Gameroom Update ... Moving Things Around

/

Random – We've been in a bit of a clean-up mode around the house lately. The motivation to go through boxes that were packed away when we moved in a few years ago and determine the need to hold onto stuff that's been in a box for years has been strong. The garbage man is probably less than happy with me as each week I've been putting out 10+ bags of random crap. This doesn't include the bags of donations that have mad their way to Salvation Army or the boxes of stuff slated to go up on ebay. It's crazy the amount of stuff you accumulate.

Anyway to the point, after cleaning up the basement I decided to reorganize the way the gameroom is set up, unfortunately I don't have a ton of options unless I start knocking down walls so it's been more of a minor tweak and move.

The location of my 4'x6' table has always been problematic as it makes sense from a space standpoint to put one of the short edges against a wall. Essentially this takes the place of where a bar would be in a typical home. The problem with that is the art of the table that buts against the wall sees little use because it's inconvenient to move models around and you miss some site lines because you can't go all the way around the table.

After busting out the measuring tape I realized that I could float the table in relatively the same area it already occupied without loosing to much space. Some of the larger memebers of my play group might have an issue getting around it but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Besides its my house and if I can fit around it that's really all that matters.

After moving the table I realized the my shelves looked a little off balance, so I made a trip to IKEA and got another small BILLY shelf to separate the two display cabinets. This helped to balance out the wall a little better. (I'd prefer to do the full wall in shelves but the location of the closet around the water meter means I have to leave some space, my wife also didn't want me to cover the window any more than is already is ...)

With the additon of the shelf I was able to put all my rulebooks on the same wall as my models and bring my trophies out of the cabinet onto a shelf where they are more visible and centrally located.

I'm still trying to find the right place to store my terrain as the bins under the table are less than ideal. With the move however I was able to fit two barstools under the table so seating for two is possible. It still needs some work but it feels good to move some stuff around.

The long boxes of comics that I was storing under the table are on their way to ebay. I've given up on trying to get anything near their actual value and just need to get them out of the house. So if you're looking for any issues from the 80's or 90's check out my ebay auctions.

Extreme Gameroom Makeover (part 3)

/

The flooring is just about done. I'm really surprised at how easy it was to install. We went with Trafficmaster Allure in cherry for the floors. It's a relatively inexpensive product that is readily available at Home Depot Stores. I looked at other options but considering it was to be installed in a basement game room this made the most sense. 

Installation was easy, just clean the floors and start laying down the plank. Each piece has a sticky strip that grips to the next. Going around polls or weird angle was a huge pain in the ass but otherwise it was smooth sailing. If I could have cleared the entire basement out and bought enough product, I could have done the entire room in a few hours.

Next up is the shelving and entertainment consoles. I went to Ikea to pick up the TV stand and bookshelves, of course its going to take several trips as my little car can only hold so many giant boxes.

Short rant, I really hate when stores are set up to trap you in there. If you go to Ikea to buy something and don't print directions from the website, you have to search the showroom to find the items you need and then travel to the storage area to locate the product. I find that to be really annoying. The other thing that bugs me about the store is the graphic design. On numerous occasions I've heard it said, "Ooh Ikea has such sophisticated design it's so clean." That's a load of crap the design is simple because it's cheap, they used the same look and feel for every item in the store. Rather than have words in the instructions it's all images, I'm sure it's because they don't want to pay for translation. In short, the design keeps the cost down and looks consistent but it's not really customer friendly. Rant over.

Using the crappy instructions I struggled through and built the TV stand. Only had to take it apart twice ... guess you get what you pay for. It looks nicer and has better construction that similar items you'd find at a discount chain (k-mart, meijer) but it still is just particle board with a laminate finish. It works for a basement or apartment, but if you own a house and are decorating regular living spaces I'd spend the extra on real wood furniture.

Extreme Game Room Makeover (part 2)

/

Progress continues on the game room renovation. I've packed up most everything and moved it to the garage for temporary storage. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over time. After boxing up everything up and moving the furniture out I was able to tear up the carpet (again). 

Next step is to re-paint the walls before I start putting in the flooring. After shopping around with my wife we've decided to go with a cherry wood vinyl flooring which should look nice with the black/brown shelving I've selected to replace the bookshelves and display cases.

Extreme Game Room Make-over (part 1)

/

There comes a time when you have to break-down and "grow-up," part of that process includes updating things within your home. Having been in our new house for almost two years, my wife and I have been slowly updating the things that don't really fit with our style, and replacing the random collection of hand-me-down/found furniture.

The next big project is to update the game room. Currently the game room takes up the finished half of the basement and the majority of that space is consumed by my tables, display cabinets and bookshelves. The bookshelves and displays were found or given to me ages ago. As such they've served their purpose but due to the nature of their acquisition never were exactly right. The other issue is that while I "painted" them to match I've never been overly concerned with the look of them (hence none of them match).

Also within the current space is a small fridge, tiny TV and a drafting table (which double as my shipping/receiving department). The fridge is great and just the right size. Any game room needs easy access to beverages, so it needs to stay. The TV is a carry over from when I was a kid so it's pretty small and doesn't make for a good entertainment venue. Part of what my wife wants is for the space to become a spot to hang out and entertain. So a bigger TV and a sofa of some type have to be worked into the space as well.

Currently, I repurposed the carpet that was in an upstairs bedroom to cover the floor in the basement. While it worked better than the nasty green tile that exists in the space right now. However the carpet was well worn prior to putting it down there and now needs to go. In my day job I've had the opportunity to see lots of different flooring options for retail applications. One of the products that gets used quite often is a vinyl plank flooring that looks like wood but floats on top of the existing floor. This is going to look really nice and has the added benefit of me not having to tear up the tile.

The next step is to pack up the plethora of stuff I have in the room and store it. Once that's done I can rip up the carpet and paint. After that is done I can begin installing the new floor.