Playroom Renovation

As many of you have heard I started a project several weeks ago (a month actually ago) to renovate our playroom. The old one was dark and dreary with poor lighting and ragged carpet. We started the project by removing the carpet and tearing down the drop ceiling tiles all the time thinking that we would simply replace the tiles with something newer and more bright. However, after comparing material costs we decided to actually replace the tiles with a bead-board ceiling instead. And with that decision came about 3 weeks extra work - even though the material costs stayed the same.

I had to completely remove the grid system from the tiles as well as old ceiling insulation that was covered with years of yuck and muck. The we discovered remnants of the old porch ceiling that we had to repair so that things didn't look too odd once our new ceiling was in place. I also had to update wiring so we could install recessed lighting. Once all of this was done we began working on the ceiling itself.

Let me just say that putting in a 20 foot long ceiling one 3-inch board at a time is time consuming and mind numbing. Not only is it slow but you have to be on a ladder the entire time with someone else helping you. (Thanks Dad, Kate and Jason) And did I forget to mention that we had to prime the boards and then give them 2 coats of paint prior to having them sit in the playroom for 2 days to acclimate before installing?

Finally it was done and we had to move onto the crown molding installation. Let me just sum this one up for you.....thanks Uncle D for putting in my crown molding.

After painting (including 1 gallon of primer and 1.5 gallons of paint just for the brick wall) we were ready for the carpet to be installed. Once that was completed it was all over except for moving the furniture back into the room. Click on the link below to see some before and after photos.

Playroom before-and-after photos.