A Better Bathroom

Some clients needed a double sink vanity so I set some nice 1×2″ slate tile and installed two Kohler mirrors, with added outlet inside one, into the wall to go with the Ikea vanity. We upgraded to a dual-flush toilet to help save some water also.

The Brunswick Slate Story Part 2

I have gotten a lot of use out of this pool table slate (see these entries The Brunswick Slate Story Part I and From Pool Hall to Countertop – Second Life for Brunswick ) Last fall when our second daughter was on her way we needed a new changing table setup. So I cobbled together this little guy with bits and pieces of wood lying around and the last large piece of the Brunswick slate. The wood is Ipe and Brazilian cherry so I guess both of these woods came from Brazil. The cherry is leftover flooring tongue and groove from a project in our house. The legs are Ipe and came from a trellis that had been outside in the weather for about six years. I made the trellis for a client who wanted to grow clematis on it. After a few years she realized the clematis were never going to climb all the way up the trellis. She asked if I could shorten it so I cut off about three feet from the lower half.The cut off legs made good stock for the legs on the changing table. A little about that Ipe wood. It has become very popular with builders of high end decks due to its durability, insect, fire and rot resistance.

The Brunswick Slate Story Part I

The Brunswick slate story began with me finding three 3 by 5 foot pieces in a dumpster on 53rd street near Harper Avenue while riding by on my bike. The pieces once were a tournament size pool table, 9 feet by 4 1/2 feet. I rode home and returned with my van and dug them out. I decided the first use would be a counter top in our basement apartment that I was working on at the time. I had a salvaged sink already from a client that “upgraded” and figured that the 7/8″ thick slate would work with a little support as a good counter top material.  I cut the sink opening using a wet/dry diamond blade on my circular saw. The first few cuts were done with water so that I could gather some good clean slate slurry for the epoxy seaming, however the slate seems to cut just fine without water and have since preferred to cut this slate dry or without water. This method produces a lot of dust but it can be collected easily with a shop vac while cutting. I sanded the surface with a standard 4″ random orbital sander and 220 and 320 grit paper. This is unlike most stone that would require a diamond grit sanding/polishing system.  I installed the stone on top of a ledger board and a strong oak face board. Where the two pieces came together I glued/filled the seem by mixing up a batch of 5 minute epoxy and the slurry. Finally for a sealer I used a small amount of food grade mineral oil. This finish method can be easily maintained and repaired later if needed.

From Pool Hall to Countertop – Second Life for Brunswick

This is the third use of the Brunswick slate that I pulled from the dumpster on 53rd street a few years back. The sink is Ikea Boholmen and the faucet is by Hansgrohe Talis S