How to DIY: A Pole Wrap Closet Door + BASE CAMP Dust Mask Review.

 

It's time, people, time for me to not only get myself in gear already but to get projects out of my head and into reality.  So when BASE CAMP Masks gave me a ring asking to review their dust mask, it was a great opportunity to show up with an easy, chic, and fast How to DIY:  A Pole Wrap Closet Door.

The trouble I'm having of late is time.  It, it just evaporates.  I cannot grasp how it's vaporizing so swiftly and there just is not enough of it.  Last week was The Week of Becky and I am getting old, hitting a shiny new age bracket.  

Is that it?  Yeah, I don't know.  Days are so much shorter than they used to be.  Sigh.

Anywho.

Before getting down to business, a little business.  I must mention that while I was not paid for this review, I did receive the masks for free.  The opinions forthwith are mine and you should trust me because I'm hella honorable.  Buy these masks!*  

They even make cloth masks which is great when your other half just spent the last week sick.

Use the code BECKYMARSHALL for 10% off your order in fact so yeah, buy these masks!*

Really, buy these masks.  They're incredibly comfortable, lightweight on my head and face, breathing is effortless as if you're not even wearing one, and they work.  Like really really work.

Notably too, if you have a small face like me where it's impossible to find masks, respirators, etc. that fit, these are winners.  I'm overjoyed, honestly!  Reminds me of my women's work glove issue but thank you BASE CAMP Masks for solving my face problems.  My woodworking mask face problems, heh.

As far as a filtration mask goes, again, these really really work.  I have never been as impressed with a dust mask as I have with these from BASE CAMP.

My first test with the BASE CAMP dust mask was with my spiffy planer (ohh Finn photo....) out in the garage and wow.  I made one heck of a mess planing a single 4x4 then whipped out our battery-powered leaf blower* to shoo the sawdust mountain away and not one lick of dust passed through that mask.  I couldn't believe it.

So next test was our project today, how to DIY a pole wrap closet door.  Yes, pole wrap.  On a closet door.  The coat closet in fact, the one and same where I did up the inside with silver leaf and custom small space shoe storage.

Little Unhelpful Elvis there on his couch arm perch.

Yes, more pole wrap, the project I intended to use the wrap on in the first place.  Have no fear, pole wrap will not be (maybe?) my new wood lath.  IYKYK

Every day I've scrutinized this closet door.  For years.  Every day, and the thought traverses my mind this door is boooorrring bore the heck boring.

 

And every day that thought is followed by what can I do with this and every day my brain changes the subject.  Until I discovered pole wrap comes in twelve inches wide which is perfect for this two foot wide boring door.

My biggest hang-up about this task?  Learning how to remove a bifold door and put it back on.  I'm odd, I typically don't turn to YouTube like the rest of humanity but this time I did and discovered how easy it is.

Open the door, grab ahold, watch your fingers, push upward to release the bottom, tip the whole door down and out on an angle.  To reinstall, do the reverse.  Easy peasy.

So off popped the door and into the basement we went.  Admittedly, this project was less dusty but dusty nonetheless, much finer dust, so a very valid test especially as this was the basement indoors down in the ol' workshop area.

After a spot of measuring twice cutting once, designing on the fly, it was PPE time -- on went my fancy BASE CAMP dust mask, my bifocal safety glasses* (I hear you laughing btw), and my ear muffs.*

 

Safety first, especially in a cluttered basement!  Me with my bright birthday mani gift from Mike!

After stretching the two packages of pole wrap over the door and setting the knob on it to evaluate, I tossed on various scrap wood pieces to break up the pole wrap as it was a bit too pole wrappy plus the look ached for a third design element.

Too I discovered I could butt the two pieces of pole wrap together over the center door seam so it'd appear as one uninterrupted piece.  Or so it should have....

 

Pole wrap butts perfectly together over that door separation.

I also discovered I'd have to trim an outside edge by barely a quarter inch which I did before gluing.  Yikes.  I also also discovered I need finer Diablo jigsaw blades* for tasks like this but the general task ones did work perfectly.  

Just trace the overhang from below with a pencil then slowly and carefully trim away.  This super-fine dust a. didn't get in my nose and b. I couldn't even smell it thanks to the dust mask.  

You know why?  BASE CAMP's dust masks are CE FFP2 certified, having been tested by the renowned US Nelson Laboratories and shown to have a particle filtration efficiency of up to 99.6%.  Pretty amazing, right?

Bonus too with these washable masks, their one-way airflow expels condensation so it's totally and completely dry inside.  I was blown away.  Ah ha, pun!

Replaceable carbon filters inside, optional use if desired, niiiice.

Back at designing, spending way too much time deciding this piece or that piece or this idea or that idea sighhh, I opted for KISS, a single slip of quarter inch plywood at the knob.*

Ok, let's get into the how to DIY of this project:  first, trim the pole wrap to length.  No problem.  Just be sure, as last time, to wrap painters tape* around the cutting area to limit splintering.

Ah, me new self-lock tape measure!*  Made in Wisconsin even, woot go Midwest!

Next I measured where the knob hole was located and centered my slip of plywood over it, trimming the pole wrap to accommodate.  Yes, two more cuts of the pole wrap.  

 

I can now make a pole wrap bracelet with the trimmed out piece!

Focus Becky, c'mon!  Time to adhere.

I clamped down the whole larger pole wrap piece to act as an alignment guide then started with the smallest piece.

Yes, with a door like this, the recesses, it won't be a solid glue-down but it'll be glued enough.  Using my caulk gun* and a tube of construction adhesive,* I spurted around the glue, set the pole wrap in it, smushed it around a bit, then weighed it down and crossed my fingers.

Be sure to get the construction adhesive all the way to the outside edges.

I did cut up door side, let it set overnight, then did the second side, let that set overnight.

Bam!  Done!  

Right?!  Like a one day project!  Nice!  Time to install!

Back upstairs I was lucky to catch a helping hand from much taller Mike and after three attempts at fitting back in (extra trimming required), it's in!

Not a perfect open and close just yet, it needs some tweaking as the thickness of the door is now uh yeah thicker and a piece of the door framing is bowed because of course it is and the door itself doesn't completely shut of course so there's a smidge bump out in the middle trashing my one solid pole wrap piece attempt....but it's generally in and looks super fab!

Mike's thoughts?  "Eh, yeah, looks good I guess.  The door trim needs something now." 

Elvis!  This is his natural state too, blurry on the move.

For now I'm leaving it unfinished and unstained as I have an idea for our kitchen cabinet upper doors that just might work and as the area is all open, gotta work on that before truly finishing this project.

Eh, someday I'll finish something....

But all in all, a how to DIY a pole wrap closet door + BASE CAMP Dust Mask success story right here, people.

And hey, by the way, don't just limit your use of these filtration dust masks to woodworking alone.  

Ya know what I loathe cleaning the most?  Window blinds.  Right?

Ya know what I'm embarrassed to admit?  Cleaning window blinds doesn't happen too often, as such.  Plus, I have a bad dust allergy, one of several that drive me to allergy shots, so yes, serious.  These masks are also meant to support allergy sufferers too.  Yay, right?!

Ya know what made cleaning window blinds so much less traumatic for me the other day?  My new BASE CAMP filtration mask.

So yes, use these masks for woodworking but also use them around the house.  Dusty attic?  BASE CAMP.  A neglected dirty spot in your basement or garage?  BASE CAMP.  Outside in the yard cutting grass or gardening in general?  BASE CAMP,* you know it.  Particulates, vapors, allergens...so many uses.

Protect yourself everywhere,* easily and comfortably, to stay safe and healthy for a mighty long time because I'm here to tell ya, we have so many more DIY projects to work on together!

Other projects to read about seen here?  The foyer light fixture is rockin'.  So is the 99 Cent Shelf.  Want a custom faceless graphic print like our wedding one?  Order one here!*

I do have leftover pieces of pole wrap, heh, so, yeah, it's gotta get used somewhere somehow sometime.  Stay tuned!

*The BASE CAMP Mask links are affiliate links for BASE CAMP.  The e-go line of battery-powered tools link, drawer knob, painters tape are Lowe's affiliate links.  The bifocal safety glasses and tape measures are Amazon affiliate links.  The ear muffs, Diablo jigsaw blades, caulk guns, and construction adhesives are Home Depot affiliate links.  The graphic prints are an Etsy affiliate link.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.