Bedroom Renovation

[downtowndahlgren]

Shaz, for the ceiling tiles, did you paint them? And if so, did you paint them before or after installation? Also, did you apply them starting at one side of the room and work across, or did you snap lines for the center on each side of the beam and then work your way out from the center? How did you work around the lights? As you can see, I am really interested as I have to do something to cover the horrible acoustic tiles in my living room. Thanks so much for any info!

[shazapple]

We painted them with a roller before we put them up, and then used a brush to touch up the seams after. When you first get them they look a lot like styrofoam takeout containers. They are fairly forgiving and will bounce back if you squish them.

For placement of the tiles, I would suggest drawing out a diagram of the room and a grid of the tiles in order to see what works best. You could start laying full tiles at the wall you see when you first walk into the room, or base it off of something else in the room (light fixture, beam, etc). We used a laser level to get a straight line between the light fixtures and then snapped a chalk line on each side of the beam. The line is perpendicular to the beam, so we have full tiles starting at the beam and spreading out from there. We did this for two reasons 1) We didn't want a straight beam with an off kilter ceiling and 2) to "split the difference" so any irregularities with the walls wouldn't be so apparent since there was a cut tile there anyway. By centering the line in the middle of the room the cut tiles on one side of the room aren't any larger than on the other, so the room is somewhat symmetric. Once you caulk the joints and cut edges it is not very noticeable. Alternatively, you could omit the cut tiles and have a blank or texturized border between the tiles and crown molding. A lot of older houses use this technique because of how uneven the walls were.

Installing the tiles definitely goes quickest when you have two people. My wife use a trowel to spread a thin layer of tile adhesive on the back of the tile, and then put a large dab in the center, corners, and sides. I stood on a step stool to align the tiles and push them against the ceiling. Whoever is doing this better have decent upper body endurance, because it really tires you out! Too much adhesive is better than too little, and it wipes away easily with a wet cloth. Do all the full tiles first, and then work away at the cut tiles (scissors work best). The light fixtures you see in the pictures weren't installed when putting in the ceiling, so it was easy enough to cut the tile around the electrical box.

After that, I sat on a tall ladder and went from joint to joint filling in any gaps with paintable caulk. My wife followed behind with the paintbrush. Again, here a wet rag helps with any cleanup. Some people suggest using a ziplock bag on your finger to help spread the caulk.

Hope this helps! Our room is about 12x20 and it took two of us about 10 hours from start to finish.

[katya]

Sometimes, it’s the details that make a room really stand out. Updating your skirting boards and architraves is an achievable project that can add a luxurious touch to an otherwise simple bedroom. A new bedhead is another great way to bring your room up to date without buying new furniture.

[DIY@home]

Great looking room shazapple(s)! The ceiling is really a nice touch. And I know how much you'll appreciate that insulation now that winter's here.

To downtowndahlgren: we had/have the ugly 12 x 12 acoustical tile in the entire downstairs of our old house, which we figure was installed in the "unsympathetic '70's (emphasis on "pathetic" ). When we did our living room about 12 years ago you couldn't find this type of tile. We weren't in a position to pull the whole works down to do it "right" so we opted to cover over the acoustical tiles which were in good shape - just ugly.

We covered the ceiling with a layer of "liner paper" which is a fairly heavy porous backer. Then we papered over that with an embossed vinyl wallpaper that had a pattern reminiscent of the tin ceiling look. Other than one spot that wrinkles slightly during really humid weather, it's held up amazingly well. (pics below)

living room ceiling with embossed wallpaper.JPG (14.56 KiB) Viewed 264 times

ceiling paper pattern detail.JPG (18.54 KiB) Viewed 263 times

If we were doing that room now, we'd definitely be looking into the styrofoam tiles like shazapple used. On the plus side we can use them when we get around to redecorating the dining room.

acoustical ceiling tiles from 1970s.JPG (11.68 KiB) Viewed 263 times

Looking forward to the kitchen reno...

[downtowndahlgren]

Thanks Shaz and DIY! I also don't want to get the whole living room ceiling pulled down, and I know the acoustic tiles are installed on 1 X 3 furring strips, so they are pretty structurally solid. I'll still have to have help with the styro tiles (I can't work above my head due to fused neck vertebrae), but it sounds a lot easier than the alternative. I look forward to covering up the awful cracks between the acoustic tiles, which are exacerbated by bomb blasts from the Navy base.

[farmerjohn]

Thanks,a PO can learn a lot on this Old House web.