We meet general contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O’Connor at the shop for a fun project—mudroom cubbies. With simple joinery and materials available at any home improvement store, the two work together to build modular cabinet units that can be bolted together for a solid look.
Next, Kevin takes us outside the shop to talk about mulch with landscape contractor Jenn Nawada. Jenn teaches Kevin how she estimates how much mulch she’ll need for a project before showing him some of the most common types of mulch.
Finally, paint expert Mauro Henrique helps Kevin finish the cabinets he built with Tom. Together, Mauro and Kevin apply a coat of primer with a roller and a brush, fill nail holes, and then apply a finish coat with a homeowner-friendly paint gun.
Build It | Mudroom Cubbies
General contractor Tom Silva is as good at building furniture and cabinets as he is at building homes. With the help of host Kevin O’Connor, the two build a set of mudroom cubbies with a modular design.
Where to find it?
¾” plywood—plywood normally comes in 4×8’ sheets but Tom rough cut it down to 16” wide at the store since that’s the widest width he needed.
1×2” pine—for rails and stiles
16-gauge finish nails—for the rails and stiles
Rockler connector bolts 1-1/8” #48570 with Rockler cap nuts #45467
2-1/32 in. single post wall hooks
What to Know About Mulch
Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada teaches host Kevin O’Connor the basics about mulch, including estimating how much you’ll need and the different types to choose from.
Where to find it?
Organic: Most organic mulch options can be sourced at a local nursery
Leaf Mulch: Ground organic leaves. High in nutrition.
Hemlock Mulch
Pine bark
Buckwheat hulls: More formal gardens or decorative applications
Gravel: Commercial or industrial
Inorganic: Color preference, water retention, and weed suppression
Brown Mulch
Black Mulch
Red Mulch
Rubber Mulch: Playground application or high traffic area
How to Paint Mudroom Cubbies
Mudroom cabinets see a lot of abuse. Heavy boots, high moisture, and other hazards can take their toll on a set of cubbies. When general contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O’Connor built a set, paint expert Mauro Henrique knew just what to do to apply a durable coat of paint.
Where to find it?
Before painting, Mauro and Kevin sanded the cubbies using random orbit sanders with 220-grit sanding disks attached to a dust extractor. If you don’t have a dust extractor, wear n95 masks and safety glasses. Vacuum the dust after sanding.
For primer they used Bulls Eye 1-2-3 water-based primer in gray. To add the primer they used paint trays, paint buckets, paint rollers, and nylon/polyester blend flat brushes.
After the primer was dry, Mauro filled in any nail holes with all purpose wood filler and small putty knives. They then sanded the primer with 320-grit sanding disks and vacuumed up the remaining debris.
Before spray painting, protect the area from overspray with drop cloths, pre-taped plastic sheeting, and painter’s tape.
To spray paint, Mauro used the Wagner Flexio 3500 Paint Sprayer. Wear safety glasses and an n95 mask when operating. Use scrap cardboard to test the sprayer before attempting on the cubbies. For paint, Mauro used Scuff-X Semi-Gloss– 4X Interior Paint in a classic burgundy. He chose a paint that is durable and can handle high-traffic areas.
For the final touch, they added Liberty 2-1/32” matte black wall hooks.
Original Air Date: May 29, 2025, Season 23; Ep. 26 23:12
Products and services for this episode
Connector bolts and cap nuts manufacturer: Rockler
