Category Archives: Great Room
Half of the Ceiling Removal
We had high aspirations a few weekends ago. We planned two big projects – 1) take out our part of our great room’s ceiling and 2) build a couple raised beds for our side yard. Unfortunately, the ceiling removal was quite a time hog. Took us about five hours to remove half the ceiling panels, dispose of all the rubble and clean. Looking back now, it actually went quickly given what we had to do. Of course going into it, we were slightly unprepared for the mess.
The Situation
A couple of months ago, bubbles started to form in the particle board ceiling in our great room. It’s hard to capture the bubbles on the white ceiling, but here you can see them with the light reflecting off the ceiling.
A month later, the bubbles got bigger. Then cracks formed. Since these symptoms were growing so fast, we wanted to investigate the problem before winter. Our plan was simple, remove the damaged boards and see what was causing the water damage.
Prep
Having no idea what we would find – Nate and I cleaned the furniture out of the room and put up plastic drop cloth along all the passageways to keep the mess contained.
We even covered the back part of the great room just to keep the dust and debris off our furniture. Glad we did that extra step because we had no idea how much stuff would come down with the ceiling.
Make a hole
Next, Nate broke through one of our problem areas with a crowbar and hammer. We had to be really careful because we had no idea where anything was above the ceiling. Once he broke through and made a decent size hole, he was able to look and see the lay of the land.
What we found
Roughly two feet separated our ceiling from the roof boards. Rafters ran the length of this section of the room.
Between the rafters was old insulation. Some of it was still intact, but most was moist and rather icky. It got everywhere. With the insulation was also a lot of gravel from the roof. Guess the gravel must have found its way down through the roof boards, but the great amount of it was a little troubling.
All of our electrical wiring in our house runs in the ceiling (remember there’s concrete everywhere else!), so Nate had to be really carefully as he removed panels. Luckily we only found our telephone line. No electrical on this side of the room.
Once we got all the boards and debris out, we are happy to report there is minimal damage to the roof boards and rafters. The insulation all had to be thrown out, but we intent to replace it with a better and more eco-friendly product anyhow.
Assess
We have one white moldy patch, but little else to show for all the moisture. So the good news is we don’t have a major catastrophe on our hands, but the bad news is we still don’t know where the leak is.
Our plan is to keep the ceiling open for a couple of weeks and get some advice on short-term solutions. Maybe we get this portion of the roof patched or try to pin point exactly where the leak is and just patch that small area.
We know we are eventually going to have to replace the whole roof, but we don’t have the vision yet of what we want to do, nor the funds to make it happen.
So now we wait and watch for a sign.
How I went from grandma table to surf retro
Thanks for all the congratulations on the table! I am so glad everyone loves it as much as we do.
How I gave my grandma’s dining table a beach makeover
Supply List
Here’s the products I used for this project. They worked really well for me, but there certainly are other comparable products out there.
- Electric Sander (I use a Mikita that I purchased for around $30)
- 80-grit, 220-grit, 360-grit sandpaper
- Zinsser Cover Stain Oil Primer
- Rust-oleum Spray Primer
- Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x Spray Paint in Gloss White
- Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in Gloss White
- Behr Eggshell Latex in Aqua Spray
- ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock in 1″
- Newspaper and Dust cloths
- Minwax Wipe-on Poly in Clear Gloss
- Gloves
- Mask
My #1 Tip
If I had to do this project again, I would have sanded just a little more at the beginning to get the surface as smooth as possible. So, my #1 tip is to take your time during each step of the project so you get it right.
As I showed you two days ago, I started by sanding the heck out of the top and legs of the table. I didn’t think I could remove the laminate finish on the top so I settled for roughing it up a lot. I started with a medium grade 80-grit paper and worked up to a fine grade 220-grit paper.
Then I flipped the table on its back so I could prime and paint the legs and any visible parts of the underneath. I sprayed about two coats of the primer and 2-3 thin coats of the Painter’s Touch. I lightly sanded it down between primer and paint to smooth out drips and rough spots.
With the bottom dry, I flipped the table upright to work on the table top.
Using my handy 24″ quilting ruler, I measured out the stripe pattern on the table top. I started by measuring the center of each table leaf and then measured out each stripe. The pattern was a 2″ aqua stripe flanked by a 1/2″ white stripe and 1″ wood stripe.
Each panel had to match its neighbor so I started on the middle leaf and worked out connecting all my marks into lines before triple checking all my measurement again.
Taking a deep breath, I then taped off my 1″ wood grain stripes as straight as possible following my pencil lines. The tape was one continuous piece to ensure all the leaves matched up. Once the tape was applied, I rubbed it into the wood with my finger to make sure it didn’t have any bubbles.
Also before taping, I had extended the table so I had about 1/4″ between each leaf. This way the paint couldn’t pool between the leaves and I could easily clean up any drips.
I was a little worried about the laminate finish. Would the paint stick to it? I used a oil based primer to make sure. Nate and I had used it on our hallway cabinets and really loved the results.
Two thin coats of primer were applied and then let to dry for 24 hrs before sanding down with 220-grit sandpaper. The primer stuck to the laminate really well. The stuff is truly amazing and well worth using.
The following day, I applied Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in Gloss White to the primed table top. I started with spray paint, but quickly changed to the actual paint. (I just bought a pint of the paint sold in the same section the spray paint is found.) I applied two thin coats, let it dry for 24 hrs then sanded yet again with the 220-grit paper.
With all the white layers done, I decided to removed the tape to check that my wood stripes worked before continuing in case I have to change plans. I was really worried that the primer may have leaked. Amazingly, it hadn’t. The Scotch Edge Lock worked like magic and left sharp clean wood stripes. I was so excited I made Nate come outside to see and did a little happy dance.
Next up was the 2″ center stripe. I lightly sanded again just in case there was any edges from the tape. Then measured out the center stripe and taped it off with my magic tape.
I decided to try out a great tip I read for getting foolproof stripes. By sealing the tape with your original color before painting the stripe, any leakage under the tape will be the original color so the stripe should be clean. So I sealed the tape with a little white paint and let it dry before adding the aqua color. (I couldn’t use this tip with the wood stripe since I didn’t have a color to seal the tape with.)
When the paint was dry, I painted two thin coats of Behr Aqua Spray down the middle and let the paint dry overnight.
When I removed the tape this time, I bunch of the white undercoat came up with it. The stripe was nice and clean, but I did touch up the white 1/2″ stripes a bit before sanding the table one last time with the 220-grit paper.
Nate and I moved the table back inside for the polyurethane coats to make sure we didn’t get any dirt or bugs in it. The wipe-on poly is really easy to apply with a clean cloth. It usually dries in 2-3 hours, but it’s been pretty warm here so each coat took much longer.
I had two box fans on and the table still took about 7 hours to dry between coats. I sanded with very fine 360-grit paper between the coats. The final coat was allowed to dry for 24 hours before we used it.
And there you go – the finished table!
The table has gotten lost of use these last few nights. We even hosted our fantasy football draft on it Tuesday night.
My retro surf dining table
The last two weeks I have been refinishing my grandma’s dining table. Here is the big reveal with before and after photos. Project details will be following in the next post.
Before
After
My dining table was originally purchased by my grandparents in the 1960′s. It served as the household’s hub of activity for 40 plus years. Countless family meals, bridge games and holiday feasts all were stationed at it.
I inherited it when we bought our house. I loved the table’s versatility. It can seat four to ten people easily with four removable leaves. I also am a sucker for the sentimental and cherish all the childhood memories I have sitting at it.
But that didn’t mean I would leave it as is. The table needed a makeover. The top was some sort of heavy duty laminate I didn’t want to keep. The table was scratched and its legs all banged up. There was even petrified gum on the underside from when my uncles and aunts were kids.
My first thought was to paint it all white, but then I thought why not make it playful? Our house is a mismatch of mid century modern lines with punches of tropical color and personality. It’s meant for pool parties and entertaining. Our table needed some fun design.
I went with a classic racing stripe reminiscent of 1960′s surf and skate boards. After sketching out a couple different patterns, I settled on a 2″ aqua stripe flanked by 1/2″ white stripe and 1″ wood stripe.
I became obsessed with having wood stripes. It’s a nod to the original finish, plus it works so well in combination with the white and aqua. My gut said the wood stripes would work, but I was still nervous on execution.
This being my first big furniture project, I did a ton of research prior to starting. I also found some great inspiration online like this chair and coffee table.
And the result? I am in love with my table!! I am so happy with that I worked the wood into the design. It looks even better than I thought it would!
We’ve already had a chance to try it out for a couple events we’ve hosted and it held up really well. My grandparents loved a good gathering. They would be thrilled their table is now the belle of my ball.
If you are interested in the project details, I’ll post them tomorrow with a supply list. This entry is already long enough!
Day in the life
The last two weeks I have been refinishing my grandma’s dining table. It’s the first BIG furniture project I have ever taken on. Below is a photo diary of the first day. 
Get home from work. Change my clothes.
Move dining table to backyard.
Sand with 80-grit paper to scruff up finish.
Interrupted by a small tiger cat.
Take out leaves and flip table over.
Sand table legs.
Quickly prime legs and bottom of table with spray paint as the light fades.
Leave table to dry out back and make some dinner.
On the horizon
Something has been growing in our great room.
Something that we are going to have to deal with soon.
What’s causing it? And how do we fix it?
There is only one way to find out. Tear down the ceiling. Replace what’s damaged and repair what we can.
Wish us luck because this project is now on our priority list.
Gulp. Fingers crossed this will be fixable.
It’s the little things
For me, this weekend’s shining moment was tackling a small project I have been avoiding for over a year purely out of annoyance. I know its a rather stupid thing to do, but to me this nagging little project was just the last thing I wanted to spend time on.
Can you tell from this picture what it was?
Here, I’ll circle it for you.
It’s replacing that weasley little plug sandwiched between the laundry closet and our wall heater. As the official (novice) electrician in the household, this project definitely fell under my list of to-dos.
I can only guess as to why this plug was orginally installed in this awkward spot. Couldn’t they have just placed it in the closet, perhaps? To me it’s an eyesore and not very useful so I have avoided it at all costs.
Poor Nate has received hateful stares from me each time he mentions it. Luckily the boy is very persistent about completing projects.
This weekend I relented. I just sighed and got out my electrical tools.
After turning off the specific breaker outside and testing the current, I removed the old beige unit. Then I installed a brand new white plug that matches the rest of our house. After turning the breaker back on, I tested the plug to made sure it worked before installing the wall plate.
Speaking of the wall plate, we actually found a special “half” cover that fits the space perfectly. If you are looking for something like this, check out Lowe’s. It was the only place we were able to find anything like it. Of course, you can also just cut a regular cover to size.
Yay, its done!! I was very happy to cross the “half plug” off our latest list.
I will also admit, I feel the tiniest bit silly to have not done this sooner.
The updated plug looks much better. Not that a weird half plug can ever look really great, but it is what it is. (And boy does that heater need to be cleaned and perhaps painted, but we’ll save that for another time!)
Great Room Reveal
Here’s a more detailed first look at the great room.
We still need some key items like a rug, but just haven’t found the right one yet.
At our two days before Christmas IKEA trip, we bought two pieces for the great room. The Besta Burs TV Stand and the Malm Dressing Table (pictures forthcoming).
We have a few headaches with each.
The Besta TV unit stand takes TIME to put together.
Nate worked uninterrupted on it for six hours or so. Let me just say the hours were full of expletives and throwing screwdrivers so please be forewarned. BUT, and I say but in bold uppercase letters for a reason people, the piece is beautiful.
We bought the Malm Dressing Table to put along the back of the sofa. Unfortunately, the back of the table is exposed particle board so it didn’t work behind the sofa. We instead put it along the back wall between the cabinets and sliding glass doors. Luckily it fit. It does annoy me that the back isn’t finished, but we didn’t have enought time to take it back before the holidays so it stayed.
