DIY Network

Walls, Lights and Shelving From "Special Presentation" episode MLR-S

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Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E Figure F Figure G Figure H Figure I Figure J Figure K Figure L Figure M Figure N Figure O Figure P Figure Q Figure R Figure S Figure T Figure U Figure V

For any serious sports fan, a room dedicated to sports memorabilia and sports-theme decor is definitely a winning concept. For a professional athlete, it's that and more: a great place to relax and entertain, plus a perfect way to exhibit and share the highlights of a memorable career.

Former Major League Baseball player Greg McMichael is in the process of remodeling a currently unfinished, unused basement area to display an impressive collection of baseball memorabilia and gear that he's kept stored away until now. The results are sure to inspire any sports fan to creatively use and display their own souvenirs and collectibles.

• In creating the concept for his baseball-motif room, McMichael takes his inspiration from the baseball-theme rooms of fellow Major League Baseball luminaries John Smoltz and Mark Lemke.

  
  

• Smoltz's office and downstairs area is literally a showplace, with memorabilia uniquely and attractively exhibited within the home's comfortable atmosphere. Highlights of the space include a trophy case bar -- figure A -- and a comprehensive hat collection hung around the large interior perimeter of a tray ceiling.

  
  

• In Lemke's home, his memorabilia room doubles as a pool hall and includes framed jerseys (figure B) and a prominently displayed MVP trophy.

  
  

• The goal of McMichael's remodel is two-fold: it will allow him to utilize baseball-related items in attractive, functional ways and it will also establish a comfortable media-viewing and entertaining area.

  
  

• Since this area is entirely unfinished (figure C) when the project begins, the first step is drywall installation (figure D). A certain amount of wiring and plumbing work will be necessary as well, in addition to the installation of a ceiling.

  
  

• As the drywall is installed, three niches for additional storage (figure E ) will be built into one wall, centered between the studs. These will provide great display areas without taking up floor space.

  
  

• Once the construction is out of the way, cabinetry expert Travis Carbaugh will start building shelves (figure F) for the media wall and McMichael's friend Fuad Reveiz will help build the wet bar. Then, Christine Gould, a designer for Hard Rock Cafe, will show how to properly frame and exhibit jerseys, and McMichael's wife Jennifer will share some "all-star" design tips for the bar top.

  
  

• Finally, sports enthusiast Tony Cocchi will demonstrate practical and attractive ways to preserve and display traditional ballpark collectibles (figure G).

  
  

• A successful remodel begins with a good plan, and the plan here shows plenty of potential. Working with a diagram of the room (figure H) along with a computer design program ensures that McMichael and his team will be able to create the best possible layout for this space.

  
  

• The plan focuses on three main areas: 1) the bar area, part of which is in an alcove, 2) the seating and game area near the center of the room, and 3) the media -viewing space -- a rectangular-shaped area -- located at one end of the room. (The TV will be placed between the shelving units on the wall facing the media section.)

  
  

• Since the goal is to transform this space into a comfortable, functional room, lighting is an important design element that gets first-rate treatment. (The finished room shouldn't end up looking like a basement!) "Eyeball can" lighting (figure I) is used to accent the jersey wall, niches and cabinets, while recessed lights are spaced at four-foot intervals along the walls to ensure the room is generously illuminated.

  
  

• While a considerable amount of wiring work is required for the light fixtures, the plumbing installation is relatively simple since the connecting pipes for the wet bar can be run from the adjoining laundry room.

  
  

• To accommodate the air-duct work and stove vent in this space, the contractor creates two separate tray ceilings: one for the media room and one for the main area. Meanwhile, the walls are completed with the addition of corner-bead trim along the edges of the three display niches (figure J) and other areas of the room.

  
  

• In keeping with the ballpark look used for this room design, the concrete-walled alcove behind the bar area is left unfinished (figure K) for a "dugout" feel, while the room's concrete floors are given a light-colored coat of concrete paint (amended with sand for extra texture, as shown in figure L).

  Tip: Most paint stores will add sand to a paint formula upon request.

  
  

• The room's color palette will be kept neutral to maintain consistency with the hues throughout the rest of the home, which is furnished mainly in tan and chocolate brown, with black accents.

  
  

• To accommodate the substantial volume of memorabilia and collectibles McMichael has accumulated over the course of his career, plenty of shelving space is a must. For these shelves, cabinetry and shelving expert Travis Carbaugh selects a dark, mahogany-impression finish for each of the large units, which border both sides of the 56-inch big-screen TV. Sheets of galvanized metal are placed behind the shelving to complement the other metals featured in the decor (figure M).

  
  

• The first step in installing the shelves is to locate the higher side of the floor using a level along the bottom of the wall. On the wall directly above the floor's higher side, Carbaugh marks a point exactly seven feet high and uses the level again to draw a straight line at the mark (figure N).

  
  

• Next he locates the studs using a stud finder and indicates each one with a small mark.

  
  

• Having marked each stud, he secures the first vertical filler strip to the wall at the corner (figure O) and begins screwing the top cleats to the wall at the stud locations (figure P). After each cleat is secured, Carbaugh adds another vertical filler strip, alternating between the pieces until he reaches the opposite end of the unit.

  
  

• Once the unit's basic structure is in place, shelf pins are secured along the tops of the cleats to support the upper shelves (figure Q); additional shelf pins are installed toward the bottom of the unit to support the lower shelves.

  
  

• The toe-kick, comprised of the front-facing panels along the bottom of the unit (figure R), is secured in place by screwing the lower shelves into the tops of the panels.

  
  

• Next Carbaugh takes a measurement to determine the point where the middle shelves will be positioned and installs more shelf pins on the vertical filler strips at this height. The remaining shelf pins are placed at even intervals between the middle and upper shelves and beween the middle and lower shelves.

  
  

• Pre-cut sheets of galvanized metal are now ready to be fitted in place (figure S), followed by the remaining shelves, which are simply slid into place to rest on the secured shelf pins.

  
  

• With all shelves now in place, Carbaugh turns his attention to the cabinets. He secures the hinged cabinet doors to the unit using base plates and clip hinges, then adjusts the hinges as needed to ensure the top edges of each door are perfectly aligned (figure T).

  
  

• Finishing touches include decorative crown molding along the top edge of the unit and shiny silver-tone handles (figure U) on each cabinet door. For easy placement, Carbaugh uses masking tape and a drill template (figure V) to ensure all hardware is affixed at the exact same position.

RESOURCES :
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Model: 0060101229
Author: Max Alth
Sterling Publishing, 1987 Out of Print

Professional Tips and Techniques for Tune-Up and Electrical Service
Model: 1879110156
Author: Michael Bishop and Dennis Holmes

To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.

Do-It-Right Publishing
New Hall, CA 91322

The Art of Illumination: Residential Lighting Design
Model: 0070329591
Author: Glenn M. Johnson
$49.95 Paperback - 224 pages 70 edition (November 20, 1998) McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing

How to Plan & Build Bookcases, Cabinets & Shelves
Model: 0897210883
Author: Craig Burgquist

Bookshelves and Cabinets
Model: 0376010886
Author: Stacey Berman

Hardball Warehouse
Hardball Warehouse
Duluth, GA 30096
Phone: 678-957-0885
Fax: 678-957-0887
Email: info@hardballwarehouse.com
Website: www.hardballwarehouse.com