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  • Build Your Wine Cellar: Completing the Cellar Walls
  • From "Build Your Wine Cellar"
    episode BWC-103
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    DIY's Build Your Wine Cellar workshop will take you through the five-day process of converting a basement storage closet into an eye-popping 700-bottle wine cellar.

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    Figure A

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    Figure B

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    Figure C

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    Figure D

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    Figure E

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    Figure F

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    Figure G

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    Figure H

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    Figure I

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    Figure J

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    Figure K

    Materials:

    Four 48" x 96" pieces of 1/2" drywall
    Twenty-four 2" x 4" x 96" studs
    Six 1" x 3" baseboard molding
    Nine 48" x 96" CDX sheets for 1/2" plywood
    4 R-13 insulation w/vapor barrier
    2 R-19 insulation w/vapor barrier
    One 50' roll of 6-millimeter poly-plastic sheeting
    1 dry bag of Quickset tile mortar
    1 dry bag of sanded grout
    One 250-count 8d common nails
    One 500-count 1-1/4" drywall screws
    One 250-count 2" drywall screws
    One 250-count 3" drywall screws
    18 gauge galvanized brads (if you go with shiplap wall covering)
    1 dry bag of drywall mud
    1 roll of drywall seam tape
    2 gallons of primer
    2 gallons of paint

    Special Order Items:

    2 boxes of 6" x 6" ceramic tile (ordered to size)
    8 wine racks (custom ordered to size)
    1 exterior-grade door, insulated, double-pane (ordered to size)
    1 cooling unit (WhisperKool Model 1600 was used for this particular project)
    1 lighting fixture

    Note: Due to the complex nature of this particular project, the DIY editors have decided to provide one document (link, above) with the complete instructions and downloadable instructions and to provide a day-by-day account of how the wine cellar was built. Please be sure to refer to the complete instructions for cut sizes, exact measurements and all other intricate details.

    Gray Mosby, a wine seller and collector, was tired of storing his wine in an old closet in his basement (figure A), so with the help of some friends (including master carpenter, Joe Glass), he built his own wine cellar.

    Day Three

    In the last segment, Mosby had just grouted the tile for his new wine cellar. The third segment will pick up by completing the tile and then progressing to the walls.

    1. The thinset mortar for the tile has dried overnight after Day Two, and now it's time to apply the grout to the tile. As Mosby learned, applying grout takes some practice. Using a tool called a float, he filled the seams between the tiles with grout (figure B), trying his best to avoid digging the grout back out. A flat diagonal stroke with even pressure works best when working with a float.

      Note: The grout that Mosby used has a sand base, which is best for wider grout lines. Unsanded grout is usually used in bathrooms and other rooms where the tile is set closer together. No matter what type of grout is used, however, good tile work takes time.

    2. Before the grout dries, remove the excess with a wet sponge. Once it's totally dry, wipe off the tiles with a dry, soft rag.

      While the grout dries, it's time to prepare to install the interior wall covering. During his research weeks before the project actually began, Mosby found out that the choice of material is a matter of taste. One great option to line the walls of the cellar is to use shiplap (figure C), which is made from redwood and a perfect barrier against moisture because it can stand high humidity. And it's attractive to boot. Mosby made this choice because the shiplap covering would match the racking for the wine cellar.

      The shiplap is milled from raw redwood lumber, and it's cut into 1-1/4" wide strips that are 7/16" thick and cut at various lengths. The boards are interlocking and similar to a tongue-and-groove board except that each is notched and has a lip that laps over the previous strip (figure D). Once installed, it creates a flush-wall surface (figure E).

      The material is shipped in large bundles that must be cut to the proper length, then each strip or slat is installed.

    3. Now it's time to install the shiplap slats. First, measure the walls then cut the redwood materials to fit. Note that you'll have options as to how the shiplap can be applied to the walls -- lengthwise, up and down, etc. Mosby chose lengthwise because he wanted the shiplap to look like paneling (see figure E).

    4. If you decide to go with shiplap as Mosby did, you'll need to use 18-gauge galvanized brads to attach the slats. The brads should be placed approximately every 6". By driving the brads well into the tongue (figure F) of the shiplap, they will be hidden from view.

      Tip: It's important that the brads are sunken well into the wood. You may have to use a nail-set to sink the brads a little deeper.

    5. When installing the shiplap, it's important to start with the ceiling first, then the walls. The reason is that the wall slats will hide the cuts around the edge of the ceiling.

      Note: Installing the shiplap slats will require more than 6,000 brads, which means your job will be a lot easier if you use a nail gun. Also, using an air gun will reduce the splitting of the redwood, which is naturally soft. So using a air nail gun is practical and will save you time.

    6. After several hours the walls and ceiling are done (figure G).

    7. Now it's time to close up and complete the exterior walls of the wine cellar. Mosby and Glass began by insulating the two newly fitted walls.

      Safety Alert: When working with insulation, please remember to wear gloves, a mask and protective eyewear.

    8. Outfitted in their safety wear, Mosby and Glass stapled the R-13 insulation inside the framing cavities of the new walls. It's vital that the paper moisture barrier of the insulation (figure H) be mounted facing the warm side of the room -- farthest away from the cellar interior. The idea is to keep the high humidity and cool air in and the warmer, less humid air out.

      Tip: When working with insulation, be sure that you don't "press" the insulation into the wall because it needs to have air circulating throughout in order to insulate the room properly.

    9. With the insulation installation completed, it's time to hang the drywall on the exterior of the wine cellar. Standard 1/2" drywall is being used, and it's important that you measure the outlets and cooling unit hole properly before attaching the drywall.

    10. Wse standard 1-1/4" drywall screws, and space them out every 8" (figure I). Be careful to sink the heads of the screws below the face of the drywall. The holes will be patched later on. Also be careful not to tear the drywall paper.

    11. The next step is to cut out the hole for the cooling unit, then continue applying the drywall to the rest of the exterior walls.

      Tip: When putting up drywall, don't butt the pieces too closely together. Drywall needs room for expansion and contraction at the joint.

    12. A corner bead (figure J) is added at the joints where the two walls join, and it must be straight and sit at a 90-degree angle.

    13. Next, Mosby tapes the seams of the drywall and floats the wall with a fast-drying drywall compound.

    14. Once the compound is set, use a fine sandpaper to smooth the walls and prepare them for primer and paint.

    15. With the sanding complete, it's time for another visit from the electrician, who installs the lights, switches and outlets. He'll have to add another circuit to Mosby's electrical circuit as well. The cooling unit requires a 120 volt, 20 amp dedicated circuit, and to run that circuit, cable has to be fished through the floor joists in the basement ceiling. Eventually the holes will have to be patched and painted.

    16. For the interior of the wine cellar, Mosby chose to go with track lighting (figure K).

    Note: Light is a natural enemy of wine, and lighting inside the wine cellar should never stay on for long periods of time. Automatic shut-off timers are often installed as precaution.

    Safety Alert: Please know that it's always best to have a professional electrician do your electrical work, mainly because working with electricity can be dangerous!

    Priming and painting the exterior walls will take the rest of construction Day Three, and it will take overnight for the walls to dry. The next phase (episode BWC-104) is to build and install the wine-storage racking.


    RESOURCES :

    Wine Cellar Manufacturer (Wine Cellar Innovations)
    Wine Cellar Innovations
    Website: www.winecellarinnovations.com

    Specialty Food and Wine Retailer (Sutton Place Gourmet)
    Sutton Place Gourmet
    McLean, VA 22101
    Phone: 703-448-1371

    Wine Cellar Cooling Unit

    WhisperKool Model #1600

    Cools 300 cubic feet!


    Wine Cellar Innovations
    Website: www.winecellarinnovations.com

    How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar
    Model: 0967159806
    Author: Richard M. Gold, PhD
    July, 1996
    Order this book from Amazon.com.
    Sandhill Publishers
    Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z4
    Canada
    Phone: 250-763-1406

    The Wine Collector's Handbook: Storing and Enjoying Wine at Home
    Model: 1558214607
    Author: Linda Johnson
    January, 1998
    Order this book from Amazon.com.
    The Lyons Press
    New York, NY 10011
    Phone: 212-620-9580
    Fax: 212-929-1836

    The Wine Bible
    Model: 1563054345
    Author: Karen MacNeil
    September, 2001
    Order this book from Amazon.com.
    Workman Publishing Co. Inc.
    New York, NY 10003-9555
    Phone: 212-254-5900
    Fax: 212-254-8098


    GUESTS :

    Gray Mosby
    Wine Buyer & Collector
    Sutton Place Gourmet
    6655 Old Dominion Dr.
    McLean, VA 22101
    Phone: 703-448-1371

    James Deckebach
    4575 Eastern Ave.
    Cincinnati, OH 45226
    Tollfree Phone: 800-229-9813
    Website: www.winecellarinnovations.com
    CEO
    Wine Cellar Innovations

    Joe Glass
    Master Carpenter
    Wine Cellar Innovations
    See company contact info, above

    Christy Lukemire
    Design Consultant
    Wine Cellar Innovations
    See contact info, above

    Michael Franz
    Wine Critic
    The Washington Post
    Information private

    Tony Wilke
    VP Operations
    Wine Cellar Innovations
    See company information, above

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