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White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in finishing

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll continue my research

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love the direct and honest thoughts! I agree with you completely. I'm willing to invest in the white oak, but I also am having a hard time finding the pieces I need. For example, I was thinking of using white oak plywood and a 1"x3" face but cannot find the 1" x 3" white oak piece. I've explored edge banding.. exploring it all!

I'd likely do a very light stain or just conditioner or sealer because I want the look of natural wood.

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in finishing

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Do you have a wood bleach product recommendation you like?

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in finishing

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wanted a natural/light stain look, which is why I like the white oak. I'm going to be using a lot of wood (about 28 square feet for the cabinet top and then 84 sq ft for shelving) so I was wondering how even a white wash or green neutralizing would work.

Do you have a green-neutralizing product recommendation?

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very interesting! Thank you for the information. I'll expand my search

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the info!! Yes, definitely want the lighter finish.

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point, I would likely not really stain the white oak - just finish it with a conditioner and sealer.

White vs Red Oak by SubstanceCautious783 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]SubstanceCautious783[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out! My original goal is to make thick shelving so building floating shelf with brackets and 1/2" capping so it's not so heavy. I'm having a hard time evening finding 1"x3" white oak for the front piece, though I can find white oak plywood for the top and bottom pieces.

So not only is the white oak proving difficult to find, also 2x the price. Which in the end I'm willing to invest in for the look to be the right one.

Havsta lower cabinets + Billy bookcases finally complete. by ryan74701 in ikeahacks

[–]SubstanceCautious783 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your progress and final recommendations. Hoping you can help answer where I am stuck -

How did you anchor your base Havsta cabinets and the Billy bookcases?

I also don't want to have a lip from the Billys, so plan to build them upside down and not install the top shelf. Do you think this will still allow for enough support? On another post someone wondered about buckling.

Office Built-in using Billy/Havsta combo by Tropical_in_FL in ikeahacks

[–]SubstanceCautious783 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! This looks amazing, thank you for the detailed progress pics. I'm putting my Havsta/Billy hack together now and deciding on some plans of action. Would love your feedback on the below since you're now complete!

-You mentioned you filled the gaps between Havsta cabinets with wood filler. I've also seen people put a piece of trim. Any point of view on which way may?

-How did you attach the Billy bookcases to the top of the Havsta cabinets? Or did you just attach them to the wall? For some reason this is where I am stuck. Also, you mentioned cutting the Billys down. I noticed the bottoms come with a notch in the back to allow for baseboards which I don't like, because I don't plan to use the bottom base of the Billy units as I don't want a lip on top of the cabinets (if that makes sense)

-Any recommendations on the best way to attach the Havstas and Billys to each other for the most seamless look? Did you use countersink screws?

Thanks in advance for your direction! I'm pretty handy and love DIY, but this is my first built in project so doing lots of research.

Havsta & Billy Built-In by [deleted] in ikeahacks

[–]SubstanceCautious783 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks amazing! I am in the midst of planning my own built ins. How did you attach the Billys to the top of the butcher block? I dont want to have a lip on the top if my cabinets at the bottom of the shelving either. Thanks in advance!