. Then comes the sanding. Again, sanding one wall is no big deal, but each shelf has four sides....thankfully Andy was in charge of that. Then came the laquer and sleeping outside due to fumes and a delirious Andy. Do me a favor. Go lock yourself in a room of laquer fumes with no ventilation and tell me what you see. And then.... MORE SANDING! And the plastic and the retaping and the caulking of spots that were missed...the list goes on and on. And did you know, you can't put ANYTHING on paint for 3 MONTHS after it's painted!
Then, the day came, 12 months exactly from when they were started the cupboard doors arrived, beautiful and perfect. What I didn't think about....caulking, sanding, painting, everything all over again for the doors! But, they were finished and ready for Fred to hang the hinges on Ella's baptism day and the final product is here. Ahhhhh......
Courtesy of Precision Finish Carpentry
