First thing, mark a horizontal line around the room at the desired dado height. Use a spirit level to get the line perfectly level. Decide on a size and profile that you want to use—there are various sizes and patterns available. Starting at a suitable point, mark off the dado to be cut while noting at which direction the miter needs to be cut. Use a 10-inch saw and miter block to cut. Smooth down any rough edges with glass paper and now you can try the dado for size.
Now position another piece of dado to cut the external 90 degree angle. Again, mark the position of the miter cut while noting the direction. Cut to size as you did before using the 10-inch saw. Now try the two pieces of dado together checking the accuracy of the miter. As with the bath panel, it’s a good idea to at least start the pins or nails in the dado. We’re actually fixing the dado up with wallboard adhesive. Once this is dry, the pins can be removed.
Line up the dado with the pencil line and knock the pins into the wall. The second piece can be fitted in exactly the same way. Unlike external miters, internal angles are tackled somewhat differently. One of the lengths is cut straight into the corner and now you can cut a miter into another length of timber and using a coping saw, cut around the profile of the miter. After that, measure the length that the dado needs to be cut to and cut it. This can be now knocked into place and fixed. The internal angle is now complete! The reason the internal angle is cut and fixed this way is because it allows for any movement, that’s to say any shrinkage or expansion in the timber. This can be especially beneficial in moist environments, or in areas such as the bathroom or around kitchen appliances.
Work your way around the room until the entire dado is done. If you’re interested in skirting board, it’s fixed in exactly the same way as the dado except that it is advisable to drill, plug, and screw the walls.
If you’ve already got an acrylic panel fitted, take it off. You’ll probably find that it’s screwed to a batten at the bottom. Undo any stabilizing brackets; these are usually bolted to the bath frame. Now, measure the height and width of the panel. Most DIY outlets or merchants will cut the timber to size, which is very handy. It’s also important that you use good quality marine ply of about 15-millimeter thickness.
Once you’ve acquired the timber, try it to make sure the size is correct. If there are pipes in the way along the wall, you may need to cut the panel around them, similar to what we showed you in the kitchen appliance series when we were installing the dishwasher. To do this, mark the center of each pipe onto the panel. Measure and mark the depth of the pipes as well. With a flat bladed wood bit, cut two holes into the wood panel, which will eventually fit around the pipes. Square off the outsides with a setsquare. Now remove this section with a saw and don’t forget to smooth out any rough edges with a medium density glass paper. Check the underside of the bath for any obstructions as well. The panel will have to be cut around these.
To make things simple, we’ve marked the location of the obstructions onto the bath with a pencil. Then transfer the positions to the panel and cut any sections out with a 10-inch saw. Finally, fit the panel into position—it should be a tight fit, which means you’ll have to knock it into position using a hammer. Mark across the bottom of the panel where pilot holes will be drilled in order to screw the panel onto the batten.
We’re going to fix some decorative beading to this panel as well so mark the top and bottom positions where the beading will be fixed. As most baths run down to the plug hole and are therefore not level—square up the lines with a spirit level. For the vertical positions of the beading, use the spirit level to mark it up again. Find the center of the panel and square this up vertically with the spirit level. Okay, now we can fix the beading.
Choose a suitable beading profile (there are lots of choose from) and cut a 45 degree angle using a miter block. Place this on the panel and mark the other position of your other 45 degree angle. Cut this off to size and then knock panel pins into the beading. They’ll be a lot easier to fit if you’ve already started them into the beading. Position the beading onto the bath panel, taking care to line everything up correctly. Now, just knock the pins into the panel but don’t knock them all the way in just in case they have to be removed for minor adjustments later. Then fix the bottom pieces of bead in exactly the same way.
Okay now cut another 45 degree angle and place this onto the panel between the other two lengths of bead. It’s always a good idea to use a 10-inch saw when cutting small decorative pieces of timber like this. Line up carefully and fix in exactly the same way as before. Repeat this same process for the left side of the panel. When you’re satisfied with the location of the beading, the nails can be hammered all the way in. To prevent the panel from splitting during this step, it’s important to flatten the tip of the nail off with your hammer before hammering it in.
Next, you can fix a piece of edging strip to the corner of the bath panel. This will tidy up the rough edge of the plywood on the corner. Once done, sand down everything with a medium grade glass paper and decorate to suit your décor.
Our first project is going to be hanging a door. Make sure you purchase the correct size door for the frame. Place the door in the frame. Most doors need minor alterations to get a good fit. Using two small wedges, lift the door off the floor. A 2-millimeter gap is required between the door and the frame. You can use a quarter to gauge the gap. Then, mark the inside of the door for any planing down. Next, plane down to the pencil mark. When planing timber, only plane with the grain and never across it. Try the door at intervals so a good fit can be achieved.
Now rub the planed edge down with a medium grain glass paper. Mark the position of the hinges onto the door next. Square this across with a setsquare. Now place the hinge onto the door and draw around it with a pencil. Next you want to measure the hinge and transfer half this measurement onto the door. This is the depth at which the hinge will need to be set into the door. Now this area of the door needs to be removed with a chisel. When using this, make sure that the flat edge or bottom is used to cut into the timber. This will give you a good straight clean edge. Also never use a hammer, only a wooden mallet.
Once the perimeter has been cut, turn the chisel over and mark off small areas to be removed. Now don’t try to cut it all out in one piece and remove small shavings of the timber. Continue this chopping until the depth you marked and then give the hinge a try. Mark the position of the screw holes onto the door with a pencil. Drill some small pilot holes because now you can fit the hinge. Why drill the pilot holes? This will stop the door from splitting when you screw on the hinge. Of course, repeat the same process with the other hinge.
Replace the door back into the frame with the hinges fitted. Mark the position of the hinge onto the doorframe this time. We will use the split pin variety of hinges, which are easy to dismantle. This is important because it allows us to easily mark the location of the hinge dimensions onto the doorframe. Mark around the edge of the hinge. Remove the marked area with a chisel and the chopping method as you did on the door. Fix half of the hinge onto the doorframe. Lift the door into place, lining up the two halves of the hinge. Replace the hinge pins and test the door.
