Table of Contents

• Focal Points
• Floors
• Lighting
• Furniture
• Textiles
• Plants

Focal Point

Let’s start by talking about focal points. The porch on the front of my house is enclosed on three sides, so the innermost wall needs a focal point. I used to have a hand-lettered sign here, but it was not scaled to this space. Now, I am covering the whole wall with faux boxwood panels to make it look like a living wall. Now, a simple sign in front of that has a strong presence. In addition, the texture this accent wall brings to the porch is definitely a focal point!

The back porch is open on three sides, so the best thing to do here is make the ceiling your focal point. I am removing the boring exterior light fixture in favor of an outdoor chandelier with candelabra light bulbs. Since the original 1930s beadboard ceiling was in decent shape, I just patched it up and gave it a fresh coat of paint. The beadboard on the other porch was in bad shape, so for this ceiling I cut strips of thin plywood, sealed them on all sides to prevent warping, and used a brad nailer to attach them spaced with a nickel gap between planks. This ceiling gets so many compliments and was really affordable to do. I thought it wouldn’t last long, but 5 years later it still looks so great!

Porch Decorating: Floors

Next in my porch decorating, I want to address floors. If your porch, like mine, has wood floors, you have probably dealt with some rot. My porches were originally interior spaces, and when the previous owners removed the storm windows and half walls in favor of railings, these wood floors became exposed to the elements! The right thing to do is rip out all the rotting wood and replace it with outdoor-grade flooring, like composite decking. That is what I did for our back porch. However, the front porch got a bit trickier. Because the front porch is mostly enclosed and we use it more like an indoor space during the summer, I did not want gaps between floor boards that would be required with any kind of decking.

At first, I tried to patch and paint the floor. I removed a huge section of rot and even rebuilt some of the porch floor framing to try to salvage a solid floor. With paint, it did not look too bad, but it did not last long. Soon, the paint was chipping!

In one last effort to keep the current floor on this porch, I recently covered it in carpet tiles. I am loving the coziness underfoot when enjoying our front porch this year, but several people have told me the carpet will expedite the wood rotting underneath. Lastly, if you have a concrete porch floor, consider that paint might not hold up as well there either. Instead, try a concrete refinishing product as I did on this step, leading to our back porch. You can add colorant to tint the concrete to any color, and after application, your concrete looks absolutely new! 

Porch Lighting

Moving on to lighting ideas for your porch. On my back porch, I have a fancy outdoor chandelier, but my favorite is and always will be string lights. They add so much ambiance and soft lighting to my outdoor spaces. You can even buy solar-powered string lights! In addition, you could consider running rope lighting, if you have siding like mine, you can tuck it in a J channel and hide it away. I must say, I prefer to enjoy time on the porch by candlelight whenever it is possible.

Furniture

Porch furniture typically revolves around sitting and relaxing. Rocking chairs are some of my favorites, so I recently added them to my front porch!

I am so lucky to have big porches, so there is space on the back porch for a full dining set. This table is extra skinny, custom-built to be only 2 feet wide so it can accommodate the chairs being pushed back and people maneuvering around it on and 8 foot wide porch.

In a past front porch design, I had a large chest of drawers on it. This is an interior piece of furniture, so the back corner, where it is mostly protected from the elements, is the only place it could be. But if you have a porch that feels like it comes to a “dead end,” consider putting storage there. All of these furniture ideas are things you can do moderately easily, but if you want some WOW factor, consider building a bed swing. Everyone in my house absolutely loves spending time on the bed swing, if you have space for it, do it, it is SO worth it!

Working with Textiles

Textiles on your porch can make or break how inviting and cozy it feels. If your porch lacks cloth, rugs, or throw pillows, you risk it looking empty and basic. In my original front porch design, I layered colorful throw pillows on the bed swing to make it feel more inviting. Putting textiles outside does require maintenance. We bring the cushions, pillows, and other fabric materials inside when there is inclement weather and over the winter. There are so many great choices for outdoor textiles that are UV and water-resistant. The carpet tiles that I recently installed are meant for outdoor applications has both of these attributes. Adding textiles softens your whole space and elevates any porch decor you put with it.

Porch Plants

With any porch, you should decorate with plants. This is a space that is meant to be a transition between the indoor and the outdoor; plants just make sense! However, you might find that when a porch roof shades the space 100% of the day, it is hard to get any living plants to grow well in containers. In this case, I would recommend hanging planters that you can hang from eye screws in your porch’s header. I custom-made the ones on my porch out of scrap wood, so the pots are easily removable. Another idea is to just go faux. I am impressed by how realistic some faux plants are! Do not forget to do the landscaping around your porches as well, mine could use some work, but I am getting there!

These porch decorating ideas have transformed these two spaces into features of my home that we enjoy so much! I hope this inspires you and fills you with ideas for decorating your porch.

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Table of Contents

• Starting the Demo
• Kitchen Design
• Plaster Wall Removal
• Building Ceiling Joists

Starting the Demo

This whole remodel that I did not plan for started when I got a new refrigerator. My new fridge is taller than the opening in my current kitchen, so I need to move a shelf up to make it fit. After making my new refrigerator fit, I am removing the barndoor and its sliding hardware. This inspired me to continue removing everything I did not like in my kitchen. I started with the bulkhead above the cabinets, then I removed the knotty pine ceiling, and next I am taking down the wall paneling. At this point, I am thinking I am going to redo all of the services. I am so happy that I found people who wanted to repurpose the knotty pine and wall paneling. Under my wall paneling, I found MORE old wall paneling and removed that too. I am getting down to the plaster walls. Above the stove, I am also removing the bulkhead! In addition, I need to remove the furring strips so that the ceiling can be plastered!

Plaster Wall Removal

I am taking down plaster and lath on one of the walls in my kitchen. To begin this part of the demolition, I am putting up plastic sheeting. This is going to create a kind of room to ensure that the plaster dust does not get all over the rest of my kitchen. The plaster here is VERY loose and cracking. I am using a prybar to remove it, and it is easily falling away from the wall. This created so much debris, but it only took 30 minutes to do. I am so happy to have all of this removed; it is going to look so good when it is drywalled.

Building Ceiling Joists

Now that the demo is, for the most part, done, I am going to start building in ceiling joists. This is so that the drywall can happen next. I need 2×4 supports every 24 inches to hang my drywall. I am also cutting some of the ceiling joists! This is to make room for my accent ceiling design that is going to go above my island. Where I am cutting, I am adding 2x4s to the ends of the joists.

Kitchen Design

I want walls that are drywall so they are repairable, unlike the panels we had before, made of MDF. Another thing I want is a featured ceiling, it is going to be a tray design with angled edges! To be honest, my new design is going to look similar to what I have now. I still love the black cabinets, but it really bothers me that they do not match. My plan for this kitchen is to make a lot of upgrades. Matching cabinets, new ceilings, and nicer walls! My overall goal is to make this kitchen look modern and well-designed rather than pieced together over the years.

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Table of Contents

• Building the Box
• Heat Protection
• Placing the Box

Building the Box

The first thing I am doing for how to redirect a heat vent is building a box out of plywood. This box has 4 sides because the floor will count as a fifth side, and the sixth side needs to be open for the hot air to escape. To construct this box, I am using pocket holes and Kreg screws. This box is going to prevent the air from coming up into my cabinets. Instead, the air will move forward and out the front of my toe kick.

Heat Protection

Because this is a heat vent, I need to think about how to avoid heat from absorbing into the wood and causing problems. To combat this, I am using tinfoil. All 4 sides of the plywood box that I constructed are being covered in tinfoil to prevent issues. To be honest, I am making this up as I go because I did not find any tutorials that fit my needs. I am duct taping the edges of the tinfoil so that it will not crinkle as the air moves through the cavity. I am also adding tinfoil to the subfloor that my box is going to be sitting on. Obviously, the best way to do this is to buy a heat-proofing kit, but I wanted something more cost-friendly.

How to Redirect a Heat Vent: Placing the Box

At first, I thought I would need to fasten the box that I created to the subfloor, but I was wrong. Once the tinfoil was in place on both the box and the subfloor, you just put the box in its place. The reason there is no need to fasten it to anything is that, in my case, my cabinet is going right over it, and that will hold it in place. Next, I am placing my cabinet on top of the box, and the air is flowing out of my toe kick. When I cover my toe kick, I will just add a removable vent cover!

I hope you found this project helpful! As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!

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Table of Contents

• Wood Plank Ceiling
• Simple Beams and Faux Shiplap
• Galaxy Ceiling
• Lakehouse Living Room Rustic Beams
• Office Fretwork Panel Ceiling

Wood Plank Porch Ceiling

When I was redoing my front porch for the first time, it was clear that the ceiling needed to be redone. There was so much black and white on the exterior of my house that I wanted to add wood to warm it up. This project is very cheap and quick. It only took me three days and cost me a little over $80.

To do this project, I cut strips of very thin plywood to the same width. I chose to run these strips horizontally across the ceiling, which is perpendicular to the existing ceiling planks. For this project, I went to the hardware store and got seven sheets of 1/8 inch thick plywood. I ripped all of the wood down to size using my circular saw. I used polyacrylic on all of the edges once they were cut down. This avoids moisture getting into the plywood planks. To attach them to the ceiling, I used an air compressor and brad nailer combination. In order to get the exact same spacing, I used a quarter between each plank. To finish this ceiling design, I rolled polyacrylic across all of the boards!

This ceiling has now been on my porch for about five years! I still love the way it turned out and how much warmth it brings to the space! If you want to watch the full video tutorial on how I did this, click here!

Simplistic Beams With Faux Shiplap Planks

The next ceiling makeover that I did was in my living room. My living room has beautiful nine-foot ceilings, and I knew they needed something more than just popcorn texture. I chose to make three large beams to accentuate the height of the ceiling. To put anything up on the ceiling, you have to look for the joists. It turns out, my joists run every 32 inches across the ceiling. Once I had my joists marked, I could screw my 2×6 support beams to the ceiling. If you are going to do this, I would suggest predrilling and half-sinking your screws. This wood is heavy, and predrilling makes for less time holding it up on the ceiling! Once my beams were installed, I added my planks. These are made from 1/8 inch thick plywood. I used a nail gun to install these planks. This is a super cheap way to get a faux shiplap look! Once all of these beams were in place, I went around all of the edges with caulk and painted them all white.

Next, it was time to move on to constructing the beams. I used 1 x 6 x 14 feet long lumber for this project. When you buy lumber, you have to sand it down. There are always a ton of slivers, and if you want them to accept stain, they need to be sanded. I used my random orbital sander on all of my wood. After sanding, I went over my wood with a pre-stain wood conditioner. Once that was dry, I went in and stained. When the stain dried, I cut all of the planks to length. I created the beam shape using a homemade jig and finish nails. I attached the beams to my 2×6 support beams using 1 1/2 inch screws.

This ceiling still, 4 years later, looks so good! It is definitely a focal point in my living room. These beams are much easier to build than they look. If you want to try to build them, this video is a step-by-step process!

Galaxy Wallpaper Accent Ceiling

All of the ceilings in my home are plaster and so boring. My daughter requested a galaxy ceiling to make her bedroom more interesting. To make her dreams come true, I found peel-and-stick wallpaper that is an image of a galactic scene. The dimensions of the wallpaper were not quite big enough for the room, but I figured I could add some molding along the edges, and it would work. This solution works well for ceilings that do not look good. You can use any peel-and-stick wallpaper you want to create an accent ceiling. This process is a little bit tedious, but the result is worth it! To install this, you peel the backing of the paper off little by little and stick the wallpaper down. The toughest part of this is getting the seams to line up! Once all of my wallpaper was placed I added molding to cover up the unfinished edges!

This accent ceiling option is one of the easiest to do and I think that you can really transform a space with this. The options for wallpaper are almost endless, so you can customize this however you like. If you want a full install tutorial, check it out here!

Slat Wall and Ceiling Design

This design is not limited to just the ceiling! It flows from the wall up onto the ceiling. I wanted to add visual interest to the bedroom in my lake home so I chose this project! To install the slat wall design, I am using a laser level; however, a regular 4-foot or 6-foot level can also be used. The first step, being straight, is the most important; from there, you can use a spacer to build off of it. I am using a nail gun with 18-gauge brad nails about an inch and a half long, shooting them in at crisscrossing angles. If you shoot your nails straight into the slats can pull right out of the drywall. My slat design goes onto the ceiling; to install these 10-foot-long slats alone, I put up a temporary ledge. I put one end of my slat on this ledge board, then lift the other side and put my nails in.

I love the way this ceiling and wall design looks! It matches the vibe of our lakehouse so well! If you do not want a full ceiling design, this might just be the problem for you. If you want to read about how this entire bedroom turned out, here is the post!

Diagonal Rustic Ceiling Beams

This next accent ceiling is also from my lake house! I had such an extravagant idea that would absolutely transform this formerly dark and dingy space. The beams I built in this space are larger and more difficult to build than the ones I built for my home living room. Using 16-foot-long pieces of grade 2 pine, I cut beveled edges lengthwise on my table saw. I assembled them using packaging tape and wood glue. To get the perfect long beveled edges looking distressed, I came in with some power tools to beat these beams up. Once distressed and sanded, I used a custom mix stain of Chestnut and American Walnut to bring life to the beams. For beam installation, I planned out my wood supports with a laser level and put blocks in the ceiling, then screwed the beams in.

These rustic beams truly make this room look so warm and welcoming. If you want to learn how you can build your own, you can watch the YouTube video!

Fretwork Panel Ceiling

This accent ceiling might be my favorite one I have done. I transformed a bedroom in the lakehouse into an office, and I wanted to add a wow factor. I landed on a fretwork accent ceiling. Not only did I add fretwork panels for a design, but I also painted them and the ceiling green. This created so much visual interest in a space that would have otherwise been a little bit boring.

To install these panels, I used a laser level that was centered on the light fixture in the middle of the room. Then installed my first fretwork panel centered on that. Every other panel was based upon the placement of that first panel. I used a cordless brad nailer to nail them into place. Once all the fretwork panels were in place, I installed crown molding to coverup any edges that were not cut the smoothest. I finished this ceiling off with a beautiful chandelier.

This DIY accent ceiling transformed this office space. It feels so upscale and unique. Want to see the whole bedroom-to-office transformation? Here it is!

Kitchen Accent Above an Island

This is my most recent accent ceiling. I am remodeling my kitchen and I wanted a whole new ceiling! I used to have wood running across the whole ceiling, but I wanted something more exciting than that. Last year I built an amazing kitchen island, so I decided I wanted my accent ceiling to highlight that. This accent is directly above the island and the rest of the ceiling is drywall. I used wood planks to design a rustic, yet modern, look.

I am truly so proud of how this accent ceiling turned out. It was a difficult build. I think it matches the rest of my kitchen and home so well, so all the hard work was worth it.

I hope at least one of these accent ceilings that will transform any space inspires you!

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Table of Contents

• Starting the Project
• Priming and Painting
• The Drawer System
• Countertops of the Cabinets
• Priming and Painting Pt. 2
• Finishing Touches
• Final Reveal

Starting this Project

This all started when I decided to revamp a slanted ceiling space into a primary closet. This project is going to add storage for my clothes, which is desperately needed. The wall that I built up is getting some insulation, I have some left over and am using it up on this project. Once I have that stapled onto the wall, I am installing drywall. Once my drywall is installed, I have to tape and mud it. In addition, I have to patch up a hole that was made from moving a light fixture. I decided to skim coat all of the plaster to make it less textured. After two skim coats, I am moving on to sanding.

Painting and Priming for the Closet Remodel With Kitchen Cabinet Storage

Now that my walls are all smooth, it is time to move on to painting and priming. I am priming the walls and the ceiling to seal the raw drywall. If you are ever putting on a paint and primer in one, assuming that it is going to adhere to raw materials, it will not work as well as priming first and then painting. Next, I am finishing up the trim around the door. Then, I am painting over the primer. I opened up and framed the doorway; you can find a more in-depth look at that here. The paint that I chose is way too peachy pink. I hate it. Because of this, I am mixing up something I like more. I am adding a little bit of black and quite a bit of white to the paint color to tone it. This color shift made all the difference!

Closet Remodel With Kitchen Cabinet Storage: The Drawer System

With the painting done, it is time to move on to the drawer system. I am moving kitchen cabinets into this space! When planning out the drawers I wanted to build, I found out that kitchen cabinets are about the same dimensions. The carpeting needs to be removed where the drawers are going to sit. I am cutting into both the carpet and the underlayment. Once the carpeting is gone, I am moving my drawers into place. I got five prefab cabinets from Home Depot to fit into this space. They are 24 inches wide and fit so well. I think this saved me a lot of time! Next, I am moving forward with leveling all of these cabinets, clamping them, and screwing the face frames together. I want to inspire you to think outside the box with this remodel. Kitchen cabinets have so many more uses than just kitchen storage. These cabinets are 21 inches deep and make the most out of the space I am working with!

The Top of the Cabinets

I am making the top of the cabinets from 3/4 inch plywood. I want them to look like stone without spending money on real stone. In addition to the 3/4 inch plywood sheet, I cut a 1/4 inch piece of wood to make the countertop look more realistic as stone usually comes in at 1 inch deep. To do this, I am using contact paper! A full tutorial on how I apply contact paper seamlessly can be found here!

Priming and Painting Part 2

Before I can apply contact paper or finish painting my drawers, I need to prime everything. I am using a mini roller to apply primer to the raw plywood on the top and the unfinished faces of the cabinets. In order to have a good finish with my paint, I am doing a light sanding over the faces of the drawers. Then, I am wiping them down with a tack cloth. This is to get rid of any fine dust. I am rolling on semi-gloss white cabinet paint. Each drawer and cabinet box got two coats of white paint.

Finishing Touches

After I finish priming and painting, I am installing a toekick. This is a piece of wood that I prepped ahead of time. It is just a 1 x 4. I am installing that along the bottom of the drawer boxes. Now it is time for hardware! I am using my handy hardware jig for this process. This jig gives the exact same spacing on every single drawer front. I am installing gold handles on these drawers! In addition, I am installing undermount strip lighting. This gives me soft and indirect lighting! I am finishing up this project with caulking and paint touchups.

Final Reveal of the Closet Remodel With Kitchen Cabinet Storage

This closet remodel with kitchen cabinet storage turned out better than I could have ever imagined! The drawers give me so much desperately needed space!

I hope you feel inspired to use something in a way that it may not be “made” for! Sometimes being a little creative opens doors for new projects that other people may not think of!

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Table of Contents

• Surface to Work With
• Prepping The Surface
• Tips and Tricks
• Applying the Contact Paper
• Finishing Up

Creating a Surface to Work With

I will be applying my contact paper on top of the drawers I am making inside my new closet. The goal is to make the plywood look like stone! I am starting by placing 3/4 inch thick plywood on the top of the drawers where I want my counter to be. In addition, I am adding a lip along the front. I am using a brad nailer to attach a 1/4 inch thick strip of wood onto the front of the counter to bulk up the thickness of the counter. This step is done to make it look more convincing because a real stone counter is usually about 1 inch thick.

Preparing the Surface for the Contact Paper

Peel-and-stick contact paper sticks best to non-porous surfaces. If you are trying to put it on raw material like raw drywall or raw plywood, you need to seal it first. To do this, I am priming the top and the front of my plywood. Once the primer is dry, you are ready to apply the contact paper!

How to Apply Contact Paper: Tips and Tricks

• Avoid seams by using contact paper that is wider than the surface you are putting it on. This is the contact paper I used! Most rolls come in the depth of a standard counter, but that is not the greatest because you want a little bit of wiggle room on both sides. I like to work with a roll that is 2-4 inches wider than what I am covering.
• Make sure you have enough space to start applying your contact paper for a smooth finish. Because my ceiling is slanted, it was hard for me to get started and get the roll of contact paper back into the corner. I am pulling my plywood out a little bit to help me get started.
• Pull off the backing slowly to avoid wrinkles or creases.
• Work in sections. This allows you to ensure that there are no imperfections before rolling out the rest of the paper
• When pushing down the contact paper, start in the center. This allows you to push out in both directions towards the edges, where the bubbles can escape, rather than allowing the bubbles to congregate in the middle.
• Use a blow dryer to help with tricky edges. This will help to mold the paper to any corners or edges you might be applying contact paper to.

Applying the Contact Paper

I am starting the application by lining up the contact paper roll, with most of the excess across the front and a little bit of excess across the back that I can just fold down. As you apply this you are going to pull your roll out and then slowly pull the backing off. I am pulling this backing off very slowly to avoid wrinkling and creasing. As I move down my counter, I am working in small square sections, so I can make sure that there are no bubbles. To press my contact paper down, I use a credit card. I move all of the air bubbles out and press the paper down to the plywood towards me and then away from me until everything is super smooth. Not only is the contact paper I am using wide enough, it is also super long. This means there are no seams, which is exactly what I want! Whenever you need to cut contact paper you can just use a utility knife, so at the end I cut it to be flush with my wall.

Finishing Up

At first, I thought I would be able to cover the front of the counter by just pulling the contact paper super tight, but that did not work well. It created so many wrinkles, and it just did not look good. I am switching gears and pushing the slab back into place, tight against the slanted ceiling. From here, I am moving forward with caulking. Running a bead of caulk along all of the seams and edges helps to create a convincing look because that is what you would do if you had installed a real stone slab.

Once the caulking is done, I am revisiting the edge of the counter. I am going to use my blow dryer on a low heat setting to help mold the paper to the edge. This works so well, it is giving me the edge finish that I am looking for! Once my edge is fully wrapped, I am going in with my utility knife and cutting off any excess.

This countertop turned out so well! It was affordable and looks so smooth. I hope these tips and tricks for how to apply contact paper help you with your next project!

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Table of Contents

• Cutting the Wood for the DIY Kitchen Cabinet Build
• Drilling Pocket Holes and Sanding the Plywood
• Cutting Wood for Face Frames
• Assembling the Cabinet Boxes
• Assembling the Face Frames
• Putting all the Pieces Together

Cutting the Wood for the DIY Kitchen Cabinet Build

It is a lot of work to build cabinets from scratch. This DIY kitchen cabinet build mostly uses a Craig jig and pocket holes. I only have a small table saw, so I am setting up a straight edge with a four-foot level to rip cross-cuts on my pieces of plywood. For cross-cuts on plywood I use painter’s tape because it is very easy to get tear out and painter’s tape laid out on your line helps to prevent that. I use my table saw as often as possible. It has an 80 tooth blade on it and it cuts the plywood very cleanly.

Drilling Pocket Holes and Sanding the Plywood

My craig jig is not sold anymore, but there are so many options for drilling pocket holes. Click here if you want to purchase one that I think is good! I am drilling so many pocket holes into these pieces to assemble my cabinet boxes. The purpose of this is so they can go together with strong joints, but my hardware is still going to be hidden. For this project, I am building six cabinet boxes!

Once all of my pocket holes are drilled, it is time to sand all of the pieces. I am using 120 grit sandpaper on my random orbital sander. This took a LONG time. I am sealing up the porous plywood on the cabinet boxes that will have shelving. To do this, I am applying water-based polyurethane. In between the three coats that I am applying, I am sanding with a high grit sandpaper then wiping off the dust and adding another coat of poly. This is going to give me a super smooth and wipable surface for the inside of my cabinets.

Cutting Wood for Face Frames

While the polyurethane is curing I am assembling face frames. On cabinets, you generally want to have face frames so you have more options for your doors. If you do not use a face frame, you have to do a full overlay. In my cabinet box design, face frames are also going to help keep the boxes nice and square. The material I am using for my face frames is a 1×4 piece of red oak that I ripped down to 1 3/4 inches wide. The rails on my face frame will also get pocket screws, this is going to make them go together so easily. I am also sanding each of these boards. I did a calculation and I spent about 12 hours sanding during this DIY cabinet build.

Assembling the Cabinet Boxes

The first boxes I am assembling are the ones with shelving that will be on the back of my island. This is similar to wall upper cabinets. I am using clamps to hold my pieces of plywood tightly together at exactly a 90-degree angle; this helps to keep my box square as I screw everything together through my pocket holes. The screwed-together joint is strongest when your screws are angled towards the meat of the plywood rather than towards the edge. The two shelves inside the cabinet box are also being attached with pocket holes. They are underneath, so they will not be visible. I am leveling the shelves after getting one screw into place, then I am tilting it down and securing it with the rest of the screws.

The next boxes I am assembling are the ones that will have drawers in them.The assembly for these is a little bit different than the ones with shelves. To save money, I am using stretchers rather than whole sheets of plywood. I do not need walls on these except for the two sides where the drawer slides are. I pre-assembled two scrap pieces of plywood at a 90-degree angle, this is getting screwed into the back of my cabinet. The other three corners of this box are getting stretchers that are scrap pieces of plywood. These will either be hidden by the face frame or in the back of the cabinet. This is the easiest way to put together a cabinet box that will be filled with drawers.

Assembling the Face Frames

In order to make sure that my face frames are a perfect rectangle I am using a square and clamps. I am coating my screws in wax because I heard a tip that it makes them go into hardwood better! Once my face frame is in the correct position I am putting the screws in, I put the whole face frame together with no cracking. I did not predrill the receiving wood. I just drilled slowly and carefully with my impact driver.

The vertical pieces of a face frame are called styles and the horizontal pieces are called rails. All of my pocket holes are drilled into the rails. This just simplifies things. The face frame for the box with drawers has multiple rails. Before installing my face frames onto my cabinets I am sanding all the way up to 180 grit. I also decided to pre-stain these so I do not get sloppy stain all over my boxes.

Putting All of the Pieces Together

I am applying glue to the edges of all of the plywood where the face frames are going. Next, I brush the glue across the entire edge and let it dry. I do this so the next layer can do its job properly. Once the first layer of glue is dry I am going in with another layer of glue where the face frame is going to go.

Then, I place my face frame and clamp it down. I am using 36-inch bar clamps for this. Your glue should squeeze out, you can wipe that off after assembly. It is important to glue your face frames as well as screw them in tight because face frames take the load of your doors and your hinge is reliant on the face frame. For the areas I did not pre-drill holes to pull the face frame tight, I just clamped it tight until the glue set up.

I love the way this DIY kitchen cabinet build turned out! These cabinets have added so much storage to my kitchen and helped make my vision for a new kitchen island come true.

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This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. For full disclosures and practices, please visit my policy page.

Table of Contents

• Prep Work
• Cutting Lumber
• Assembling the Beams
• Distressing the Beams
• Staining
• Prepping to Hang the Beams
• Hanging the Beams and Finished Beams

Ceiling and Room Prep Work

This ceiling is heavily textured, so the first thing I will do is spray down and scrape this texture. If you want a full tutorial on scraping textured ceilings you can read the blog post! A large part of the preparation for this room transformation is taping the windows and doors to protect them from any debris or paint. Before you scrape any texture off of your ceiling, make sure to test for asbestos. Once my ceiling was scraped it was time to paint. I decided to paint the walls first, then the ceiling afterward. Spraying the ceiling with paint made me nervous, but I did it and it worked so well!

Cutting Lumber to Make the Faux Wood Beams

Now it is time to make the faux wood beams! These beams are going to be massive because the ceiling is so big. I am using a feather board for the first time on this project. I am using this because I am going to attempt a very long bevel cut. The table saw setup is very important for this cut. The long piece of wood needs to be flat on the table saw. To do this I clamp lumber against the rip fence as well as the feather board. I have my table saw set to a little more than 45 degrees, about 46 degrees. This angle gives me some wiggle room in creating the beveled joint. My setup is definitely not professional, I am just working with what I have! I created so much sawdust while doing this cutting!

Once my lumber has been cut the long way, it is time to lay it out and cut the angled ends. Because I am creating beams across a vault, both the top and the bottom need to have angled cuts. I determined that some areas on my walls needed 17-degree angle cuts and some needed 18 degrees. This cutting was very complex! When I had all 5 beams cut, 15 separate pieces of lumber, I was so relieved! I also put a stop block on my miter saw and cut a bunch of 1x4s to the exact distance between the hollow beams.

Assembling the Faux Wood Beams

Now that all my lumber is cut, it is time to assemble the beams! I am going to assemble these by laying the beveled side down and running packaging tape along both of the seams. The packaging tape is going to help hold it together as I try to flip the three pieces of lumber over. When the beams are flipped I apply wood glue to the beveled edges and stick them together. In the places where the wood is bowing, or not perfectly straight, I am shooting brad nails in to hold it tight. The next day, when the glue was dry, I am removing all of the packaging tape that I applied when flipping the lumber over. The joint is so strong, the wood glue is so strong.

Distressing the Wood Beams

Now that my beams look perfect, I am going to put them through the ringer! I want them to look like old-world beams like they have been weathered through time. I am going to start the distressing process by using a planar, this hand planar is going to randomly take thickness off in different areas on every side of these beams. Once I am done using that, I am going in with my jigsaw. I am using the jigsaw to rough up all of the edges. I used a few more distressing techniques to rough up this wood including; a wire brush drill bit and whipping them with chains.

Staining

Once the distressing is done, I am going in with 80-grit sandpaper on my random orbital sander to sand all of my beams. This is to get rid of the slivers I made while distressing and also to prepare the lumber for staining. The stain that I mixed up is custom, I mixed chestnut and American walnut. I did this in an attempt to match the existing trim in the living room. It was so fun to put stain on these beams because all of the distressing details came to life.

Preparing to Hanging the Faux Wood Beams

To hang these faux wood beams I first need to plan out where they will go using my laser level. The laser-level casts perpendicular and parallel lines across the ceiling. I measured out exactly how my 5 beams would be evenly spaced and marked that on the wall, and then I cast my laser level to make a perfectly straight line across the entire ceiling. This allows me to use Sharpie on the ceiling and mark where I should put my supports. I am not running a full board of supports for this beam, I am just putting the small supports exactly where I need to screw the boards in. I am using my magnetic stud finder on the wall side of my laser level to see if there is a ceiling joist.

If there is a ceiling joist where I want my beam I will be screwing wood to wood and it will be very strong. If the beam does not align with a ceiling joist I will install with toggle bolts. The supports are the spacers cut to the width of the inside of the hollow wood beams. The top and bottom of each beam will get the same supports. I want the beam to be attached to both the wall and the ceiling, it needs a lot of connection points. It is so important that these beams do not sag or fall.

Hanging the Faux wood Beams

To hang these beams I am getting help. My neighbor and husband are holding the beams in place and I am coming through and screwing them into place. I pre-drilled holes into the beam so I knew exactly where to put the screws. Some of the spots needed some coaxing to get flush with the ceiling. These beams are very secure to the ceiling. I am in awe of how good these beams turned out! If you liked this interior upgrade DIY and want to see more, my post on how to lay self leveling concrete is a great place to start!

I am in awe of how good these beams turned out! If you liked this interior upgrade DIY and want to see more, my post on how to lay self leveling concrete is a great place to start!

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Table of Contents

• Prep Work
• Cutting the Drywall
• Ceiling Patch
• Hanging the Drywall
• Building a Recessed Cavity
• More Drywall Hanging
• Taping and Mudding

Prepping Behind the Walls for How to Hang Drywall by Yourself

I had a plumber come in and reroute the lines into the wall. He also replaced the copper piping for the drain and vent. The plumber also gave me a shower which I am so excited about. To start, I am reinforcing some of the vertical studs with 2x4s that I am placing horizontally on top of the damaged base plate of the wall. I am also going to close up the cavity from the medicine cabinet by adding a stud.

The insulation in these walls needs to be replaced, it is ripped and ruined. I am just pushing the insulation behind the wall because it will not do any harm in there. Once the old insulation is out of the way, I have to cut a new piece of insulation. I am stapling the new piece of insulation to the studs. I am also replacing the insulation around the exterior wall, but I have to replace the window first!

Cutting and Prepping Drywall

I am measuring 4 feet down the wall and marking. Then, I am going to screw in small pieces of 2x4s to use as a kind of shelf. I will set the piece of drywall on top of it. I am doing this so that I do not have to have a person sitting there holding the drywall up while I screw it in. Some people choose to do the bottom piece of drywall first, but I am choosing to do the top first because the ledge is not thick enough. I am using an impact driver to screw in the 2x4s because it is so much stronger and I do not have to pre-drill. I am using an Xacto knife to pre-cut the drywall. Then, I give it a pat so it busts right down the line that I cut.

Ceiling Patch

Before I can put up the walls I have to patch up my ceiling. I ran my new insulation through the ceiling and my electrician came and fixed the electric wiring in the walls and ceiling. I cut my ceiling board, which is thicker than the drywall used on the walls. This is going to be hung above where the sink will be. This part could use two pairs of hands, but I did it alone so it was a bit tricky. I pushed the square of drywall into the ceiling with the help of my head and used my driver to put screws in.

Hanging the Drywall

Once my drywall was cut to size and the ceiling was patched up it was time to hang the drywall. I ended up cutting my big sheets into two smaller sheets, that made it more manageable for me. The first piece of drywall I placed fit so well!. Once the first piece was placed I moved on to the second piece. At this point, I am just setting them on the shelves I created out of 2x4s. With both of the top pieces places, I am putting the bottom piece of drywall into place.While I am placing the bottom piece I am using my oscillating multitool to cut the drywall to fit. To keep all of these sheets of drywall in place, I am using by driver to screw them into the studs.

My plumber forgot to put a nail plate over the pipes and I put a screw through one of them, so I did have to take a break from hanging drywall to let the wood dry.

Building a Recessed Cavity

While letting the wood dry I am building a little nook. I want to do a recessed cavity next to the vanity, between the wall studs. This is going to give me the storage I need because I will no longer have a medicine cabinet. To put the little storage space into the wall I need support lumber, I drilled pocket holes into both ends of a 2×4 so the screws go at an angle into the studs. Before I screw this in I need to level it. Once the support lumber is level I am screwing it into the studs. I am going to add the nook itself a little later when the drywall is installed fully. I will install it by nailing it in to the studs next to and below it.

Back to Hanging Drywall by Yourself

Now that my studs are dry, I am going to hang the drywall. I successfully screwed the bottom sheet of drywall in without hitting another pipe or the nail plate. When placing the sheets of drywall, before screwing them in, I am making sure the sheets are tight together at the seams. It is important, when screwing in the drywall, that the screw goes just barely beneath the surface of the drywall. You do not want them sticking up above the drywall, but you do not want to stick them too deep so they do not hold.

Taping and Mudding Drywall

Once all of my drywall has been hung and the screws have been hung every 8-ish inches, it is time to tape and mud. I am filling my seams with joint compound. Once the seam has been filled I use paper tape, it is the best for crack prevention. I measure out how much tape I need, cut it, run it through a bucket of water, then apply it to the joint compound. In the corners, I am putting mud on both sides then using the perforation on the tape to get the 90-degree angle I need. Most visible areas in this bathroom are going to get three coats of this because I am doing a flat wall, not a textured wall. Once all of my mud is dry, I am going to sponge-sand it flat.

Once you have finished sanding, you are done and the wall is ready for primer and paint! I hope this post helped you build your confidence in how to hang drywall by yourself! If you liked this interior upgrade DIY and want to see more, my post on how to lay self leveling concrete is a great place to start!

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This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. For full disclosures and practices, please visit my policy page.

Table of Contents

• Prep Work
• Adjusting the Floor
• Framing the Wall
• Mounting Drywall
• Finishing Touches and Final Product

Prep Work for Building a Non-Load-Bearing Interior Wall

To begin this project I have to clear out this entire space which means rehoming many different things. Once that is complete I am bringing up the drywall before I start framing. I do not want to maneuver through the skinny hallway I will create. I am starting this project by cutting into the bulkhead. When I cut into the bulkhead I found a long white wire that I needed to be cautious of. Once I have cut open the bulkhead I am working on the flooring.

Flooring for the New Wall

To build a non-load-bearing interior wall I have to cut up some of my carpet, to install the wall. I am laying down a 2×4 to use as my guide for the width of the wall and cutting out the carpet and padding beneath it. I am also cutting off the piece of baseboard and tack strips that is where the new wall will be.

Framing the Non-Load-Bearing Interior Wall

I am using 2x4s for my framing. I am going to assemble them on the bottom plate using my framing nailer and studmaster. There is no top plate in my framing because I am trying to work around the wire that I found when I cut open the bulkhead. I drilled a hole at the top of each of the studs, so the wire could go through the center. In addition, I drilled pocket holes to screw the studs into the existing 2×4 in the ceiling and use that as a top plate. I was not sure how this would work without a top plate and the answer is not well. As soon as we went to lift up the framing the ones we were not holding on to came out of the bottom plate. I ended up toenailing the 2x4s that came out.

While I was screwing the 2x4s into place and stringing the white wire through the holes in the top of the studs, I tugged a little bit too hard on the wire and it popped out. It was not attached to anything! After doing all that work to accommodate for this wire I can pull the white wire out. After the studs were all secured on the top, I am able to go through and secure them to the subfloor. This is done by nailing them down through the bottom plate. This is when I toenailed the bottom of the studs that had come apart while lifting the wall. Next, I framed the door.

Mounting Drywall

I put up a few full sheets of drywall while I had my husband’s help. I had to do the top sheets of drywall first because I only had his help for 30 minutes! After the top sheets were hung I had to lift the bottom sheet by myself. After hanging the sheets of drywall comes a lifetime of mudding and taping. This process always takes a long time. When I was done taping and mudding I came in with my random orbital sander to sand. Overall, I was extremely pleased with how my drywall job turned out.

Finishing Touches

Once my wall is sanded it is time to paint! I began by priming the walls and then went in with my paint. I am so excited, I built a functioning wall! The ceiling fan also needed to be uninstalled because I am getting a new light fixture for the room. Then, I installed the door, I bought a door that matches the rest of the doors in the upstairs of our house. I finished up the door space with trim work and caulking. Now that my wall is built I can move on to decorating this brand-new room! This room already had everything needed to be a bedroom like hvac, a closet, windows, and plenty of electrical outlets. If I were to do this project again I would’ve run electrical through the wall I built to meet local building code.

If you liked this interior upgrade DIY and want to see more projects like this, my post on how to lay self leveling concrete is a great place to start!

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