Can I just start out with a WHOO?!

And a WHEW!! Cause I’m exhausted.

:)

It’s been two months since I’ve addressed my office redo, and I’ve had the mdf for the board and batten treatment on the walls for about that long. It’s been piled in the garage all that time…and every time I’ve stubbed my toe, tripped over them or watched them gathering dust since January, I have thought… I MUST get that project done.

And I just kept thinking. No doing. :)

I was hesitating because for this space, I really, really wanted to pull out the baseboards in the office before I installed the B and B treatment. I wanted to install fat, thick ones like in the inspiration picture I showed you a while ago:

So I hesitated. And worked on purging. Did a little change in the living room. And took a couple trips to IKEA. :)

I hesitated because as I’ve mentioned before, our baseboards are SUCH a pain in the booty to remove. I’ve done it in a bathroom and our laundry room, and oh. my. good. NESS. – they are so hard to get off the wall. It’s just crazy. I’m talking two inch, thick nails holding those puppies in.

Every time I’ve done it, I end up damaging the drywall, which has been OK because I’ve installed beadboard. But in the office, I was sceered. I knew some damage would be covered by the boards, but not all. But I was also afraid to not take them out – would it look wonky? Unfinished? Wrong?

Well, I was looking at the blank walls of the office yesterday morning and just decided to take a risk and just install the stuff already. I wasn’t going to rip out the baseboards -- I would just install the mdf boards right over them. I knew it wasn’t going to be perfect, but none of my projects are. They all have little imperfections and quirks – that’s how I roll. Why stop now? :)

I just wanted to get it done and said to heck with perfect. I was going to get my vision up on the walls!

And once I started, it was hard to stop. I got everything done yesterday and today. I started with my primed boards from Lowe’s:

They’re 3 1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inch thick and came in 12 foot lengths. I had them cut in half so they were easier to work with. I would have had them cut from a sheet of mdf like I did on the staircase, but I really wanted primed mdf for this project.

There’s a LOT of wall space to cover this time. And to paint. :)

I started by nailing the boards along the bottom over the baseboards:

And I wasn’t horrified. :)

I used my nail gun and two inch nails to install all of the mdf. I wanted something thick enough to get through the boards, the drywall, and into the studs (where I could get them).

Then I figured out how tall I wanted the treatment, and started putting up the vertical boards. I cut a 13 inch board and used it as my spacer between each vertical piece, then put the boards along the top:

I was loving how it was coming along, but I wanted a little more character, so I added a some detail by adding another line of boards:

I went ten inches down from the top boards. I waffled between ten and 12 inches, and wish I would have thought about the light switch before I decided on the ten:

:) Again, SO not perfect. But with some caulk, spackle, and some paint, you won’t even notice it in the end. Pinky swear. The lamp in front of it will help too. ;)

I was so in love with how it turned out! But I still wanted to add a little somethin’ -- it was the detail I had seen in my head all these months, and I knew I had to do it.

So, it was back to Lowe’s we went to grab some more primed mdf, but this time it was the 1 1/2 inch width:

I took the smaller mdf and created a shelf around the top of the board and batten:

I just nailed it down into the 3 1/2 inch boards that went around the top. It’s super sturdy – I didn’t even use glue. 

I found that small trim (looks like mini-crown molding) to put along the bottom, under the “shelf.”

The hardest part in the room was this area by the doors – the corners took 22.5 degree cuts instead of 45’s;

They just took a few extra practice cuts. ;)

You can see how they came together where it hits the window:

It’s gonna look fantastic once it’s all painted!

The imperfections are everywhere – I spaced the boards around the room based on light switches and plugs, but I completely forgot under the windows. So when I went to add the boards under the sills, I realized the measurements were way off.

I figured since I’ll always have drapes up, I decided to wing it and just put one single board right in the middle of the window:

You won’t see the empty space where there should have been other boards, because it’ll be covered by drapes. *ThankyouLordforfabric.*

Because I was working around a plug, I ended up not having enough room for a whole board in one corner. I went ahead and put it up, so one section is about half an inch smaller than the others:

Can you tell which one it is?

Wait, don’t answer that! Just say you can’t tell. ;)

I had to do that in a couple spots, but I’m about 150 percent sure I’m the only one who will notice when it’s all painted. And even if they do notice, I’m quite sure I’ll be the only one who cares.

I finished it all off by putting up the trim around the windows:

Most of that will be covered by the drapes too, but I just love the look!

And now, the room is finally coming together!:

It only took 43 foot boards, which ended up being about 118 cuts, 150 trips in and out of the garage, and climbing up and down something like 624 steps.

Or so. :)

Needless to say, I haven’t needed to work out this week.

It’s far from complete, but I can finally see my vision coming to life:

That’s my DIY memo board leaning there – I need to figure out how I’m going to hang it with the addition of the ledge. I think I’ve figured it out.

Next up – caulking, spackling and sanding. If that’s not enough to make you cry a few tears, after that it will need a couple coats of paint. Whimper.

(Yet again, I have not followed my own advice of painting before installing.)

But I’ve gotten this far, I know I can DO THIS people!

Then I can get moving on the drapes, accessories and art:

I didn’t want the ledge to stick out too much, but I wanted it to be just wide enough to hold frames.

Here’s one of my favorites, waiting on the perfect spot:

It’s soooo dreamy. :)

But for now, our garage looks like a sawdust bomb went off:

And my shoulders are practically screaming at me. :)

I showed you some of the board and batten installation details in a video in this post. It isn’t hard – I swear to you. It’s time consuming, but not hard. I use a nail gun and compound miter saw for this project. You can do it by hand, it will just take you a lot longer and you’ll need a few more shoulder massages. ;)

I used 19 primed 3 1/2 boards, 12 feet each, and the total cost for those and everything needed for the ledge ended up right at $200.

I can’t believe how far this room has come – the before:

And now:

Can you believe it’s the same room? I can’t, and I live here. ;)

And you know what – I don’t even notice my whack baseboard/mdf board combo. It really doesn’t bother me. I took a risk at having it less than perfect and I’m so glad I did.

I’m linking this up to my friend Nester’s Take a Risk Day party! Have you taken a decorating risk lately? 

Well hello!! I got a fun little project accomplished yesterday that I absolutely LOVE. :)

It started with some house envy, believe it or not. :) Yes, even I see beautiful homes in blogland and sometimes that little green monster starts rearing it’s head. You all know I LOVE our house, so it’s not a big monster, mind you -- just a little one.

I just love little corners, niches, interesting spots in homes, and I adore how some people use awkward spots to their full potential. Like hallways – I just love a long hallway with hardwood floors, a beautiful runner and woodwork as far as the eye can see. Add a gallery of family photos and I’m swooning.

I have a recurring dream about a house we buy and are fixing up, and in each dream I find a new little nook or a tiny room I didn’t know was there before. I LOVE that dream. :)

But alas, we have no nooks, no niches. Not even a hallway. Not one hallway in our entire house. That’s the new open concept for ya – plenty of open spaces (which we love), but sometimes I do crave a little nook.

About a month ago or so, I realized we a needed a storage solution for our son’s dress up stuff. Now, not dress up like princess dresses. Manly dress up like policemen, train conductors and firemen.

(Insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor grunt here.)

So I thunk and I thunk, and I thought of the closest thing to a hallway we have – the half wall in our playroom/loft:

And the idea hit me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

First step was to paint the wall out in semi-gloss white:

Didn’t he do a great job?:

I kid! I kid! No child labor here folks.

Mostly because he wasn’t doing it right.

I kid! Not really.

OK, onward! You’ll notice I didn’t even paint the edges of the wall. I didn’t need to because it was going to be covered up with my next step. I took primed mdf from Lowe’s and started installing my vision:

I took some video to give some more detail, but it’s so straightforward – boards across the top, bottom and sides. Then I did some measuring to figure out the spacing between the rest of the boards.

The math went like this – the space between the two outside boards was almost exactly six feet. So I took:

6 feet x 12 (for inches) = 72 inches

The boards were 3.5 inches wide, so I figured out how many sections I wanted (five) and knew that would take four additional pieces of mdf:

3.5 (mdf boards) x 4 = 14 inches

Take the 72 inches minus 14 and you get 58 inches.

Divide 58 inches by the five sections I wanted, and you get 11.6 sections between each vertical board.

Does that make sense? Math and I are not friends, and I swear it’s easy. Once you do it one time, it’ll make more sense for the next time. :) I use that method for any spot where I’m adding molding to a specific amount of space (and I want it to look uniform.)

I took a quick video to show you a couple of my other tricks:

 

Sooo…anyhoo, after a couple more coats of paint on the mdf, some caulk (remember, it’s your BFF folks!), and hooks – I got this:

Isn’t it gorgeous? I mean, really. I want it all. over. my. house. ALL OVER. It’s just classic and pretty and yummy.

I can’t believe how happy woodwork makes me. It’s just ridiculous.

Now we have a spot for all of the make believe outfits:

I almost hated to cover it all up, but it’s for the sake of my sanity. Those hats have been laying around here and there for months because I haven’t found a good spot for them.

I especially love how it ties into the mdf I added to the staircase last year:

And you smarties will notice that NO, I have not painted that railing yet. Only the bottom section is done:

That is how I roll. :)

I just love how it turned out! I took an empty wall that wasn’t doing anything:

And made it functional and pretty:

Gotta love that!

The wood was el cheapo – I think I spent $15 on the mdf. I got the ORB hooks at Lowe’s as well. Love, love, LOVE!

Now I’m so pumped to get moving on the board and batten in the office! My plan is to get started on that this weekend.

Have a GREAT one!

Hey all! It’s a new year, and that means some fun new projects up in here. In between the decluttering (I’m attacking the excess Christmas decor) I finished up a project I’ve wanted to do for YEARS.

I told you way back when in this post that I didn’t know how to cope or cut crown molding – so I’ve always used the corner pieces like these when installing crown:

And I really love them – they add a little extra architectural interest. And they fit right into the corners and make the installation of crown SO much easier. You just cut straight cuts and butt the crown up against it.

The only issue is the cost – they aren’t cheap. Easy, yes – cheap, no.  (Um, this post is taking a very wrong turn.)

Anyway, I’ve been determined for years to figure out how to cut crown so I wouldn’t need the corner pieces.

When I mentioned this on Twitter and Facebook (because I was so excited!), I said I had figured out how to cope crown, which is the wrong terminology. Coping is actually a process of cutting out the shape of the molding so it fits snug into the other piece:

I did not do this. :) That’s still way over my head. But I did figure out how to cut the crown on my miter saw, which has eluded me for years! Yessss.

It was SO stinking easy. Seriously, I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out. There are a few tricks to doing it right that I figured out along the way.

First of all, I used my compound miter saw. You do NOT have to have one – a miter box (like I used for years for my molding projects) will do just fine. It will just take more strength and endurance. :)

Because crown is installed at an angle, it changes things a bit. First of all, you need to place the crown at an angle on the saw when cutting it.

Here’s some pictures to help explain – for an inside cut, you to make sure the front is facing into the saw. This molding set up for a cut that will be on an inside left corner:

The front is facing into the saw, top on top, bottom on bottom.

Here’s what it will look like on the saw:

For a standard (inside) corner, you’ll want it set to a 45 degree angle:

You do the same thing for the right side of the molding:

You’ll notice the left of the molding on the saw is really the right side, and vice versa (because the back is facing you).

That’s it. Seriously, I waited how many years to figure this out? Here’s how your molding will look for an inside corner:

Notice you can see the edges of the wood? You want to see that, so when they go together up in the corner, they’ll meet up like this:

That’s the only tricky part, getting that angle right as you’re working around the room. You do want the back of the molding to be the longer edge, not the front:

Does that make sense? That part is huge! For an inside corner, it just won’t meet up the other way.

Installation is EASY – you’ll just need someone to help you hold up the pieces as you nail them in (thanks Dad!!).

I used our nail gun and nails that were just over an inch long:

I put nails in the bottom of the molding every 18 inches or so, and you’ll want to get them into a few studs along the way. I don’t worry about that too much – crown isn’t too heavy (typically), so as long as  you get nails in a few studs you’ll be good. I also put some through the top (into the ceiling) as well, just to secure it a bit more.

Something to think about as you have the molding on the saw is to watch how it rests. If you have it at this angle for one cut:

Make sure it’s not lower like this:

Or this:

For the other cuts. It will change how the molding meets in the corners.

If you do it (fairly) right, you’ll end up with this:

Don’t worry about it being perfect!! More on that in a bit!

One thing that’s held me back from figuring this out in the office was the weird angles at the doorway:

But we quickly figured out it was the exact same cuts, just at a 22.5 degree angle:

So, overall, this was WAY easier than I thought it would be. But, as always, I ran into issues I figure you all will too. So I want to mention them. So you don’t hate on me when you try it. :)

I’ve mentioned before that when you pick out molding, you’ll want to make sure it lays flat against the floor. Any pieces that are slightly bent or wackadoodle will give you issues when you install them.

I knew one of mine was slightly off and used it anyway, and wish I wouldn’t have. Because it was bowing, it looked like this when I got it up:

See the eleventy billion holes? Yeah. That’s me trying to get it to go flush against the wall. It wasn’t. :) There was no stud at the point where there was an issue, the nails just weren’t grabbing anything. So I was left with a spot that didn’t match up perfectly.

I could have just taken it all down, cut a new piece and reinstalled everything. But I don’t roll like that. I hide, hide, HIDE all the imperfections I can. :)

Also, if you don’t have a piece long enough for a whole wall, you’ll need to meet up two – which is why I cut the crown at an angle above. Supposedly an angled cut hides more than a straight one – that’s what I’ve heard anyway. I’ve done it both ways, and over time, both need to be touched up as things settle.

So basically, do what you want. :)

That brings me to my next point – caulk is your BFF. Don’t fret if it looks like patoot after you install everything. Caulk and putty cover a multitude of sins. Here’s that same spot with caulk covering the nail holes and the crack:

When I paint, it will cover it up even more. Most people will never notice it. MOST. :)

You can see how the bowed piece didn’t meet up with the wall perfectly on the bottom:

Can you see the gap? I’ll caulk it so you won’t even notice it. Or maybe I won’t. :) It doesn’t bother me too much, but that’s me.

Finally, I was thisclose to done with the room, when I finished up the last corner – and the two corners didn’t match up. You need to make sure the angles of the crown (how it fits on the wall) are exactly the same as you go around. Does that make sense? If you are slightly off in the way you hold it up and install it, it won’t match up perfectly at the corners, no matter how well you miter those corners.

Again…CAULK IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Serious. Remember, crown is up high. Way above your head. People can’t see the itty bitty imperfections. Only YOU do. Trust me. :)

So, for now, it’s done. My plan was to install a skinny trim an inch or two down from the crown, then paint it all out white (this gives the illusion of chunkier molding), but I’m going to wait to see how it looks with all of the board and batten before I do that.

By the way, doing that would hide even more imperfections. :)

Here’s the end result!:

   

OH my, what a difference!! Isn’t that crazy?

Goodness, I LOVE MOLDING!! :)

So here’s my before and after for the month – the office before crown:

And after!

(Don’t worry – the cord will be hidden by the beautiful drapery fabric.)

I hope my pictures and instructions help and don’t make you more confused! Keep in mind, I only had to do inside corners. I haven’t had to attempt the outside versions yet. :)

And YES, you can do this with an $8 miter box and a hand saw, and YES, you can install crown with regular nails and a hammer. (I’ve done both in our dining room.)

It will just take you a bit longer to get to the finished product. :)

I can’t wait to see your before and afters for the new year! Remember, be sure to link up to your post, not your blog! And you’re welcome to add this purdy little button to your post:

Thank so much! Link it up Squeezays!!