With the New Year many people make Resolutions they may or may not keep but I always look for the next DIY project in our home. There’s the normal upkeep that any home needs with the daily wear and tear but for me it’s more about changing what may already by good into something amazing new and fun.
When we first moved into our home, we converted the old florescent light fixture into recessed lights with crown molding. It was an instant upgrade and made a huge difference in our kitchen making the room seem larger and let’s face it…any kitchen without a florescent light is a better kitchen!! It looked great, why change it??
Last year I did a blog post on Renovating Kitchens and I posted a photo that I kept coming back to. I could never get it out of my mind. This Kitchen had a recessed ceiling but they designed it with reclaimed wood through out the boxed area. I just fell in love with.
Doug, not so much!!
If I were to do this DIY, I knew I would not be able to use the normal fence wood that I used on all my other projects. I kept researching while giving poor Doug hints along the way. I knew I had to convince him by finding first the right product. It had to be planed, which means without warps and totally flat. I also knew I did not want the normal thickness of the wood which is 1/2 inch. There are companies that sell wood on line that is real wood veneer with a tape adhesive that would of done the job but I just wasn’t sold on the product. What I did find was literally right around the corner from Canyon Lake..
Poppa’s Barn !!!
( Click the link above to see all Poppa’s Barn has to offer!)
I had heard about Poppa’s Barn a few years ago and totally forgot about them until I saw an advertisement in a local Canyon Lake newspaper. Last week I just lightheartedly mentioned to Doug we should just drive by since its so close. We walked in and were hooked. Family owned for over 30 years, their customer service was so awesome inviting into their home which is also onsite. We were able to view their workshop and actually pick out the wood we liked and the owner even planed it thinner to my desired width which was 5/16 inch. They even opened the box so I could approve each piece of wood for our project.
This is the wood I picked out.
I first measured the box and taped it off on my floor to arrange the wood the way I wanted it on the ceiling. This really helped Doug visualize what I wanted it to look like and it made the installation much faster.
Then the prep began. Now whether your installing a ceiling or a statement wall, the prep is really the same. You must paint the area behind the wood black. This is real wood with knot holes and cracks and the color behind the wood will show.
I taped off the molding and actually used some old chalk paint I had in the garage.
We were lucky because our light box was pretty square but you may need to snap a line to make sure your first piece is square or straight. Just like applying wallpaper. The owner actually recommend we start in the middle and work outward but it worked out that we didn’t need to. We did need to rip our last piece to fit with our table saw.
then the first piece went up…wahoo!
We used Gorilla Glue Construction Adhesive tacking it in place with nail gun using 1 1/4 inch finish nails.
Don’t overdo the Gorilla Glue. Just put dollops over the board. The nails will make the seal tight.
Then the the dreaded can light holes!! I should of taken a photo of this sorry, but Doug made a circular Template out of cardboard that he could hold up to outline. He then used my Dremel tool with a cutting attachment that made the job easy!
I love my Dremel!!
Cutting each piece of wood until the can light fits over the board.
Then we repeated until we reached the last cut. If you’re really lucky, you wont have to rip or size your last piece. Ours worked out to just a slightly smaller width, but we knew that since I had laid it out on the floor. After you’ve tacked all your pieces in place, go back with a finish hammer to tap the nail heads in so they don’t’ show.
Then let there be light!!
Instant Character!!
So in a rainy afternoon we had a showstopper kitchen ceiling!!
Check out Poppa’s Barn in Menifee. Whether you want to do your own ceiling or accent wall, Poppa’s Barn will give you the wood to make your DIY wood project AMAZING!!!
And if you have any Real Estate needs, give us a Call…We’re never too busy!
951-760-6102