Good morning everyone. Welcome to SMHRB. Today's diary was going to be photo heavy, but when I went to get the camera, I realized that MrCJB has taken it to Nebraska for Christmas and I'm here with just one photo of the process. Fortunately, it's of the finished project. Anyway, chant this out loud 3 times:
The Saturday Morning Home Repair Blog (SMHRB) is where we gather to discuss the many and varied aspects of home repair. Some here are trained professionals. Some, talented DIYers. Some, hopeless thumb-hammerers. All are welcome. Please feel encouraged to ask questions, share successes, lament sags, drips and cracks and, as always, share any advice that you have for the rest of us.
Okay, let's all stare at the ceiling.
Some time ago, I mentioned that we were resurfacing our dining room ceiling and that we were looking at ceiling tiles for a couple of reasons. Mainly because I've always thought they were cool, but also because we didn't want to mess with trying to match the texture of the plaster in the living room.
So, I found ceiling tiles. Lots of them. And, of course, I loved the beautiful copper ones the most. We didn't buy them for several reasons. First, they're bloody expensive. Second, although the house is fairly old, built in 1916, it's really just a simple kit house and it would have been overwhelmed with the visual heaviness of the expensive metal tiles. Of all the things in one's house that should be the focal point of all things amazing, the dining room ceiling isn't near the top of our list.
So, we started looking at alternatives. Cheap metal tiles. Well, the problem with cheap metal tiles is that even though they're a bit cheaper than the expensive tiles, they look a lot cheaper and if you're smart, you'll paint them. And if you're going to paint them, why are you spending the money when you could get plastic (pvc) tiles? And if you're going to be a cheap dumbass and get the pvc tiles, then just go all the way down that trashy road, order the polystyrene ones, crack a PBR and call it a day.
Yep, that's what we did. We ordered us up some foam. Then we waited breathlessly for it to arrive. And it did: A big huge box of 20x20 tiles all of which weighed, oh, about a pound. These things are about 1/4 thick and light as a feather. We were not surprised by this because we had ordered several samples in various patterns and had experimented with various paints. This prep work was of tremendous help.
They went up almost as easily as the video on the website said they would. You just prep your ceiling (which I did over the course of 2 weekends), dab tile glue on the back and slap them up. Start in the middle of the room and work your way out. Measure and cut at the outer edges. Caulk. Paint. Et viola! Not including ceiling prep, the whole thing took about 10 hours for a 15' x 15' room.
The gluing was a breeze. Measuring and caulking were a bit tedious. Painting was easy, although we need a touch up. As you know if you've painted plastic, the paint "breaks" here and there. We have a few spots that need some help. We'll probably just do the whole thing with a 2nd coat.
So, to end I will say that we are well aware that we have created a situation where some future owner will utter that phrase that we all know so well: "What in the hell were they thinking?!" But in the mean time, we have a dining room ceiling that kinda kicks ass. We really love it.
Couldn't get this to flip. Sorry. And, really? This picture doesn't do it justice. It's extremely difficult to get a decent picture of this project.
You know, if I'd been thinking, I'd have taken a Sharpie and written on the plaster before we glued up the tiles: "www.dailykos.com. Tag: SMHRB. Maybe they can help." ;-)