2nd Project

I decided to base my project on continuing to build things that I can use to put in my room.

Why I chose this project: I chose this project because I wanted to challenge myself and get more in depth with my creativity. So, I chose to build a shelf, a very unique one, that everyone doubted I could make out of a bamboo ladder, including my sister and a Home Depot associate. To prove them wrong, I took on the challenge, because in my mind I knew it could be done!

Week #1

I started with the bamboo ladder first. As you can see, it is a really light cremish-tan color. However, I want it to match the base and legs of the chair in my room, which is a dark brown. So, in order to stain the bamboo that color I had to sand it first which took me the entire week to do. (The first pack of sandpaper I bought was too fine and wasn't really getting the job done, so I started using a rougher sandpaper that really worked but was taking entirely too long, so I used a sand machine on the fourth day.)

Week #2

After a week of sanding, I was finally ready to stain the bamboo ladder. I had two options of using a paint brush or a sponge brush to get the stain onto the ladder, and I personally chose the sponge brush because it soaks up more and I don't have to worry about the stain dripping everywhere like a paint brush. But, that's just my personal preference.

Week #3

This week my focus was on the shelf pieces, which were made out of wood and precisely cut by specific measurements from a helpful associate at Home Depot. The wood was already sanded when I bought it. So technically all I had to do was stain it, but I wanted the front edges of each piece of wood to be rounded instead of sharp, so I sanded it.

Week #4

This week my focus was on staining all of the wood shelf pieces and letting it dry so that I can place them on the bamboo ladder to create the final product.

Self-Critique: I really really really enjoyed creating this piece. I have never done anything as far as building and carpentry previous to this project. I have learned so much just going through the whole process, as far as measuring, picking out the right wood, staining, and more. I take pride in this piece because it was really something new for me, and I feel like I did a good job. The only hindrance that I had was not being able to put the screws in the wall to keep the wood shelf in place to put things on it. The reason being was because we are getting new carpet and it would have to be moved. But overall, I loved this project.


Improvements: I used the free time that we had to finish up this project. I bought "L-track" hooks to put on my wall to keep the boards in place. I had to screw the hooks in the wall. As for the finishing touches, I started placing items on the shelf and tying it in to my room. In the future I plan to add more figurines and little cute porcelains on the shelf.