We visited the home of Debbie and Larry Culwell in Olympia, Washington, one of the winners of our 2012 “Win Danny and His Crew for a Day Contest,” to convert an unused storage room in their house into a cool crafts project center.
Clean Up and Repair
Over the years the Culwell’s unused playroom had evolved into a catch-all storage area, so the first step in our craft center conversion was to clear everything out of the room. The old carpet on the floor was removed next; and since the foam carpet pad had been glued to the floor, it required a lot of tedious hand scraping to remove it.
Check out our article and video on DIY Storage Solutions for tips.
Preparing the walls for painting required patching a hole in the drywall and filling numerous small holes left behind by a dart board in the room. Once the joint compound was dry, the walls were painted with Behr Green Tea paint, and a new fluorescent light fixture from The Home Depot (Hampton Bay Winslow, model HBF1332-273) was installed to brighten up the room.
Flooring and Cabinets
Resilient vinyl plank flooring from Shaw Flooring (Northampton Resilient, Cascade Acacia) was installed next. This material makes a great DIY project, since it can be cut by scoring with a utility knife without the need for power tools.
Watch our video on How to Install Laminate Flooring to find out about installing a similar DIY-friendly flooring material.
Stained wall shelves and base cabinets to house craft supplies were installed along one wall of the room.
The work surface on top of the cabinets was made from stained 3/4″ birch plywood with 1×2 solid wood band around the edges.
Watch our video on Workbench Options to find out more.
Finishing Touches
To give the room a finished look, curtains made from patterned bed sheets were hung on the windows. Cork tiles were attached to the wall behind the work area so push pins can be used to hang pictures of projects in progress.
Bar stools, with color coordinated fabric cushions, and floor mats provided the final touches for our craft project room makeover.
Other Tips from This Episode
Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Cell Phone Charge Holder
To keep your cell phone off the floor when charging, make a holder for it from a used plastic bottle, such as a shampoo bottle. Use a utility knife to remove the top half of the front of the bottle, then cut out a square in the back the size of a wall outlet plug. To use, put the phone in the holder, and plug the charger into the wall through the holder. (Watch Video)
Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
RIDGID JobMax Multi Tool
The JobMax Multi Tool by RIDGID comes with interchangeable tool heads, a variable speed trigger, and built-in LED work light to make it perfect for a variety of jobs, including cutting, scraping, and sanding. The RIDGID JobMax comes in either corded or cordless versions and is available at The Home Depot. (Watch Video)
Ask Danny Lipford:
Using Frozen Paint
Latex paint that has been stored outdoors in freezing temperatures should not be used, since freezing can change the composition of the paint and cause it to separate. Even if it is stirred well before using, the paint might not hold up over time. Oil based paint can be used when stored in low temperatures as long as it doesn’t contain clumps of hardened paint. (Watch Video)
