Window seat and bookshelves for nursery

[dewi1219]

I finally finished the window seat and bookshelves for my soon-to-arrive son's nursery. This was a family project - I did the assembly, my wife was the hole-filler and head painter, and my 10YO daughter was the master of the random orbit sander. Also, my mom made the curtain, pillows, etc. The paint is Impervo from Benjamin Moore as someone here suggested. It really made for a great finish, but it ain't cheap It's not perfect, but as a (very) novice woodworker I'm satisfied.



Scott

[dewi1219]

I'm having trouble uploading the pics, but you can see the rest at my photobucket page:
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...i1219/Nursery/

[mschrank]

Well done! I've got a similar project on my lengthy to-do list. Also, great job on getting the family involved. Around my house, they all seem to disappear when painting, hole-filling, and sanding are needed

[JR]

Very nice! I notice you've even got the heating vent integrated into the design.

Nicely done.

JR

[atgcpaul]

Very nice Scott. Congratulations.

[John Hunter]

Very nice.

[radhak]

It's as close to perfect as I would ever dream of! Great job!

Did you follow any plan? what wood did you use? And what's at the back of the shelves?

And how much time did it take you ?

LOML has been asking for a seat very much like this for some time, so if I better know before hand if I should show her this .

[dewi1219]

Around my house, they all seem to disappear when painting, hole-filling, and sanding are needed

That's the way it usually is at my house too. But this time, my wife was afraid that the baby would get here before everything was finished. So she organized (read: commanded) the troops to get everything done.

I notice you've even got the heating vent integrated into the design.

Yeah, those are actually two floor vents intended for use with hardwoods. They were a little too tall, so I cut them down and combined them into one unit to make sure there would be enough airflow.

Congratulations.

Thanks!

I appreciate the compliments, but I'm not sure how well they are deserved. I enjoyed every minute of this project, and I'm glad to finally see it finished. My wife is happy with it, and in the end, that's all that really matters

[dewi1219]

Did you follow any plan?

I got a few ideas from Pottery Barn Kids and some pictures on the web, but I designed it myself so I could make it fit the room wall-to-wall. I'm an engineer by trade, so that was the easy part.

what wood did you use? And what's at the back of the shelves?

I knew this question would probably come up. Many of you will be appalled, but it's built almost entirely from MDF. The only exceptions are the back of the shelves and the panels in the doors which are all beaded plywood. I did this for two reasons: First, I don't yet own a jointer or planer which would have been required to build from solid wood. Second, for all of its drawbacks, I like working with MDF. I could have used oak or birch ply, but since it was to be painted I couldn't really justify the added cost. MDF is plenty strong, and when finished properly can be very durable as well. My woodworking hobby grew out of a speaker building hobby, so I'm comfortable working with MDF.

And how much time did it take you?

I guess it took 2+ months start to finish working in my (very limited) spare time. Thanks.

[footprintsinconc]

WOW! thats beautiful! i cant see anything that i would feel is not perfect about. very nicely done. i too like the vent detail.

[SHADOWFOX]

Amazing!! Great job and thank you sharing. Definitely saving a copy for future reference. Can't show my wife though because she thinks the nursery room I built looks great. The one I built would be nothing compared to this.

[Pappy]

Beautiful work!

[Rob R]

WOW> great job on this. i love making things for my kids. i get the most joy out of that.

[lrogers]

Excellent work Scott! That is a very inviting room for your new addition.

[dewi1219]

I appreciate the compliments, but I owe a big thank you to the members here. You guys are the ones who gave me the information and resources to make this project happen. This is where I got suggestions on panel door bits, paint, and a lot of other information…especially how to set up my BT3 and use it to its fullest potential!

Now a question: My next project will be a closet organizer. I want to develop my finishing skills, so it will be stained, requiring the use of hardwood ply and solid wood. For areas where plywood edges are exposed, do you guys prefer banding or hardwood edging? I guess banding is acceptable if the edges have a square profile, correct?