Wine Cellars : Adding Luxury To Your Home:

Part Three : Putting The Finishing Touches On Your Wine Cellar

by: Liz Roberts

It’s time to finish your wine cellar. By now you should be halfway through, finished with completed walls, a cooler opening and some basic wiring. Remember to recheck everything you’ve just installed. Don’t leave out or chintz during this final phase as well. You want to have a working wine cellar that will last for years. You don’t want one that will conk out after three or four months of usage.

Before you begin the steps of wall and floor covering installation, make sure again, that the vapor barrier is put up correctly as it was during in the initial steps). This is an important piece because it keeps out the surrounding area’s humidity. You’ll have to make sure your wine cellar will not suffer from any condensation either. Double check and fill in any forgotten cavity with insulation. You may have missed some areas in the initial phases. Also cover any nicks or cuts with duct tape.

Once this is done, it’s now time for the interior surfaces to be applied. You can either opt for drywall, wood or a combination of both. If deciding on drywall, there is the choice of something known as green board. Builders use this moisture resistant covering in bathrooms. Be extremely careful with it, however, since it crumbles upon penetration.

If you choose regular drywall, install cross supports in the studs at the points where your racks will be installed. You will have to carefully plan and measure for this. If you decide to finish your wine cellar with traditional wood, go with either plywood or OSB (oriented strandboard). Be warned about the former. OSB emits an odor for some time after installation. This smell does eventually disappear. Buy the plywood or OSB in 5/8” thickness. If you’re working with the oriented strandboard leave a slight gap between the panels to allow for expansion. You can also build a small shelf to support your cooler. Remember to caulk up any joints.

After this you can paint, wallpaper or wood panel your cellar’s interior. You can also leave it alone for a utilitarian look. If you’re keen on the wood paneling, then hire a craftsman who can not only supply you with that but also with handcrafted, customized racks.

At this point you’ll want to cover your floor as well. Choices vary between ceramic tiles, natural wood flooring, artificial stone tiles and carpeting. The first three may not be good for butterfingers.( go with carpeting – even remnants from your local rug store would be good as floor coverings). At this time you can consider putting in a baseboard but keep in mind that’s it’s only a finishing touch. You can also skip the quarter round to cover the seam between the wood and the floor. The wine racks will hide the seam.

The next step is completing the wiring. Right now you should already have the open light fixtures, the light switch, the cooler outlet box and the room outlet already in place.

First of all, consider the overhead lighting. Choose a simple fixture that is not recessed, making sure it goes with the cellar’s décor. The lighting has to be strong enough so that you can see labels. Remember that if you plan on expansion, you have to install a lighting system that will also be expandable. Plan on installing another fixture and have the wiring readily meet its’ needs. You may have extra wires sticking out. Don’t worry. These will be used for when your wine cellar “grows”. Keep them out of the way for now as to not cause any serious accidents.

Now for the most important part of constructing your wine cellar : installing your racks. You can also install your cooler at this time. If you plan on doing some custom woodwork, then install the cooler first. That way you can design the racks around it. Just be careful about bumping your head on it. Racks can be put in at floor level or higher to accommodate wine or champagne caseloads. Attaching the racks to wood walls will be no problem. Attaching them to a drywall is a bit trickier. You’re going to have to use your stud finder for this. Carefully measure distances and then install according to accompanying instructions.

Once the racks are in place , you and a helper can now install your cooler. Lift it up, and set it on the shelf you built for it(this is not unlike installing a small air conditioner). There should be about 5/8” clearance on the top and sides. Now step outside and check the fit if necessary. Generally your unit should be flush with the outside wall – at which point you can install the supplied louver. Weather strip any gaps. You can use multiple pieces in the same area or use one long strip per section. Make sure the weather stripping is capable of handling your cooler’s amperage. Now plug in the cooler and turn it on. Once it is working properly, you can start filling the cellar with your vintages. The cooler will have difficulty maintaining an even temperature without a significant number of bottles. If you are short, then put water filled bottles in the racks (this is a great way of cooling your packs of spring water).

Now that your cellar is complete, you can take a bottle from it and celebrate! Enjoy the luxury of your favorite wines at your fingertips. Not only that but also enjoy the luxury of a well done, well made project!