The Kuppersmith Project 6: Interior Trim & Floors

The interior of the Kuppersmith Project house is making great strides as the new cabinets, trim, molding, and floors transform the place.

Cabinets and Countertops

Once the kitchen cabinets had been installed, a digital template was created to fabricate the DeNova countertops. A special laser measuring device and laptop computer were used to record all the dimensions of the countertops and determine the size and placement of cutouts for sinks and cooktops.

In addition to the cabinets for the kitchen and bathrooms, Merillat also constructed corner cabinets for the dining room and built-in cabinets under the windows in the living room.

Interior Trim

With the cabinets in place, the next step was installing all the interior moldings and trim, which were carefully chosen to match and blend with the historic 1926 home. This included baseboards, crown molding, and interior trim for all the windows and doors.

Heart Pine Flooring

To match the existing flooring in the addition, over 5,000 linear feet of heart pine flooring were cut and milled from old beams. The flooring was stacked inside the house with spacers between the bundles to allow the wood to acclimate to the temperature and humidity level in the house before installation.

Heart pine lumber comes from slow growing, old growth timber – particularly longleaf pine – which is in short supply today. Even though officially considered a softwood, the natural resin and tight grain of heart pine make it a durable and beautiful wood for flooring.

Once the new heart pine floors have been sanded, stained, and finished; they’ll blend perfectly with the old floors in the house.

Interior Painting

After the floors had been laid, the crew from CertaPro Painters arrived to paint the interior. They began by carefully priming, caulking, and filling nail holes before painting the windows, doors, and trim with Glidden paint.

Staircase Railing

After opening up the staircase to the second floor and reframing the landing earlier in the Kuppersmith Project, we now had to repair the newel post and fabricate new railings around the landing to match the existing ones.

Danny Lipford with designer Joe Boehm.

Interior Design

I’ve been working closely with Joe Boehm of Better Homes & Gardens magazine on the décor for the home to keep the original historic feel and architecture of the house.

The most unique feature of the Kuppersmith Project home is the inlayed marble mantel in the living room. I was surprised to learn from Joe that the mantel wasn’t made for the house, but it’s actually a late Victorian mantel from the 1880s which predates the house by 40 to 50 years.

In designing the interior of the house, Joe wanted to keep a small-scale, cottage feel while bringing the outdoors in with a palette of soft greens to mirror the lush landscape in the neighborhood. To further enhance the nature theme, a bird motif will be used on the walls and furniture upholstery.

Watch Videos from This Episode

• Installing Interior Molding and Trim in Kuppersmith Project House
• Heart Pine Flooring for the Kuppersmith Project House
• Window and Door Trim Installed on Kuppersmith Project House
• Finishing Foundation Walls on the Kuppersmith Project House
• Installing Heart Pine Flooring in the Kuppersmith Project House
• Digital Laser Template for Kuppersmith Kitchen Countertops
• Priming the Interior of the Kuppersmith Project House
• Constructing Staircase Railings for Kuppersmith Project House
• Unique Historic Marble Mantel in the Kuppersmith Project House
• Designing the Interior Décor for the Kuppersmith Project House

Other Tips from This Episode

Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Covering Light Fixtures for Painting

When painting a room, it’s a good idea to cover any chandeliers or other hanging light fixtures. Start by removing the bulbs from the light fixture, then unscrew and lower the canopy trim ring from the ceiling. Cover the fixture with a large plastic trash bag, and seal with a twist tie at the top. (Watch This Video)

Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
Fiskars Rain Barrel

The Tuscany Rain Barrel from Fiskars captures water from gutters using a downspout diverter. Up to 57 gallons of water can be stored in the barrel and dispensed through a faucet at the bottom to water your lawn or garden. Fiskars rain barrels are available at The Home Depot. (Watch This Video)

Thinking Green with Danny Lipford:
Carpet Made from Recycled Bottles

Plastic bottles can be recycled into a number of products, including composite decking, but did you know that recycled plastic can also be used to make some of the most stain resistant carpet around? It takes about 30 plastic bottles to make a square foot of carpet, with over three billions bottles recycled a year! (Watch This Video)