I'm a beginner, so please bear with me. :) I need some advice.
I just finished installing my first builtin shelf, into my TV nook. It
is a fairly large hardwood shelf, supported on three sides, with a few
trims.
The problem is that one of the supporting walls is not straight. It is
a little bow shaped, and the shelf does not fully meet the wall. That
side is about 2' and I get a bow-shaped gap in the middle of that side,
which gets to be up to 1/4" at the center (I think? working from
memory.)
I am using some corner trim all around the shelf to make things look
nicer, and I was hoping that I could force the trim to meet the wall,
but alas, it turns out there is no support at that portion of the wall
to keep the trim bent that way (no wall beam, just sheetrock).
So, I'm thinking caulk may help (it's next on my list of to-do things).
Questions:
1. What type of caulk should I use, specifically for this problem? This
is not a very accessible shelf, but I expect that part of the shelf to
have a little play over time, so I'd like something that would not
crack too easily. Of course, this would also need to take paint. I was
planning to use regular painter's caulk, before I had this issue.
2. Should I fill in the gap before caulking? If so, with what?
Thanks for any advice.
db
"Larry Jaques" <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 21:07:43 +0000, the inscrutable "Luigi Zanasi"
> <[email protected]> spake:
>
> >On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 03:30:34 +0000, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> >
> >> "Val" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >> news:[email protected]...
> >>> I'm a beginner, so please bear with me. :) I need some advice.
> ><snip>
> >> Caulk is for hacks. You asked how to do the fix so I'm thinking you
> >> don't want to be a hack.
> >
> >Like Ed sez, don't be a hack. While caulk has its place, this is not it.
> >Do it right & you'll be a lot happier and prouder.
>
> I disagree. Granted, scribing a trim piece to properly fit the wall
> is the only way to go for clearcoated wood (I don't do stain), a
> painted shelving unit can easily hide caulk with careful knifing. To
> me, a dark shadow line at a white wall/white cabinet intersection is
> more ugly than well- and carefully-applied caulk.
>
I agree and I would much rather have a caulk line than a piece of trim wood
that is visibly bent to follow the wall. The OP has a particularly nasty
situation with 1/4" gap over such a short span, so there is no good way to
deal with it short of feathering the wall with spackle and painting the
wall. Given the situation, my vote for the best of all evils would be a
nice straight trip piece and a caulk filler. At least the caulk filler
won't be visible from normal viewing positions, or would not be as visibly
incorrect as a curved piece of trim. It's all a matter of taste.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 21:07:43 +0000, the inscrutable "Luigi Zanasi"
<[email protected]> spake:
>On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 03:30:34 +0000, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> "Val" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> I'm a beginner, so please bear with me. :) I need some advice.
><snip>
>> Caulk is for hacks. You asked how to do the fix so I'm thinking you
>> don't want to be a hack.
>
>Like Ed sez, don't be a hack. While caulk has its place, this is not it.
>Do it right & you'll be a lot happier and prouder.
I disagree. Granted, scribing a trim piece to properly fit the wall
is the only way to go for clearcoated wood (I don't do stain), a
painted shelving unit can easily hide caulk with careful knifing. To
me, a dark shadow line at a white wall/white cabinet intersection is
more ugly than well- and carefully-applied caulk.
--
Remember: Every silver lining has a cloud.
----
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 03:30:34 +0000, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Val" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I'm a beginner, so please bear with me. :) I need some advice.
<snip>
> Caulk is for hacks. You asked how to do the fix so I'm thinking you
> don't want to be a hack.
Like Ed sez, don't be a hack. While caulk has its place, this is not it.
Do it right & you'll be a lot happier and prouder.
--
Luigi
Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/humour.html
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/antifaq.html
"Val" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a beginner, so please bear with me. :) I need some advice.
>
> I just finished installing my first builtin shelf, into my TV nook. It
> is a fairly large hardwood shelf, supported on three sides, with a few
> trims.
>
> The problem is that one of the supporting walls is not straight. It is
> a little bow shaped, and the shelf does not fully meet the wall. That
> side is about 2' and I get a bow-shaped gap in the middle of that side,
> which gets to be up to 1/4" at the center (I think? working from
> memory.)
>
> I am using some corner trim all around the shelf to make things look
> nicer, and I was hoping that I could force the trim to meet the wall,
> but alas, it turns out there is no support at that portion of the wall
> to keep the trim bent that way (no wall beam, just sheetrock).
>
> So, I'm thinking caulk may help (it's next on my list of to-do things).
> Questions:
>
You have a couple of solutions. If the shelf is already cut to size, you'll
probably waste it but it can be fit. Take a pair of dividers or a simple
compass with pencil and trace the contour of the wall onto the shelf. Run
the point against the wall while the pencil marks the shelf. Cut it out to
fit. Of course you will lose about 1/4" of the material so you must allow
for that and cut the shelf to size after the fitting of the bowed side.
Another is to make the trim fit. Make some small relief cuts in the back of
the trim so it bends easily. Once that is done, nail the trim to the shelf
instead of the wall. A little wood glue would help it stay forever.
Caulk is for hacks. You asked how to do the fix so I'm thinking you don't
want to be a hack.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/