Two Ceiling Beams Up, One to Go
Over the weekend, Hubs and I installed two of the three box beams for our dining and kitchen area. We installed the ones for our dining room - the last one for the kitchen will have to wait until the end of the month or January as we'll be busy with other things for the next couple of weekends. Overall I'm pretty happy with they way they turned out. In a couple of places, there is about an 1/8 of an inch gap between the beam and the ceiling due to our old uneven ceilings. It bothers me more than it bothers hubs. I'm thinking that caulking between the beams and a plank ceiling just wouldn't be right...would seem weird to do so because I'd think caulk would end up in the grooves of the planks. Do any of you more seasoned do-it-yourselfers have any suggestions? Click on the photo above for an enlarged version to see the area that I'm talking about.
The three beams will need to be puttied to better hide the seams and small nailholes (we had to splice our planks together to get the length we needed) and then I'll prime and paint them the same color as our ceiling.
We haven't installed any overhead lighting yet so we're working (and eating!) by the light of floodlight type lighting. FUN! That's why the pictures here look kind of funky.
In the middle of the two beams we've already installed, we'll be putting this light above the dining table.
I've been under the weather this week with my usual weather related aches and pains. Last week, we had temps in the 30's - this week near the 70's....ARGH! I've gotten so behind on usual housework and everything is such a disaster. Not to mention the fact that this place needs a major organizational overhall once again. Every closet and drawer is so cluttered and messy right now. Ick. I so long to be that person who is neat and tidy always, but I've always struggled in this area. How can someone who is so knitpicky with details be so utterly disorganized? *sigh* I can do an ok job at keeping visible areas tidy (not the kids rooms, mind you, but the living room and kitchen), but goodness, don't open any doors or drawers - and don't peek inside my purse!
I found a book that looks interesting...it's called Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals . So I feel a little better, lol, because I'm not the only one. Oh, I also found a humorous statement in a commentary about this book and according to it..."Creative people, who frequently are right-brain dominant, perceive and organize their world differently from left-brain dominant people. In other words, you're not necessarily *dis*organized, but you are *differently* organized."
Yep, that's me ...I'm "differently organized" alright. :)
16 comments:
I think the ceiling looks great. I'm not sure what I'd do with the gaps other than just leave them. You will probably be the only person who notices them and you're right, caulk would be a mistake.
I have an unrelated question: I love the way you gave new life to the the ceiling fan in the living room. It went from not-so-great to really great looking. Was this spray paint you used? If so, where did you get it? I've looked everywhere for oil-rubbed bronze spray paint and the closest I've come is Rust-Oleum hammered bronze, black, brown and none of them are even close to the oil-rubbed look of what your fan has. I really think it looks great and I have a couple of fans that could use the update. Thanks so much!
Hi Kim!
Your hard work is paying off because your ceiling looks fantastic! Wow! Sooo nice! I would just leave them as the wood might expand later anyway and help to fill in the cracks a little bit. We had this kind of ceiling in our last house and there were gaps between the planks too and it made it more cottagy anyway! Nothing is tight and even in an old home... so in your cottage home it doesn't need to be "perfect"... as it is it LOOKS perfect anyway!! Wonderful job!
Kim
a small piece of trim would conceal the gap. perhaps quarter round or something with a low profile. By nailing it to the ceiling rather than the box beam it would bend and sit flush, concealing the gap.
You're awesome! Great Style I love to look here, as it cheers me up, should have posted when I found you but here I am;)
I agree it looks wonderful and I would leave it... as it does go with the imperfections of a cottage style... which I love
Great thoughts, everyone. Ben and another reader suggested really small trim...I think I'll look into that. And you're right, cottage style isn't about perfection, but living around the imperfections. Must keep remembering that! That's one reason I love cottage style so much!
Patricia, I actually used paint from a quart, not a spray paint. It's called Anodized Bronze, from Rustoleum. They also make a spray in anodized bronze though I found the spray finish to be a little more grey looking than the brush on/roll on paint. I used a foam brush on everything but the blades - those I rolled with tiny foam rollers. Hope this helps!
Thanks Patricia, Kim, Ben, Diana, and One Blue Egg! I enjoy all of your blogs!
Love the beams and what an improvement from your old ceiling!
Thank you, Chris! Yes, just about anything is an improvement over cottage cheese, hehe!
Kim, when we did our kitchen we scraped all the cottage cheese off the kitchen, living room and hallway-in July! It was hot and messy but boy does it look better. I like what you did better.
Whew! What a job, Chris! I wish our kitchen ceiling could have been scraped. It was some kind of weird plaster effect that would have needed major sanding. Too much trouble!
Kim we did this to the kitchen ceiling in our old kitchen (yes before we moved to this dumb cabin I lived in a old victorian) I so love the look of it! & the tiny imperfections make it real!
Hey Kim!
Your beams turned out great. Your room is coming together well! Enjoy the results of your hard work! =))
fabulous. this kind of work is truly what makes a house special.
Kim,
Hi I love the island I see in your kitchen slides! Did you make it?
I just finished 4 months on redoing the living room and now I'm eyeing up the kitchen. Don't tell the hubby I don't think he's recovered from the living room yet!:-)
Bonnie
Kim,
Hi I love the island I see in your kitchen slides! Did you make it?
I just finished 4 months on redoing the living room and now I'm eyeing up the kitchen. Don't tell the hubby I don't think he's recovered from the living room yet!:-)
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie! Congrats on redoing your living room...it's a lot of work, but well worth it!L
I actually got that island at the Nashville flea market from someone that makes furniture from old house parts. They live in Alabama, I think, and travel to different location to sell their things. You can find more info about them and more photos of their pieces at http://www.fuzzotfurniture.net/ . I hope this helps...Thanks for dropping in!
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