Sure sure it is easy. You just need a pot, water, and eggs, turn the heat on and voila, boiled egg! But, DO YOU KNOW how to make the perfect hard- boiled egg without getting the shells cracked. Or are you the type who doesn’t know when to take the eggs out and you just hope they are done? And most of all- do you know how to avoid those dark rings around the yolk? Hmm, nasty.
boiled eggs
Some recipes depend on good boiled eggs such as egg salads or deviled eggs. Of course, that is if you are like me who look at that.Seriously, I do because that is just who I am. Even Easter eggs for coloring and decorating depends on a good, if not perfect, hard-boiled eggs, right?
So,first, place the eggs in the bottom of a sauce pan. Add cold water. Make sure the top of the eggs are covered by at least an inch of water. Over medium heat cook without the lid.Once you see the water is boiling, and you see big bubbles, turn the heat off and put the lid on. Let it sit for 12 minutes.Scoop with a slotted spoon. You may run the eggs in cold water for easy peeling or just sit the eggs on a plate to cool a little bit before you peel them. How easy is that?
Enjoy your perfect boiled egg!
For soft-boiled egg? – let it sit in the hot water for 5 minutes (for runny), 7-8 minutes (for barely set).
Next time you crave for some Chinese food, forget take-out. These egg rolls recipe is a cinch to make.
First, slice cabbage thinly.
Brown the ground pork. Scoop the meat off the pan then set aside.
In the same pan, saute garlic, onion and ginger. Stir in the cabbage and some red bell pepper.
Keep stirring and fry them up until they are wilted.Just like so.Let this cool a little bit before mixing with the rest of the ingredients
In a big bowl, mix together the ground pork, cabbage mixture, 1 lightly beaten egg,chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
For the wrapper, I use this kind. Find this in the grocery store, normally in the produce section. Now, lay your wrapper flat on a clean surface or a cutting board with the pointed end toward you. Fill the one end with about a 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture. Form into a log. Fold the pointed end first.
Then fold both left and right sides in.
Before folding the other pointed end, brush a bit of water on the wrapper (or you can use your hand too by dipping your finger in water) then fold to seal.
Fry in hot oil until golden brown, turning to make sure all sides are cooked.
Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel or on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack.
Serve hot and enjoy.
Cabbage Egg Rolls
Yields 6
Ingredients
Half of a medium size cabbage, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2-3 cups of canola oil
Instructions
Slice cabbage and bell pepper thinly.
On medium heat, brown ground pork in a tablespoon of oil.
Scoop the meat off the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, saute garlic, onion, and ginger. Add the cabbage and bell pepper.
Stir and cook until wilted. When done, let it cool for a few minutes.
In a big bowl, mix the ground pork & cabbage mixture. Add some chopped parsley, lightly beaten egg, salt and pepper. You may add a splash of soy sauce.
Lay an egg roll wrapper flat on a surface with the pointed tip toward you. Scoop about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place on the wrapper. Fold in one tip, then both sides next.
Brush a little bit of water on the other tip then fold to seal. Repeat process with the remaining mixture.
Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Turning to make sure allvsides are fully cooked.
In a deep saucepan, boil water enough to cover the bok choy. Once boiling, add the bokchoy. You just want to blanche it – about 3-5 minutes. It is still going to be green and crunchy.
If you want it really tender, then just cook it longer to your desired tenderness.
Scoop the bok choy out with a slotted spoon and arrange it on a plate preferably on a single layer.
In another pan, fry the garlic in oil until light brown. Scoop it out of the pan and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix the sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce & water.
Cook in the same pan and until heated through.
Drizzle over the bokchoy. Top with the fried garlic.
Serve immediately.
Notes
You can substitute bok choy with other veggies like broccoli rabe, large bok choy (cut into smaller pieces).
Oyster sauce can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian section.
If
you want to hone your darting skills and become a pro, you need to get the best
darts on the market today. But what weight darts do pros use? Well, the range
of weights of darts is from 12 grams to 50 grams. However, if you’ve reached
the pro level, you would usually use darts with 30 grams weight or more. The
30-gram darts provide a great balance. They also offer straight and consistent
flight and do not strain much the player’s arm.
Pros generally consider several factors when choosing darts such as the quality of the barrels, points, flights, and many other factors. Moreover, the weight of the darts that pros usually use is critical to how they perform during the game.
Why
are Heavy Darts Better for Professional Use?
Professionals
do not play darts for fun. They usually play for the prize, although they
generally enjoy their games likewise. If you play darts recreationally, you
don’t need to use heavy darts for you may not be accustomed to using heavy
darts. Furthermore, you will easily strain your hands if you use heavy darts
But
as a professional, you would be required to practice with heavy darts above 30
grams. Heavy darts, of course, require much practice to get your body accustomed
to their weight. Thus, pros work out heavily to easily handle the heavier darts
whose weights range from 30 to 50 grams.
Professional
dart players, however, know their comfort zones. They may use varying weights
of darts as long as they are comfortable with those darts. They may also try
several weights of darts to figure out what is the most suitable weights for
their playing styles.
Factors
to Consider When Choosing Darts
As
a pro, you need to choose the right weight and size of your darts. Your choice
usually hinges on your height, size, and capability. If you are small, you
don’t need to overburden yourself with 50-gram darts. On the other hand, if you
are bulky and muscular, you may simply destroy a lightweight dart. Thus, you need
to carefully figure out the best size and weight of darts for your capability.
When
choosing a darts set, therefore, you need to consider your body built,
strength, playing style, and your game plan. To help you zero in on the ideal
darts set for your use, here are the succinct factors that you need to consider
when buying a darts set.
Consider the Weight of the Darts!
As
mentioned above, the weight of darts is critical to your success in a dart
game. You should choose dart weights that would be appropriate for your weight
and size. If you are a small dart player who is not so muscularly built, you
should make use of darts whose weights range from 16 to 20 grams. Small players
prefer the 18 grams because they feel that at this weight, they exhibit
consistency and improved strength. As a general rule, you should choose a
weight class that you can readily and comfortably handle.
Consider
Balance!
Aside
from the appropriate weight of darts that you could easily handle, you should
also consider the balance that the dart provides. If you get the right weight
but don’t get the right balance, you may find it difficult to have a perfect
game.
The
specific gravity of the darts, when assembled, is essential to consider when
choosing a dart set. Some darts, for example, have their weight concentrated at
the front. Others, however, feel heavier at the back.
The
concentration of the weight, therefore, plays a critical roleion how you
position your hand and on your playing style. Many professional dart players
generally have different sets of darts at hand. They also know when to switch
to a particular set of darts when necessary.
Figure
out the Combination that will work for you!
Benjamin
Franklin once said that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This
saying is quite applicable when playing darts as a pro likewise. Your success a
professional dart player goes back to how you plan for your game. Before the
game, you should spend time figuring out the best combination of point, flight,
shaft, and barrels. Prior to the game, you should mix up different types of
barrels, points, shafts, and flights until you zero in on the ideal combo.
Conclusion:
Once you’ve figured out the best combos, you can then prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, physically, and psychologically for the rigors of the competitions. You visualize yourself winning the dart game that you really want to win. You also visualize your game plan and actualize that game plan. But you will never really achieve your game plan if you haven’t known beforehand what weight darts do pros use. Moreover, you will also not win if you haven’t figured out the best balance and the right combos of the different parts of the darts.
The buildup of oil layers on a bowling ball will surely cause the ball to react differently to the lane. In turn, if your ball reacts differently to the lane, your ball would eventually lose its grip on the lane. This will surely affect your throw, and eventually, you would lose control of your game. Hence, you should clean your ball every after throw and have it deep-cleaned every after 50 games.
Two
Ways to Get Your Bowling Ball Cleaned
You
can either get your bowling ball cleaned in two ways. First, you can do the
cleaning on your own using the available household products. This saves you
from paying for the cleaning service of pro shop. The other option of course,
is bringing your bowling ball to a pro shop near your home for a thorough
cleaning using an oil extraction machine.
At the pro shop, experts can readily inspect your bowling ball and inform you if there are small damages that you might have overlooked. Here are the simple tips on how to keep a bowling balls for kids clean:
Regularly clean Your Bowling Ball!
The
best time to clean your ball is right after a throw when the oil is still fresh
on the ball’s surface. This is the reason why you would usually see
professional players wipe the oil off their bowling ball before every throw and
after every throw. Oil usually builds up and becomes difficult to remove after
the passing of time. Hence, you should wipe the oil from your ball before they
harden up.
You
should keep a ball towel with you when you play. You can use this towel to readily
wipe down layers of oil on the surface of your bowling ball. You should,
however, choose a lint-free towel, something like a microfiber cloth for this
purpose. Ideally, you should wipe the oil from the surface of the ball every
after shot.
Use
Rubbing Alcohol to Loosen up Oil
After
every game, the pores of your bowling ball are still open due to friction. This
means that you can easily clean the oil off the ball’s surface while its
surface is still warm. Hence, you should get your towel and moisten it up with a
rubbing alcohol. Don’t oversoak the towel with alcohol. A little bit of alcohol
can go a long way in cleaning your bowling ball. Then, you should dry your bowling
ball using the dry part of your towel.
Deep
Clean Your Ball Every after 50 Games!
Aside
from regularly cleaning your bowling ball every after throw, you should also
deep clean your ball every after 50 games. You can do this by covering the
finger holes of your ball with a waterproof tape. This will prevent water from
seeping into the holes and damaging your ball eventually.
Then,
you should prepare a bucket filled with warm water. There, you can immerse the
ball. Oil, of course, is lighter than water. Hence, it tends to rise on the
surface of the water when the ball is soaked in warm water.
You
can soak your bowling ball up to 20 minutes to allow the warm water to work
into the pores of your bowling ball. Afterward, you can remove the ball from
the bucket, take off the strip of tape that covers the finger holes, and allow
the ball to dry to let the remaining moisture to evaporate.
Take
Your Bowling Ball to a Pro Shop
The
other way to get your bowling ball cleaned is by taking it to a pro shop. At
the pro shop, they have specialized cleaning machines called “oil extraction
machines.” The oil extraction machine consists of water tanks that heat to
allow the ball’s pores to open up.
You
can simply bring the ball to one of these pro shops near your place. Then, have
a pro shop personnel do the cleaning of your bowling ball for you. It’s that
easy and the service fee at these pro shops is usually not expensive. Moreover,
the assigned pro shop employee will readily point out to you any damage or
potential damage that you might have overlooked.
The
cleaning process may take about an hour or more. So, you can simply leave your bowling
ball at the pro shop if you have some errands to do or you can simply wait at
the pro shop for an hour or more until the cleaning process is done.
Conclusion:
Having
your bowling ball cleaned regularly can prevent small damage from becoming
bigger. At the same time, with a clean ball, you can surely take control of
your bowling ball and the outcomes of your game. Always remember that the
longevity of your bowling ball depends on how you take care of it. Hence, it is
imperative that you get your bowling ball cleaned every after throw and deep
cleaned every after 50 games.
Building a DIY ping pong table is surely one of the best things that you could ever do in your life. Why? Because ping pong is one of the best indoor games that you can easily play. Moreover, ping pong tables are expensive. But if you are going to create your own ping pong table instead of buying one, you could surely save a lot while being able to enjoy this exhilarating game.
Of course, building your own ping pong table entails time and effort. Plus, you need to prepare the necessary tools and materials to create a playable ping pong table that is of standard size. Here are the simple steps you should follow when creating your DIY ping pong table:
Step
1: Make a plan!
Making
a plan of the ping pong table doesn’t only mean that you are going to draw a
blueprint of the table. It also means listing all the necessary materials and
tools that you would use to actualize your plan. In your plan, therefore, you
should specify the measurements and dimensions of the table including the
height of the table.
Do
you want your table to be of standard size or not? In our case, we pegged the
height of the table at 4 x 7 feet. This means that you simply need to cut a
foot on one side of the MDF sheet to create the tabletop.
Materials:
4 x 8 MDF Sheet
2 12 feet moldings for
frame.
Valspar Paint
Painter’s Tape
Wood Glue
Step
2: Cut the plywood according to its designated dimensions.
Using
a saw, you can cut lengthwise a foot-wide section from the MDF sheet. That is
so easy to do. Then, you can simply paint the board’s surface with a Charcoal
Gray paint. Afterward, you should paint the edges and the center lines of the
board with white paint to give it a clear boundary. Then, let the paint to dry
up. Once, the tabletop has been painted, you can proceed with the next step.
Step
3: Make the Ping Pong Table legs!
There
are various ways you can set up the tabletop for playing ping pong. In fact, at
this point, you can already play ping pong if you have available sturdy table
on which you can position the tabletop. However, you can also build table legs
to ensure that the table is of the right height. The ideal height of a ping
pong table is around 2 1/2 feet or around 76 cm from the ground.
If
you have a welder at home, you can buy steel frames to create the legs of your
ping pong table. You can cut the steel frames according to your plan
specifications. Then, you can weld the materials into a solid and sturdy
supporting frame for your ping pong table. Make sure, however, that the steely
legs that you would create are according to the specified height that you want
your table to have.
You
can also use sturdy woods to create the leg supports for your ping pong table.
But make sure that the support legs that you are would build would be high
enough to ensure that the height of your ping pong table is around 76 cm. Moreover,
you should ensure that the table legs are sturdy enough to prevent any wobbling
or instability of the table during an actual game.
Step
4: Setting the Table and the Net
Now
that the tabletop and the legs are already made, you can now set the table up over
the supporting legs. Carefully install the table on the supporting legs and
ensure that the tabletop is firmly affixed to the supporting legs. Once the
table is already firmly set, you can set up the net plates in place as well as
the net.
There
are myriads of available net sets on the market today and you can easily find
the net set that would fit your playing needs. The net should be tightly drawn
when you set it up. It should not be sagging.
Step 5: You can Begin Playing!
Once the table and the net are all set, there is nothing left to do but to play your first ping pong game on your newly built DIY ping pong table. You can invite a friend or two to play with you and enjoy a game of ping pong with you. You would surely find it satisfying to have your new ping pong table at your home that you built on your own.
Do you want a new air hockey table? yeahh, read this.
There is always a certain level of fulfillment in engaging DIY activities, especially, if what you intend to build is something related to your own passion. If you are an air hockey enthusiast, for example, you would surely find it very engaging to build your own air hockey table for home. Though it may be hard for you, engaging in DIY air hockey table would surely bring you a certain level of satisfaction, especially, if you are able to do it well.
Steps
on Building Your DIY Air Hockey Table
Of
course, building your DIY air hockey table would surely require planning and a
lot of effort on your part. Yet, if you are determined to build your own air
hockey table, you better take a look at these simple steps on how to build your
own DIY air hockey table.
Start
with a Plan!
The
renowned bestselling writer, Stephen Covey once said: “Everything is created
twice: first in the mind, then, in reality.” Similarly, if you want a DIY air
hockey table, you need to grab a pen and paper, sit down, and create a plan of
your prospective air hockey table.
You
should draw your masterplan of the air hockey table. Then, you should label
each part of the table. You should also write down the dimensions of the table
and the specific measurements of each component. Afterward, you should determine
the length, width, and height of the table. Once your masterplan is complete,
then, its time to prepare the needed materials and tools.
Gather the Materials that You would Need!
Once
you have made a good plan, you need to gather the materials that you would be
needing to realize your plan. The materials that you would be needing in your
DIY air hockey table basically include the following:
One 16-mm plywood
1 hairdryer or fan
1 MDF wood
1 x 6 board
Tools that you would be
needing
Cut the Plywood Forming a Wooden Box
In
our case, we made use of 16mm plywood. Then, we started forming a wooden box
out of this plywood. Afterward, we made the table top out of a 6-9mm MDF wood.
We started to drill a 1-mm hole every 2.5 cm or around 1 inch apart on the top
MDF wood. You can use your CNC machine if you have one in drilling holes. Then,
we made the borders of the top using 1 x 6 board. We cut the board into four pieces according to
the specified dimensions to box the table. On the shorter sides, we drilled a
12-inch goal on both shorter boards using the bench saw. Afterward, we placed
the side lightings to make the table cool and awesome for playing.
Set up the plumbing!
We
place a 90 degrees elbow on a piece of PVC and sealed the joint to prevent air
from coming out. We held it over the hole that we’ve drilled in the middle of
the plywood to measure out up to what point we were going to cut the PVC. Once
the PVC was cut, we set it up into the hole and put every piece together. Then,
sealed every possible vent so that air would not come out.
Painting the Table!
Once
the plumbing and the table was completely set, we started painting the table.
We don’t want the MDF plywood top to be tinged with paint, so we covered it
with paper. Then, using a spray paint, we painted the body of the table and the
side railings. Then, we dried the table.
Set Up the Fan!
Afterward,
we got the air blower or fan. Some, DIYers make use of a hair dryer as an
improvised air blower. They simply get rid of its casing and connect the tip of
the hair dryer to the other end of the PVC pipe that was set up earlier. This
is the easiest way to ventilate the table for a frictionless game. Then, we meticulously
did the wiring. Others, however, buy a fan that they connect to the PVC. Then, they
set up the electrical wirings of the fan along with a switch or switches. Once
the fan was in place, we placed some cardboards inside the box to reduce the
volume of the space.
Create the Supporting Legs for the table!
Some
DIYers simply set the tabletop on a sturdy wooden table and fix the tabletop on
that table so that it will not be moving. In our case, however, we created a
sturdy table stand where we positioned the tabletop. This ensures that during
the play, the table will not be wobbling.
Nota
Bene:
You should ensure that the hairdryer has much room for sucking air. You should also ensure that the wirings are well and rightly connected. Always remember that the less the volume inside the box, the more powerful the effect of the air blown by hairdryer.
Well, we’ve officially hit it big! Hahaha just kidding, but give me just a minute to be excited about it anyway! Whooot whooot we were on Apartment Therapy! It’s exciting no matter how big or small it actually is!
Now that all the unnecessary celebration is out of the way…Our little blog has gotten a ton of traffic on THIS post all about our ceiling makeovers. With the added traffic, I’ve been getting requests for additional information on this project. So, here we go!!! I’m going to try to give you as much (probably too much) information as I possibly can!!
We started with ceilings like this…
While I am uncertain of the technical term for this texture, we referred to them as AWFUL….Just plain AWFUL! On top of the awful texture, we had years of previous water damage and terrible repair jobs to portions of the ceilings in our living room. I’m still kicking myself for not getting pictures of the really terrible areas, but I have a picture of a terrible (but really not so terrible in comparison) area that was in our dining room.
This picture was taken mid kitchen renovation, so please don’t judge me on the dust. We knew all the the leaks had been fixed. We had the roof replaced a few years back and there haven’t been any further leaks, so we new it was finally time to tackle the awful ceilings. Please believe me when I say, “The picture above isn’t half as bad as what the living room ceiling was.” Salvaging what was there with repairs really wasn’t an option at all. Not to mention the face that we HATED the texture.
So, the brain storming began. The first option was, obviously, to tear down the ceilings and start new. You fellow DIY’ers know what I mean when I say that just the idea of all the dust made me want to pull out my hair. That option was just out for us. The next option was to drywall over the existing ceiling, but there’s still the dust of finishing the drywall that I didn’t want to deal with. I have ALWAYS liked the look of coffered ceilings. I think they are beautiful. There’s something about a fancy ceiling that just seems so lush to me. I knew a traditional coffered ceiling wouldn’t work for us, though. Our ceilings are just too low at only 8 feet. So that option was out, as well. I first suggested the idea of MDF beadboard and trim years ago. It took Shane quite a while to commit to the idea. I’m not sure he was catching my vision of the “lightly coffered” look. Eventually, he just just jumped in. We are risk takers, and I have to say usually it pays off….USUALLY.
We started with our bedroom. It felt like less of a commitment than the living ares just in case we hated it. It gave us a chance to get our feet wet with the project, too. We were in the midst of a complete bedroom renovation repairing walls and a custom closet build. So, we opted to do all our cutting and sawing right in the bedroom since it was already a mess with dust anyway. If you aren’t mid renovation the cutting could easily be done outside. It would save you a ton of clean up.
First off… the beadboard.
We are pretty much regulars at Lowe’s. It’s our go to place for any project. So here is the beadboard we went with.
Our bedroom is an 11’x15′ rectangle so the layout was pretty simple. We needed 6 sheets of the 4’x8′ beadboard. Then we purchased enough MDF 1×4 boards to do the trimming. When it comes to starting the instillation, be sure to measure and plan out your layout first. We measured and used chalk lines to plan out the grid, keeping in mind getting the most out of our material and starting in the middle. Since we have a light fixture in the center of our bedroom we wanted a seam to run through the light fixture. We liked the idea of the light fixture being on the “beams” vs. hanging out in the middle of one of the squares.
Once we had our chalk lines, we started nailing up the panels. We did have to cut a few inches of the length of each panel and a few inches of the width to get it all to fit. While you want fairly clean cuts, remember that all the seams will be covered so you have a little play room. We used 18 gauge 2″ finish nails to nail the panels up once they were cut. A nail gun is a lifesaver on this step! We started nailing in the center of the panel and nailed out to the edges. It’s important to nail from the middle first to keep the panels from bowing and bubbling. Though, we didn’t have a specific rhyme or reason for how many nails went into each panel, I would say each panel probably got at least 10 nails. We tried to nail in the groves of the panels because we figured it would be easier to fill and hide the nail holes in the groves than out on the flat surfaces.
There are two things to note on this portion of the project…. First being, it’s nearly impossible to get the panels perfectly flat without a little bit of bowing. The panels have a ton of give so they will bow a little, but once the trim is up, the ceiling is caulked and painted the bowing is really really hard to detect. The second thing to note is that occasionally the nails will pull all the way through the panels. You don’t want to use nails with a real big head because then they will be hard to disguise later on. Finish nails work best but expect some of the nails to pull through. Just remember that the trim adds a lot of added reinforcement to the whole thing.
Once all the panels are up, it’s time to add trim!
First, you need to trim around the perimeter of the room. We used the same 1×4 on its end, but this is were you could do crown molding if that’s your thing. We wanted it to be a bit more plain, however. Once you have all the exterior trim up you can start trimming the interior seams. We wanted the center “beam” that the light ran through to be a little beefier and more of a statement. So, We ran two 1×4’s side by side and then one on top to cover the seam. A square block was cut for the light to mount to since the base of the light was bigger than 4″ across. Then, we just had four more interior seams to cut trim for. We used the same finish nails for all the trim, but this is where you could use a little bit bigger nails for extra reinforcement. T
here’s really only one thing to note on this portion of the project. At this stage the wave of the beadboard becomes even more visible because it’s up against the straighter lines of the trim. You will see gaps in places between the trim and the panels. Don’t freak out!!! Caulking around all the trim does WONDERS. It will really look perfect once it’s been caulked and painted, which is your next step!
I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you. Caulking all of this is TERRIBLE! It’s a slow slow process. Just keep your eye on the prize! if you haven’t done much caulking in the past, be patient with yourself. You will get a lot better at it as you go on. You want to be sure to caulk around every edge of the trim. It’s painful, but well worth it I promise you.
I’m glad we got our feet wet with the bedroom and the living room first. They are simple rectangular rooms. It was very easy to decide the layout. The picture below is our dining room and that’s where we had a few head scratching pow wow’s about the best possible layout. Our kitchen and dining room are two separate rooms with a very large opening instead of a doorway. So the ceiling flows as one room.
Our biggest hurdle was continuing the lights in the “beams” theme that we started in the bedroom and living room. We liked where the lights were but it if we started with our beams there, we would end up with little 1 to 2ft “coffers” around the edges of the dining room and kitchen. We hated that idea. We wanted all the squares to be pretty uniform. We felt like it would be way too distracting to have little squares at the edges. So we had to make a risky call. Even thought the dining room and kitchen are open to one another, we had to make the panels different widths in each room. It was no more than a 6″ difference, but we were still pretty scared about the difference as we were putting the ceiling up. It seemed like the best option. We didn’t want our lights outside of the “beams” and we didn’t want to have little squares around the edges. The edge panels are still a little bit smaller than the center panels but not significantly enough to tell. In fact, you can’t really detect any of the differences at all! If this is a project you plan to tackle yourself, keep that in mind. You aren’t tied to 4×8 squares just because the panels are 4×8. Sometimes it works out to make them all a little smaller to keep from having strange end pieces. My biggest suggestion is to really spend some time figuring out what layout works best for your space. Measure, draw it out, and then do chalk lines on your ceiling to be sure you feel good about it. Just diving in and starting from the middle often won’t look the best.
Some other little tidbits and things to think about:
One MAJOR thing to note is that if you have drywall ceilings you will want to be sure that you are finding studs and nailing the panels into studs. Plaster, which is what we have, makes it a little easier because there are wood lath boards behind the plaster spanning the entire ceiling. the nails will hold in wood, but not so much in just drywall. If you have drywall I would suggest first laying out a furring strip system running perpinducular to the studs and that is nailed into the studs. Then, you could nail your beadboard to the furring strips. This method wouldn’t be a bad idea in any scenario, that way you are certain that everything is securely nailed to studs. Here’s a picture as an example.
By the time we got to the kitchen and dining room we got smart with the painting. We ended up painting the panels with a roller once they were on the ceiling, but before we put up any of the trim. It made the painting a little faster, because we only had to paint the trim once it had been caulked.
Since we were renovating our kitchen at the same time we were doing the ceiling, we were able to plan our cabinet placement around the trim we new we would be putting up. If you have cabinets mounted to the ceiling, it’s likely you won’t have the space for 1×4 trim around the top. You will either need to consider different trim or move your cabinets to work. I think it really looks best to have the trim around your cabinets match the trim that’s around the rest of the ceiling. If your cabinets aren’t mounted up to the ceiling you have nothing to worry about.
The light’s in the “beam” scenario doesn’t work in every case, like our pendant lights in the kitchen. Consider making “platforms” for lights that don’t hit a beam to mount to. I think it looks a little cleaner and more intentional than a light that’s just hanging out in the middle of one of the square pieces of beadboard
Don’t forget to fill in all your nail holes as well as caulking the edges of the trim.
There was a panel in our bedroom that seemed to start bowing a little more after a few weeks. We just popped in a few extra nails and problem solved.
Though we have not yet done these ceilings in our bathroom, we do plan to. I think we are going to cut the panels down and use smaller squares, because of the added humidity in a room like the bathroom, there’s a chance for more bowing. I feel certain smaller squares will solve this problem. I would not want to do smaller squares in bigger rooms because of the added cost of extra trim and the extra caulking time, but our bathroom is small enough that it won’t make a significant cost or time difference.
The ceiling in our bedroom had been up for a year and I love it just as much now as I did the day we did it!
I wish I had kept better track of the expense of this project, but I didn’t. Fail. 12ft 1×4 boards are $8.76 a piece at Lowe’s, and the panels are $19.97 a piece. My “guesstiment” is that our 11’x15′ bedroom was just under $200 before caulk and paint. No it’s not a spare change kind of project, but we have never regretted the investment for a minute. Our house feels SOOOOOO much nicer.
One person has asked about the paint we used. We used Valspar. The color is Ultra White in a satin finish. Please note that Ultra White is VERY white. It works for us because all of our walls and trim is painted in Ultra White, but if your trim is already white I would try to match that. Likely Ultra White will look much brighter than your existing white trim.
I hope this helps everyone considering tackling this project! we absolutely LOVE it! Our ceilings are not an understated focal point. They don’t jump out at you but it’s a pleasant surprise once you notice them. Even though our ceilings are now a tiny bit shorter they actually feel much taller since they are such a cleaner look!
Shane and I HATED the ceilings in our house with a passion for the last 5 years. We felt so stuck with them because re-drywalling ceilings is a messy, painful task. We just didn’t want to go through the trauma of all that work, but this just continued to stare down at us…
We had that awful stomped stalactite ceiling all over the house. Some rooms were much worse than even this picture. There were places all over the living room where previous owners had patched and re-patched in places. It was horrible to say the least.
I quietly stewed over a fix for years. Eventually, I thought we could cover them with bead-board and trim to give it a lightly coffered look. It took Shane a bit to warm up to the idea. I’m not sure he had the same vision in his mind as I did. Eventually, we jumped in. We started in our bedroom and really loved the outcome.
This project was super simple. All it takes is nailing sheets of cheap bead-board to the ceiling. The 4×8 sheets are just under $20 a piece. Once those are up it just needs to be trimmed out.
Some paint and several tubes of caulk later, and you have a beautiful coffered-look ceiling! Goodbye horrible stomped ceilings!
I can’t tell you what a difference this made with minimal effort. Caulking and painting were by far the hardest part. Now we have the same ceilings in our living room, dining room, and kitchen. We just have the bathroom, hallway, and spare bedroom to go.
The ceiling project was, truthfully, the best thing we could have ever done for our house, and the best decisions we’ve ever made!
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