Finishing the built in - part 1

Now begins the time consuming task of finishing the built in.  The first step is to fill all cracks and voids, generally with a wood filler or a lightweight spackling compound.  Then, the entire unit gets sanded. In the following pictures, the unit has a coat of Zinsser primer on it.  Due to work load, I've hired this process out to a good friend and a fine finisher, Bob Plunkett. The most time consuming areas are the small cubbies up on top. After the primer is dry, Bob will resand the unit as needed before painting. These pictures will give an idea of how Bob is making the unit take on it's final appearance...