DIY Network

Basement Utility Room Karl uses style and storage to transform a dreary laundry dungeon. From "Wasted Spaces" episode DWSP-208

(Continued from page 3)

The Davis’ laundry room is starting to look like a real room! With the walls ready, Karl and Dan install the pre-hung door unit and remove an unsightly pipe sticking up through the floor.

advertisement

Installing the Door

• Use a hand saw to cut away the part of the wall frame’s bottom plate in the way of the door opening.

• Pre-hung doors come in two parts: the main door assembly with trim for one side of the door, and a separate trim assembly for the other side. Set the separate piece of trim aside for now.
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B

• Set the door frame assembly in place. Make sure to place the door so it opens in the desired direction. Drive temporary nails into the door trim to hold it in place.

• Remove the safety lock from the door assembly.

• To secure the hinge side of the door jamb, remove one screw from each hinge. Check for plumb, shifting the door as necessary, and drive a longer screw through the hinge and into the stud (figure A). Repeat for the other hinges.

• To secure the other side of the door jamb, insert shims in the gap between the jamb and the stud. Check again to make sure the door is still plumb, then nail through the door jamb and shims into the stud.

• Cut back the excess material from the shims with a hand saw or a Japanese saw called a Ryoba.

• Use a nail gun to attach the remaining door trim (figure B).

• Install floor trim around the base of the walls, if desired.

Removing the Unwanted Drain

The project room included roughed-in plumbing for a bathroom. Karl and Dan use some of this plumbing in later parts of the project, but they didn’t need the roughed-in bathtub drain. Here’s how they handled it:

	Figure C
	Figure D

• Use a putty knife to carefully peel up the linoleum tiles around the tub drain (figure C). You may need to use a heat gun to soften the tile adhesive. Set the tiles aside.

• Use a hammer and rotary hammer to remove the stub sticking up from the floor and level the space.

  Safety Alert: Wear safety glasses and ear protection when removing concrete with the hammer drill and when using a reciprocating saw (below). Both of these tools are extremely powerful; make sure you can control them safely.

• Cut the pipe with a reciprocating saw.

• Fit a PVC pipe cap to the pipe and attach with PVC glue. Allow the glue to cure according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Smooth mortar mix over the hole. Swirl the trowel in a circular motion to bring the mortar to the surface of the mix; this gives a smooth, glossy surface. Let the mortar mix dry (figure D).

• To replace the linoleum tiles, spray the backs of the tiles and the surface to be tiled with contact cement. Let the cement dry until tacky, according to the package instructions. Place the tiles in position and press down firmly. Dan was fortunate to have some matching linoleum tile to cover the repair in the concrete.

  Tip: Whenever installing a new floor covering – linoleum, tile, carpet, wood or other material – always keep some extra material on hand after the installation. It’s invaluable if you need to repair or replace a section of floor.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5