Product Review--Kobalt 4-amp Reciprocating Saw--Awesome Warranty!

I'm super blessed that I get to try out a bunch of DIY/home improvement items and write reviews so that other shoppers can make a more informed decision. (You might come across my reviews if you buy products from The Home Depot, like patio furniture, tools, faucets, sinks, hardware, etc. Look for Mombuilder reviews, and if they're helpful, click the thumbs up! Thanks!--Don't we all check the reviews before we buy products online?!) 

This is an item that I purchased myself, but I'm so happy with my experience that I wanted to write a review here.   I picked up the Kobalt 4-amp corded reciprocating saw about 1 year ago, mostly to disassemble pallets.  I've also ended up using it to trim the bottom of door casings when laying new flooring, and demoing our old kitchen peninsula.  

This little saw has worked great for me until yesterday.  I'm doing a giant pallet wall in our living room so I've needed to rip apart a few a lot of recycled shipping pallets for the wood. That project will be in a coming post!  It.Is.Awesome, and I was getting so close to the end, when bam! my saw died. Right in the middle of cutting through one of my last pallets, halfway through a nail.  My first thought was, I had tripped a circuit. I reset the GFI. No luck. Tried another outlet.  Silence. Tried it without the extension cord. Nothing. Took out the blade, wiggled the tool around. Nope. Said a few PG-13 words. That never works. Do you know how hard it is to be patient when little things keep me from crossing a project finish line?! Uggg! And, not wanting to shell out more money on a new saw, I went to the Lowe's product page.  I was nervous about any warranty because I thought it had been just over a year--of course--when I bought the saw--right when most warranties expire.

It even comes with a sturdy, soft storage case.

To my surprise and delight, this little tool, and most other Kobalt tools, comes with a "5 year hassle-free warranty."  That sounded great but I was suspicious about what that means.  So I called the customer service number where a cheerful recording spelled it all out for me: Hassle free means just that! Take it into a Lowe's, with or without the receipt, with or without all original packaging (who really keeps all that anyway?!), and exchange it for a new one.  Just.Like.That. I took my receipt with me just in case, and the associate in returns told me I could go pick out a brand new one to take home. And that's what I did! Returns should always be that easy, and I'm definitely going to consider Kobalt tools for my future purchases. Now, back to my pallet wall.

Chunky Bed Frame

I wanted a proper bed frame for our California king bed. It had been on a metal frame that was getting old, and was starting to dip on the sides where we sleep. So, while my husband was overseas for a few days for a wedding, I surprised him by building us a new bed frame. I almost replaced it with a new metal frame, but then I realized that I could build a nicer wooden one for about the same price in lumber, plus a little building work,which I enjoy anyway!

I found this frame design online, thanks to Ana White and Big Box Detox at www.ana-white.com: 

Isn't it beautiful?  So pretty and inspiring. I already had my recycled headboard, but I used the plans to build the rest of the bed frame, with a few modifications.

I used 2"x 6" pine to make the rectangle. The size is for a California king mattress, which is 72" x 85". It is 4 inches narrower, and 5 inches longer, than a king size bed--this comes in very handy for tall people (like my 6'3" husband!) I planned on having the box spring rest inside the frame for extra support and height, and having the mattress rest on top of the box springs. The dimensions of the frame are 74" wide by 88" long, to give a little extra room for the box spring, batting and fabric that I'd add later. 

I checked that the corners were square by measuring diagonally from corner to corner, and connected the pieces together with 3 screws at each corner, with 3" Spax brand screws.

 The Spax screws are amazing for wood working!  Let me tell you, I do not have a powerful drill, but the screws go right into the wood without splitting it, and I don't have to drill pilot holes anymore! They have a square and phillip's combo head, so you can use a phillip's drill bit or a square bit, which strip less and I also love working with. They're amazing! Here's a photo of the cases they come in:

(Scroll to the bottom of the post for a link to Spax screws on Amazon.)

After making the rectangle, it was time to put triangular braces into the 4 corners.  I used two 2" x 4" x 5" squares, cut in half. I screwed the triangles into the 4 corners, using two 2" Spax screws on each side (four per triangular brace), screwing from the outside of the frame in.  They are about 2" down from the top of the frame, so the box spring can rest down in the frame a bit.

Next, it was time to attach the legs. I decided to use 4" x 4" posts, because they're less expensive than 6 x 6 posts, and I wanted them extra tall, to give more storage space under the bed and a more regal appearance with the extra height. Plus, you can always cut it shorter! It's better to start taller and cut more off if necessary.  The legs here are 15" tall. I used my miter saw to cut them to the right length, then I cut off a corner diagonally because I liked the shape.  You could leave them square if you like. Then I flipped the frame over carefully and attached the legs to the bottom of the triangular bases.  I used small metal L-shaped brackets to attach them to the sides, as shown below, and after I flipped the frame right side up, I screwed down through the braces with a single 3" screw.

After the legs were attached, I worked on adding 2"x 2"support rails.  Below, you can see the 5"piece I added to the middle and bottom edge of each end of the bed, head and foot. I attached them with 2"screws.

On top of the supports, I screwed down a 2"x 4"x 88"of lumber.  On a narrower bed like a twin or full, this extra support wouldn't be necessary.

Then I added a brace of 2x2 lumber all around the perimeter of the frame, to support the mattress.

Spax screws are the best!  They are self-drilling, so no pilot holes needed!

Here's the frame!

Another close-up of the legs.

For added support along the center brace, I added another chunky leg.

A little spray paint on the legs.

I stapled batting around the frame...

...and cut up an old brown curtain that I was glad I had saved, into 4 strips. I used masking tape to help me cut it straight.

Finally, I stapled the curtain strips down onto the batting/frames.

It doesn't have to look pretty on the inside!

Tada!  Chunky, solid wood bed frame.  For about the same price in lumber as an ugly metal frame!  I think I spent about $75-$100 total.  Let me know what you think, or if you've tried this project!

Moving Time!

All right, I haven't blogged because I've been so busy this fall and spring getting our house cleaned up and decluttered with my hubby, because we're MOVING!  Our cute little 1500 sq foot home has been awesome for 12 years for us. We had 7 offers on it in 7 days, and I honestly think a lot of the projects we've done to improve it really helped it to sell quickly--for our asking price! But with great excitement, we are moving to another home 15 minutes away in a few short weeks.  It has a LOT of great features, but, thankfully for me, it needs some TLC and home improvements.  I'm so excited to get started!  And, I plan to record each step of the way with my readers. I hope the projects inspire you and get you on your way to creating your own great home projects!  Here are some of the projects to come....

Kitchen: 1) I'm going to remove the outdated panel light fixture and replace with recessed lighting and pendant lights.

2) Remove, sand and paint the cabinet doors, paint the cabinet doors white, and add door pulls

3) Paint the walls light blue or gray; we're going for the coastal look.  I may live in the desert but I'm still a Hawaii girl at heart!

3) Take out the peninsula and build an island with IKEA Sektion cabinets--so excited to get started on that! (Do you see how narrow that space is between the peninsula and the refrigerator?  Especially when the fridge doors are open--that's not gonna fly in a house with 2 teens and 1 pre-teen!

4) Replace the tile flooring with resilient vinyl plank in white/gray

5) install granite or quartz countertops.  

Most of these projects I'll do myself or with the hubby/friends, but for a few I'll need to call in the pros, like for rewiring the lighting and rewiring the electrical for the island.

What would you do with this kitchen?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Easy Vine Trellis

I love all flowering vines, but bougainvillea especially remind of tropical climates, ocean breezes, and cerulean skies.  When I was a child, my family had them growing up over the wooden beams of our lanai in Hawaii.  The thorns were ominous, so I learned to admire the plants from a safe distance.

These beautiful plants can also grow here in the desert.  They are cold hardy to about 40 degrees, so they may need some special care on chilly winter nights, but they love the summer sun and heat that we have here. The blooms come in several colors, including shades of white, red, pink, yellow, orange, and purple.

Photos by MM Del Rosario Gallery

                                                                                

The brilliant hues really contrast nicely with the browns and reds of our desert landscape.

You can buy them on a stake, on a trellis, or in a simple pot, but somehow I think they look happiest with a structure to climb on.  







Here is the vine I had purchased last year.  
It was in a small pot with just one stake to climb on.  

Walking through a local plant nursery one day, I saw this plant shown at left, and realized how simple and inexpensive it would be to build my own trellis. 

You could use smaller landscape stakes, like the ones shown in the photo, or you could use larger pieces of lumber like I did, to make it look more polished and permanent.  

Here is the plan for the one I built, with estimated costs.  It can easily be adapted for your space, and used for bougainvillea or other vines.

Materials List:

6 - 1”x 2” x 8’ furring strips ($6)

30 - #6  1 ¼ “ screws ($2)

Power drill with phillips head drill bit

Sandpaper

1 qt. outdoor paint or stain (optional) ($5-$10)
Power or hand saw (optional)

Cut List:

2- 1”x 2”x 77”

2- 1”x 2”x 65”

9 – 1" x 2” x 18”

Directions: 
1. Cut all wood down to strips. 
Optional: Cut corners off of the 77" piece bottoms, to make it easier to insert them into the ground. 
2. Lay the 2 77" pieces down on a level surface, so that their outer edges are 18" apart.

3.  Place the 2 65" pieces evenly spaced between the 77" pieces.

4. Place the top 18" on top of the long pieces, across their top edges.  Drill pilot holes, then screw them into place, making sure they are level.

5. Place the bottom 18" pieces across the long pieces, 12" from the bottom of the longer stakes, and even with the shorter stakes.

6. Place the remaining 7 horizontal pieces in place.  Drill pilot holes and screw them into the vertical pieces.

7. Sand the wood to remove any splinters, and finish with paint or stain.  Allow to dry.

8. Dig holes at least 6" deep and place the trellis into the ground behind the plant. (I faced the sides with the screws toward the back.)

9. Tie branches of the plant to the trellis with landscape tape or twisty-ties.

Enjoy!

Bedroom Bookshelf/Entertainment Unit-Part III

After building the first cabinet unit, I followed similar same steps to build a longer version of the first cabinet.  The only difference really is that is a longer length, and there are 3 main openings: one on the left (shown above in the highlighted area with one door covering the left side), the middle opening, designed to hold an electric fireplace, and the right opening, for another 2-cabinet door space.  See Ana White's blog here for building materials and instructions for the cabinet.
Next, I put the "cabinets" in my bedroom against the wall where I wanted them, and measured to find out what size countertops I would need.  I used two rectangular pieces of the same sanded plywood to make the countertop.  The one sitting on the cabinet on the left side sits on the cabinet, and extends past it to the back wall.  To give it more support in the back corner against the wall, I attached a sturdy 2x4 into the wall studs. Then I glued and screwed the countertops down onto the cabinet boxes.  So that they wouldn't show later, I screwed them down in areas where I knew that the bookshelf units that would be covering the countertops.

After that, it was time to build the bookshelves on top of the cabinets.  I started with the one on the left side, above the smaller cabinet unit.  Again, I followed the basic design of the cabinet for constructing, except it was much taller, with a hollow middle to add 3 shelves later with shelf pins.

It took some thinking to figure out how to make the shelving meet in the corner. If I simply added another vertical piece to each end,  and connected them, it would have been simpler, but I would have sacrificed the whole corner of storage space.  So I decided to add a plywood piece to the corner of the back wall, and give the shelves some support that way so that the corners could remain open, shown below.

The next step was to add a level of bookshelves on top of the longer cabinet against the back wall.  This one had an opening for a shelf on the left and the right, and an opening in the middle for a tv.  To secure it to the wall, I screwed the furring strip on the back of the unit into studs in the wall.  

On top of that unit, I added another rectangular unit on top of that, again with 3 openings, and screwed through the furring strips into studs in the wall.  Then, I installed shelving throughout the bookshelf units.

I added trim frames to the faces of all the cabinets with 1x2 pine trim strips, and 1x3 inch trim around the top to connect it to the ceiling, all with finishing nails and glue.  I also added trim to the edge of the countertops, and moulding all the way around the bottom of the unit to the carpet. Finally, I used caulking all around the unit in any spaces where there were gaps, and painted the entire unit the same color eggshell paint as the wall, and installed the cabinet doors and hardware.  

The last steps were to install puck lights above the space where the artwork would be displayed, and to install a power strip inside one of the cabinets for easy access for electrical cords.

Above and at left, you can see the cords for the puck lights, tucked behind the cabinet frame and secured with cable ties to the cabinet.  The light switch is at the bottom right of the photo.

At right, you can see where I drilled a hole through the inside of the cabinet so that there was a way to run a power cord through to the other side.  Behind the fireplace, I screwed a power strip onto the side of the cabinet. Shown above, there is another hole drilled down through the countertop, from the space for the tv, to the power strip behind the fireplace.

Voila!  We are very happy with our new bookshelves and entertainment unit, and it's exactly what I had envisioned for this space.

Bedroom Bookshelf/Entertainment Unit, Part II-The First Cabinet

I couldn't find an exact building plan for the bookshelves I wanted to build online, so I had to design a custom unit.  I measured the walls carefully, drew up a plan on paper, and broke the project down into roughly 4 sections.  The first section to build was the bottom left cabinet, highlighted above left.  

I have never built a cabinet before, but I found a plan for kitchen cabinets on one of my favorite blogs, www.ana-white.com, here (thanks, Ana!).  I modified the plans slightly to fit my space, removed the upper horizontal panel and made the cabinet doors taller for more storage space.

Here was my first take on the cabinets:

You can see that I started with melamine panels for the sides and bottom, but while it is nice and white, the edges can show wear, and it is not paintable.  Melamine is also fairly heavy.  I decided to switch to plywood panels instead, so that I could paint them the same color as our bedroom walls, which is a slightly off-white color, to give it a more professional built-in look.  


Here is the wood version, after I added the doors.  I used a good-quality sanded plywood sheet, cut into pieces for the sides and bottom (I added the top later).  The doors are made from laminate pine wood (pieces of wood basically glued together into a panel), with pine moulding as their frame.  I later painted it, but it would also look very nice stained.

This might not look like much, but it was an important step for me in learning how to build the rest of the unit.  It was the building block that the remaining project was modeled after.

Work Area Pegboard

After building a work bench, I wanted to add a pegboard behind it on the wall to hold my tools, cords, etc. Fortunately, my neighbor had a large 4’ x 4’ pegboard but only needed a small 6”x6” piece of it, and he gave me the rest. 

In order to have the pegboard stand out from the wall by a couple of inches, I first attached two 2 x 4 boards horizontally to the studs in the wall, one along the wall where the top edge of the pegboard would be, and one along the bottom edge. The space between the pegboard and the wall allows a variety of peg holders to be placed into the peg holes.

After inserting peg holders and putting up the tools, my son made a sign for me saying “Mom the Builder,” by using a magnifying glass and the sun to burn the letters into the wood. I found a clip-on light from a thrift store and clipped it onto the edge of the pegboard for more light when I work.

The project cost about $20 for the 2x4s, screws, peg holders, and clip-on light. Pegboards this size cost about $9.



Materials/Hardware Used:

2 – 2 x 4 x 4’
1 – 4’ x 4’ pegboard
3” screws
Pegboard hooks
Stud finder
Power drill