The roll of cheap adhesive-backed cork purchased online for the floor of the new traveling tool tote was exactly that: cheap.  The adhesive was not uniformly sticky and kept curling up in places.  My slightly less permanent solution: foam drawer liner and spray adhesive.  This should provide comparable, if less durable, cushioning.

And it fits much better than the cork did.

Speaking of durability, I started painting the chest with Seagull Grey milk paint.  The first coat looked a bit too blue for my taste, but has since flattened out in the second coat.  I don’t do a ton of finishing, but I’ve done two things differently this time around.

First, I did not attach the handles to the chest prior to painting, although I did punch alignment holes.  The traveling tool tote was in service before it even got painted and I did not remove the handles for that operation.  I will assume this was part laziness and part fear the screws would lose their bite when reinstalled.  Painting is so much easier without curvy obstructions, it turns out.

See?  Baby blueish.  

Second, I am painting the carcase before the lid is attached (or even made, for that matter).  See the above comment re: obstructions.  I also took the time to properly mask the inside of the lid, which did not stop me from dripping a big glob of paint on the inside of the chest.  That little accident cleaned up okay with multi-surface furniture cleaner and will hopefully be hidden by the tools in the wall rack.

I have neither the oak for the tray bottom nor the pine for the tray sides on hand.  Those will be acquired over the weekend (from the home center and from my stash at my parents’ house, respectively).  The width of the tray is still TBD.

And there is still that pesky lid to make.

JPG