Designing your glassroom

[Anne]

I use countertop too - and I bought mine from a cabinet shop. Talk to the shop that'll be doing your kitchen Malinda.  I bought two huge pieces. He had them in the back corner of his shop and he almost gave them to me, he's a packrat just like me and I think he considered these countertops garbage but too good to throw away.  Niether matched but I didn't care.

On your floor plan you didn't indicate where the windows are.  You'll want to take that into consideration I think when you're planning out your room.

[Malinda]

Nancy, that is not a workshop/glassroom....that IS a store lol.WOW! I saw those boards you have on the walls at Sears. You can put up as much or as little as you need and you can add hooks and baskets to it as needed also. It is a good idea I think.

The trade off is if you have the work surfaces built with cabinets underneath then you probably won't need as much of the wall mounting going on.

LouAnn, my room is going to be 15'x15'. I need to ask today about the closet dimensions and if it takes that depth away from the room or if it's inset and makes that area go out into the unfinished part of the basement. That is what I prefer right now. I did see the pieces of counter tops along the back wall.

I like the idea of different work areas having different top surfaces, like the "grinder spot" having the formica like top for ease in wiping it off. The "build area" having a thick plywood top so I can nail or whatever right into it. I'm not worried about having to replace or refinish that top at some point, I'm not planing on having so much work that it will be destroyed really fast. I didn't think about sealing it and don't really know if I think that's important to do? In thinking about the work tables I've seen in person recently I don't think they are sealed at all.

I am having a 220v receptical installed but in looking around, the kiln I'll probably get will be 110v. I don't want to cancel the 220v spot going in though just in case. I think it needs to go 1' out from the wall, which is not a problem.

I think I will go back to Home Depot and see if a cabinet area person can sit down with me and my ideas, help me plan it all out so I know exactly what I'll get and know in advance the costs.  

You all are giving me great ideas. Thank you so much! You can come glass with me anytime once it's all set up. :)

Anne, the windows are at the top of the page lol along the wall where the kiln is in the corner and where the "build area" is also positioned. I put that table there for the natural light to be present when I am building stuff lol.

[Glassic]

Invite Nancy to drop by for a week. 20x28...... in our dreams!

My plans for the island I had planned are long gone but I had two options, one using vanities, for the seating height and depth and the other wall cabinets for height. Couple of things to remember if you are using cabs with drawers is the overhang. A 12"d wall cab gives you height options and kickers are easy to make from 4x2s. A 4'8' walk round work table with cabs or shelves  on 4 corners would give you came storage. I sote mine in 4" pipe on the wall but, under the bench would have been bett for me had my table been larger.
 
You say laundry sink, is this one of those plastic jobs? I worked with one once, the depth was a drawback.

I agree laminate tops are expensive, Menard's carry seconds, my 48x12 laminate shelves were less than $5. They have a department of DIY second grade laminate tops and shelving. Melamine shelving and cuts for diy carcasses and other stuff are cheap, Lowe's and HD do not have anything like it.

Stubbing for your sink doesn't mean you cant move it a little. Mine runs 3' to the drain.

Good idea on the kitchen guy, he might have some damaged carcasses, who needs the doors anyway?

With all those windows and the sink will not deter from resale unless you want it to be a bedroom. As a hobby room studio or den with wet bar it becomes a bonus to a buyer.
Planned plumbing in the robe could be capped and 'disappear' for resale. If you intend to list it as a bedroom it will need a complete overhaul anyway.

Where is the robe in your plan?

[Malinda]

Yvonne, next to the sink, what I have labeled as built in shelves is the closet.

I just measured the bedroom we have in the apartment because I was thinking how would I lay out things in this size room and now I know this room is about 12'x12'. I say this now but I think I can easily work in a 12'x12' room so 15'x15' is just going to be even better!

[Lou Ann]

I would be shocked that plywood surfaces are not sealed with something because I have yet to see unsealed plywood that doesn't give off wood splinters... as far as it getting messed up, one good flux spill or one good solder burn is all it takes and you will find the unsealed surface under a flux spill will maintain an "oily" feel -- trust me I messed up my first plywood surface within a couple of months because I didn't put enough sealer on it...

use the cabinet department for technical ideas on what you need to build the "stations" you want and then look for a scratch and dent place or a Habitat store and see what you can get there a lot cheaper; also ask if they have any "returns or damaged" at Lowes or Home Depot and you can usually get them for a fraction of the price; you might also look for a smaller not box hardware/kitchen store and see if they have anything they are hiding in the corner; we have a cabinet builder down the street that has advertised units for sale because he and the customer we on the wrong page...

the melamine shelving Glassic mentions has the exact same surface as cheaper kitchen countertop;

as far as overhang for the drawers, you don't have to adjust for it if you buy precut countertop, it is already built in...

LA

[Glassic]

Agree with everything but the Melamine Nancy. Laminate is a compressed kraft paper technique, melamine is just a single layer of foil over the chipboard or mdf. 'bout the same as contact vinyl.
I've just changed the plan of robe in my den, didn't do this as the cube furniture was on sale so it's lined in cupboards and cubes!

I forgot my pride and joy...my sink!

[nansea121]

The store part is only 25% of the space. The rest is is a working studio.
I didn't make any cabinets under the tables but rather divisions to hold smaller glass upright.

The second pic show one of 5 smaller tables (2x4) that I built to fit about a foot under the overhang of a larger table (to gain even more space) that I use for beach glass, grinders the the water saw that I wheel around if I need more space. The surfaces are waterproof. The whole studio sort of fits together like a zigsaw puzzle:)

Third pic shows the platform for the kiln on wheels with ceramic tiles on top with more storage underneath.

All the plywood surfaces are protected by several coats of marine sealer in the event of accidental spills. There's no splinters because I use different grits of sandpaper leaving the surface of the wood as smooth as a baby's bottom:) An accidental burn from hot solder drippings? Just sand it away and the surface is as good as new. I'll only do that sort of cleaning once a year. It is a working studio and not meant to be as clean as the livingroom:) I'll admit, I do like to keep it oganized.

[nansea121]

Agree with everything but the Melamine Nancy.

LoL...I never used any melamine Yvonne. I did use contact vinyl on those smaller tables tho. I don't do any soldering on them and they're easy and inexpensive to use to wipe up any water left by the watersaw or grinders. That would be way too hard to keep in repair.

[JoanFrances]

My studio is only 14 feet wide by 16 feet long, but it has tons of work surfaces and storage.  

I have wall cabinets and open shelves on every possible wall space
I have a portable work surface in the middle of the floor
A main work surface
A bettle bits work surface
A saw work surface
A grinder station that is now on a portable table/cabinet

My cabinet came from a discount store (2 sets cost me 70.00 and came with 2 floor cabinets and 2 two door upper cabinets, and a 4 foot long counter top), and then I bought another cabinet that has 2 doors and 2 open shelves in it.  

below is a drawing showing the location of the different things and some pictures of the things

Like I was mentioning, I try to keep thing stored where I use them.  The shelves and cabinets above the main work surface hold my books over the lite table, the cabinets hold some solder, chemicals and foil.  The open shelves in the studio hold the extra inventory, my bevels, and mosaic supplies

As you can see I have task lights installed over the work surface attached to the wall cabinets.  Love those lights. 

[nansea121]

Nice lookin' studio Joanie:)
And I see no naked walls!!! Yaaa!

[JoanFrances]

Here are some pictures of the opens storage, the bettle bits work station and my glass cabinets

[JoanFrances]

Nice lookin' studio Joanie:)
And I see no naked walls!!! Yaaa!

Thanks Nancy.  I love your space, I could only dream to have a space that big, but I am please with the layout of my limited space.  I works for me and has saved me many unnecessary steps for sure

[JoanFrances]

My main work surface is a post formed counter top that I picked up when I was teaching ceramics.  It is 8 feet long.  I wipes clean which is great.  I has my light table cut into it and a cut out to sweep the glass scraps into a holding bucket under the counter top.  Love that thing

[Anne]

Malinda, even if you go with a 110 kiln, it's not regular 110 wiring.  Check the manual for the kiln you're planning to buy (it'll be on line) - also check on the plug in you'll need - make sure the electrician gets that info. will save you money down the road.

[Glassic]

Just leave the receptacle until you have the kiln, you can hard wire it in, often considered safer anyway. Get a gfi breaker for the box, cost a heap but worth it.

[nansea121]

Love your sink Yvonne! That's next on my list of to-do, lol. I did whirligirl as well a few years back. Nice piece:)

A wall covering of either peg or slat board is an excellant way to maximize your wall space. The slatboard is abit expensive - $60 a sheet in canada, but well worth the space. I found a distributor down here who handles all the different slat board acessories, so now I can add more shelfs, etc.
A few more pics.

Second pic shows how I enclose the grinders. I'm able to protect my eyes and keep all the fine grinding glass powder contained inside that tub. It makes clean-up a snap. If I want to grind larger pieces of glass, I simply lift off the glass top until it's done.

Third shows a small section of lamp and kalido parts.

[JoanFrances]

Nancy, I don't understand "I simply lift of the top till I am done" when grinding larger pieces.  How do you avoid a large piece from touching the back of the enclosure?  I have a problem like that cause of my stand, so now I attach my shield to a shelf bracket, but even then sometimes my surround gets in the way.  pain in the butt.  LOL

[Glassic]

Thanks Nancy!
Peg board is essential, another electrical thing I have is a receptacle over the table, the orange cable in the photo can be pulled down for the fume extractors and soldering.

My cad program is really old as bought it when we were going to build on the farm. But, it has paid for itself over and over. When we bought this house, I knew where almost everything was going before we got here and it was useful planning the bath downstairs, getting quotes was a piece of cake as they had nothing to draw up.

[nansea121]

Well, if it's really big, I remove the grinder from the enclosure temporarily, but 90% of the time, the glass is small enough to use with that large bin. If the piece is abit long and I want to use the flat grinding disc, I turn the grinder slightly at an angle. I use that flat disc alot when I make those beachglass shades.

Dan tried to use a dark blue bin once but it didn't shed enough light onto the worksurface so now he uses a white one that's bigger than the one shown in the pic. Lots of room to maneuver around while grinding with his set-up:)

I attach my shield to a shelf bracket, but even then sometimes my surround gets in the way.  pain in the butt.  LOL

I have one of those shield thingies as well, and find that it generally gets in the way, so I don't use it anymore.

[Elizabeth]

Wow!   You ladies - especially Nancy - have more stocks/equipment/glass than one of our main suppliers in South Africa! (Hav'nt ever been able to visit the other big supplier,  so can't comment on them...)   Feeling green on more levels than just  the grass (which is mostly brown due to lack of rain anyway!!) looking at all your well equipped large working areas!
Have fun sorting your new work area, Malinda!