Tell All Thursday: The Skies The Limit

Our hallway transformation:

So here's our hallway on moving day- July 2013

Here is our hallway almost 1 year later- April 2014

We added baseboards, added trim around the door frames, and added wainscoting. We changed out the light fixture and painted away the red walls. We also created a frame wall.

Here is our hallway today- September 2014

Spy the differences? We painted our walls- Derek's decision. Some times he has good ideas =P This was one of them.

An even better idea was MINE =) I got the crazy idea to cover up the popcorn ceiling. Seems easier to just cover it up instead of scrapping it off right? hmmm somehow I convinced Derek that this would be easier and totally worth the entire day of our manual labor.

Please note that there are still a couple frames still missing from the frame wall =P Clearly I get side tracked easily..
However..how right was I? Best idea ever! Look at that ceiling!

All you need are:
-nail gun (and a very long extension cord)
-jigsaw
-table saw (maybeee)
-stud finder
-2 ladders
-sheets of bead board
-the same trim we used for the top of the wainscoting
-paint, paint brushes, rollers
-caulking
-a helper that has very strong arms

The steps are:
1) Decide which way you want the lines going on the ceiling.
 
2) Pre-measure your ceiling before going to the hardware store because bead board often comes in large sheets. You'll want to ask the friendly gentlemen at your local hardware store to pretty please with a cherry on top cut them to size for you. 

3) If you don't ask nicely enough they may just cut them to fit in your car and you will then need your table saw to cut the bead board to size yourself. 

4) We have a light fixture and smoke detector that we had to take into account; so we had to make sure the light and smoke detector would not intersect with the trim. We removed the ceiling fixtures and used our jigsaw to cut a hole where we could thread their wiring through.

5) Then we used the stud finder to mark (you may just mentally mark this) where we could secure the bead board to the ceiling without it crashing down on us. Keep your stud finder handy even after marking the ceiling. Try to remember their general vicinity.

6) Then came the hard part- one of us would hold the bead board to the ceiling. This would cover up the markings we made to show us where the studs were. Run the stud finder along the bead board where you remember making the markings on the ceiling. Then finding the stud, use your nail gun to secure the bead board to the ceiling. (**Note to the partner with the nail gun- remember that your helper is standing on a ladder holding the heavy bead board in place while you search for the studs so please hurry and offer many words of encouragement =P **)

7) After the first bead board sheet is secure, repeat the same steps for the rest of the sheets. Do not worry about matching all the seams.

8) After all the bead board is secured to the ceiling, cut your trim to size. Then simply nail them to your ceiling over top of the bead board sheets. We decided to just install them where the seams of each sheet met. However, you can really create any pattern you like with the trim.

9) Then to hide all the imperfections, use your caulking to close up all the seams.

10) Lastly, after all of the caulking is dry. Lay on a coat of fresh paint.


AND AFTER JUST 10 EASY (okay maybe easier read than done) STEPS- you will have replaced your popcorn ceiling with this beauty! TADAAA!!