How to Remove Popcorn Ceiling Texture {tutorial}

I never thought I would be writing a post about scraping off popcorn ceiling texture, but alas here I am. It’s a long story. Here are the gritty details:

What made you decide to remove the popcorn ceiling texture, especially when you are a renter?

The hubs, bless his heart, forgot to turn off the water in the upstairs bathroom…for 15 minutes. I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

Basically, all the water that flooded the upstairs bathroom trickled down into the subfloor and the layer between the top and bottom floors. The water had to go somewhere, and that means there was a 4x6 foot wet spot on the ceiling of the downstairs dining/living room. So we tackled the upstairs floor first and just let the 1^st floor ceiling drip and then air dry.

Once it had dried, I thought I could just paint over the water stain. Wrong! As I rolled the paint on, the popcorn was coming off in chunks. A mold scare (turned out to be a false alarm) and a failed attempt at using the popcorn texture you get in a spray can from Lowes (it’s really only meant to patch up small areas) later, we arrived at the decision that we needed to remove the entire thing. Apparently, even a professional “popcorner” wouldn’t be able to match the new popcorn to the existing stuff. We really needed to scrape off the texture from the entire 1^st floor ceiling if we ever wanted to dream of getting our $750 deposit back. Plus, I’d rather not look at this for the next 3 years.

So, that’s what happened. It is certainly an unfortunate situation to be in, but at the same time we’re learning a skill that we can use later down the road when we buy a house, one that might have popcorn ceilings. There’s always a silver lining, right? :) 

Now for the how-to. But before I talk about the process…

An important note on ASBESTOS:

Yeah, it’s true. A lot of popcorn ceilings contain up to 10% asbestos (and it’s more likely to be in your popcorn ceiling if the house was built prior to 1980). It’s not a big deal if you leave the popcorn texture alone. But it is dangerous to scrape it off and get all that poisonous dust and stuff in your lungs, which could lead to mesothelioma.

Step 1 – Test for asbestos! No surprise here. Scraping the ceiling texture is not a DIY project if the popcorn contains asbestos.

The hubs called all the local hardware stores before he found one that had an asbestos testing kit. I think it was around $12 or so. The kit is basically just instructions and a special postage-paid envelope that is addressed to the lab where you send the sample off for testing – I’m not so sure the kit was necessary. The lab we used was Pro-Lab: The Professional’s Choice for Environmental Testing in Weston, FL (954-384-4446).  

Once you have the kit, with a spray bottle filled with water, dampen the ceiling and wait for the texture to loosen up. Then take a razor (like the kind to open up moving boxes) and cut a ~ 2x2 inch sample. (I think J cut too deep, but do know that you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any layers.)

Place the sample in your special envelope and mail it off. (Btw, you’ll have to send them a $30 check too – bummer.)

TIP: Plan on testing far in advance. It took 20 days from the time we put the sample in the mail before we got the email with the results! The wait was agonizing because if it had had asbestos it would have cost us thousands of dollars (yes, seriously) to hire someone to remove it safely.

Fortunately, our popcorn ceiling was asbestos-free!!! Let the removal process commence.

Step 2 – Buy your materials, assuming your ceiling is asbestos-free too (my fingers are crossed for you!).

Prep ($136)

·         Lots and lots of plastic tarps (i.e., drop cloths). Not so environmentally-friendly, but oh so necessary.

o   To figure out how many you’ll need, think about how much furniture has to stay in the room, wall space (you’ll be draping all of the walls & holding the tarps up with tape), and how much ground floor you’ll be covering.

o   In total, we spent around $38. That’s a lot of tarps!

·        2” Painter’s tape ($25 for 3 rolls) – As I mentioned, you’ll need it to hold up the tarps along the wall.
·     Protective gear: masks (3 for $12) +  eye protection (2 for $12)

Us wearing our protective glasses, masks, and coveralls. We're looking super stylish :)

·      Coveralls (2 for $14) & shoe covers (optional) – It’s a good idea for when you need to leave the construction zone. You can just slip it off and go get a drink of water without worrying about carrying the filth throughout the house.
·         Red rosin paper ($35 for 3 rolls)– lay on top of plastic sheet for easier cleanup.

Scrape ($63)

·         Long poles (2 for $14) – We used bamboo poles that could be attached to the scraper, sander, & paint rollers.
·         Garden sprayer ($15) filled with water – You can find them at Lowes or Home Depot. I think you could also use a basic spray bottle, but it’s going to be a lot more work.
·         Step stool or ladder (already owned)
·         Ceiling texture scraper ($19 – but wasn’t worth the money) + a joint knife ($10) + putty knife ($5)

Repair & Paint ($140)

·         Joint compound ($7) + joint tape ($2; we ended up not needing it)
·         Sand paper holder ($12), which could be attached to the pole + mesh screen sand paper (2 packs for $6) + rough hand-held sandpaper ($4)
·         Wallboard primer ($12 for 1 gallon)
·         Flat tintable ceiling paint (2.5  gallons for $57) – to return the ceiling to its original color after you’ve finished scraping. Or this would be a good excuse to get a little bit daring with your ceiling color.
·         Paint supplies – roller holders that could be attached to the poles ($8 for 2), paint rollers that are specifically designed for ceilings ($12 for a 6-pack), plastic trays ($7 for 3), paint brush ($4), & a nice sturdy paint holder with handle for spots that had to be touched up with a brush ($9)

Note: Only some items include tax.

TIME: 2.5 days to do 500 sq. ft.

TOTAL COST (including the asbestos testing):  $381

Although we spent a lot of money, we saved a ton by doing it ourselves. I’ve read that professional estimates run upwards of $2/square foot, and that’s just for the scraping and patching. Painting is an additional expense. On a message board forum, someone commented that the estimate for his 500 sq ft ceilings was $1,600 and included scraping, patchwork, and painting. I think it’s safe to say we saved well over $1,000 by DIYing this project!

Step 3 – Turn off the electricity. Well, at least when you’re spraying water on areas around light fixtures. Our downstairs does not get enough natural light even during the daytime to be able to keep the electricity off the entire time. If you do get enough natural light, then you can keep your light fixtures looking good by removing them before you begin. We did this instead:

haha!

TIP: If possible, have ample lighting as you scrape! In retrospect, we wish we would have had bright lights on the entire time we scraped because we did the worst job on the areas that we had trouble seeing.

Click "read more" to see the full tutorial. 

Reupholstering a Chair

I've reupholstered a desk chair before, so I was up for a more challenging reupholstering job the second time around. I needed another one for the guest bedroom/study. I checked out Craigslist for a few days and found this beauty for $10.

Pic of the back (couldn't find a photo of the front).

It had seen better days - it was made in the late 70's after all (I found the date and manufacturer on its underbelly). It also wasn't the right colored fabric. But it had good bones, which is what attracted me to it.

Here is a tutorial that I wrote before about my last reupholstering job. I have one more little tip about how to get the corners taut, which is especially important when you don't have a plastic cover to tuck the corners into.

First, staple the fabric to one or two sides of the chair. Then, gather the fabric around corner and pinch it such that there are layers folding on one another.

I'd also recommend turning it over while you're pinching the fabric to make sure everything looks right on the front. Then, staple it and admire your work!

Here is the final product! By the way, I got the fabric from IKEA for around $4 or so per yard. I think I used half a yard. That means this desk chair cost me a total of $12!! Not bad at all, if I do say so myself.  :-)

The front

The back

What have you reupholstered lately? Please comment with a link! I'd love to see your project!

I'm linking to...

PS - Dear Dad, I already spoke with you today, but just wanted to say again happy Father's Day! 

Love, 

Me & your little granddoggers, Heidi and Jini  :)

Paper Flower + Handmade Cards {tutorial}

Everyone in my family knows that I send handmade cards rather than store-bought ones for all sorts of occasions - birthdays, Mother's and Father's Day, etc. My cards vary in their quality and attractiveness, usually depending on the amount of time I have, how tired I am, the materials I have on hand, blah blah blah. But guess what, fellow DIYers?! I believe I have created my signature card.

Without further ado, I present to you..... 

The Scrapbook Flower Card

Dear family, you will be receiving lots of these sorts of cards in the future.  :)

The clear focal point of this card design is the flower. Would you like to know how I made the paper flower? It is unbelievably easy and fast to make! 

     Materials:

• Scrapbook paper { < $0.25} (multicolored paper works best in my opinion)
• Water (I can hear you saying, "hmm?" We will revisit this in a sec.)
• Cute design scissors {$1} (Not sure of the technical name - it's the kind that you use for crafting to get a curvy cut.)
• Needle and thread {probably you will have this on hand}
• Button {optional}

      Time:  4 minutes/ flower (c'mon, you have time to make this)

3 Steps to Make a Scrapbook Paper Flower

Step 1 - Cut out 5 loose circles with your fancy pants scissors. No guide is necessary. Just eyeball it and try to make each circle a little bit smaller or bigger than the last. Circles that are not perfectly round work best because it gives that natural, organic feel to your flower.

Step 2 - Water your 5 cutouts. That's right - sprinkle a few drops on the paper until it's damp. Now the paper is more malleable and ready to bloom!! {hehe} Take each circle of paper and squish them in from the center, as shown below.

Step 3 - Lay the 5 circle cutouts on top of one another, and then sew together in the center. 

{Optional} Step 4 - Why not add a button to top it off? Cute :)

What do you think? Me likey :)

To create the handmade cards, I used  mod podge and scrapbook paper to cover some card forms (or you can make your own out of construction paper). Then I added a band of a different scrapbook paper going horizontally across the card. This combo seemed to please my eyes the most. Alternatively, you could make smaller flowers, which would save room to write Happy Birthday or anything you want on the card using sticker letters.

Here are some more pics: 

(This is the one shown in the steps. This card was before I discovered using buttons and bands of scrapbook paper.)

I think the brighter ones are pretty too.

All together now.

Do you have any tips for making other sorts of paper flowers? I'm kind of obsessed with this one right now, but in a few weeks I don't doubt that I will be looking for a different flower to make.  :) 

Linking to Beyond the Picket Fence Under $100 Linky Party; The Shabby Chic Cottage; Remodelaholics Anonymous; Creation Corner Friday Link Party; Just A Girl Show & Share; Funky Junk Interiors; Luxe Boulevard Throwback Thursday Link Party

How to Edit Pictures in Picnik

Let me start by saying that I have zero photography skills, I've never taken a class, and the camera I use is a regular Canon one that is 6 years old. Despite being a novice, I still get what I consider to be a good picture every now and then, and they can usually still use a little perking up. Even photos that seem hopelessly bad can be transformed into decent pictures with photo editing. 

With that said, I highly recommend editing your photos using Picnik. This free online photo editing program can turn a so-so picture into a great picture! Many of you have probably used Picnik, but for those who have not used it yet, allow me to demonstrate how it works. Get excited because it is simply AMAZING! And it is so easy to use! 

Let's start with this photograph...

It's me and the husband at North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. I like it, but it's umm...a little blue. I think we can do better, folks!

Step 1: I usually start by changing the exposure levels. (FYI: There is an Edit and a Create tab - start in Edit.) I adjust the exposure first, bringing more light to my photo. I add contrast next.
How much exposure and contrast you ask? It just depends on each photo - you have to play around with it. Be careful not to add too much exposure, however, because it can make your photo look grainy.

Step 2: For pictures with natural light, I usually adjust the temperature to get rid of this bluish tint I always seem to get. The temperature setting (still in the Edit tab) will nip that problem in the bud. It begins at 0. If you slide the scale to the right, it makes the picture warmer (think reds, golden yellows, etc.). Sliding it to the left makes it cooler. For this picture, I made it warmer, as you can see below. The saturation scale is also a good one to use if your picture seems faded. I didn't need it in this case. 

Ahh, yes, that's more like it. A little less smurf-ish.

Step 3: Next, use the eye brightening tool (located under Touch-Up in the Create tab) to make eyes stand out more. It initially deepens and darkens the color, so I also adjust the lightness scale as well to allow the natural eye color to show through. The fade scale makes it so that you can choose how dramatic you want the eye brightening to be. Increase the fading if you want only a subtle brightening effect.

You can't see it in the screen shot below, but this feature is super simple to use. You adjust the size of the circle to fit your eye and click. That's it. :)

(Let me say that eye brightening is actually one of Picnik's paid membership features, and let me tell you - I think this feature alone is worth the $24.99/year. But there are still lots of great free features in Picnik, so don't let that keep you from trying it. I used it for about 3 or 4 months before I bought a 1-yr membership.)

Step 4: Add mascara. Say whaat?! It's not what you think. It won't add false eyelashes or anything. It basically just sharpens and defines the area around the eye. So you will want to do this for not just women but men, dogs, and children too (or not, if you're worried about it). For a more natural look, you can lessen the strength. This tool is located under Touch-Up in the Create tab.

Step 5: Use the focal soften tool (located under Effects in the Create tab). This feature is great because you can make the subject of your photo stand out more by softening and blurring the background.

Select the area you want to focus in on - in this case, it's our faces. Adjust the blur scale to soften and blur everything outside of that circle. I think it's easy to go overboard with this feature (guilty!), so it's best to do a little bit at a time almost to where it's unnoticeable. You can always go back and add more focusing later.

Step 6: Lastly, I decided to add a little more warmth to the picture by going back to Temperature under the Edit tab.

Yay! We're done!

Drumroll please....

BEFORE

AFTER

Okay, so the fun doesn't end there. Click to see more photo editing after the jump....

Printable Chevron Pattern

Ever since I tried my hand at painting a quatrefoil pattern, I've been eager to try another pattern. This time I decided to go with chevron (which I totally love right now!).

 I had the hardest time looking for a template. There are lots of great tutorials on how to create your own chevron template, but I wanted something I could just print out and start using right away. But to my knowledge, none exist!

I ended up creating my own, and I'm providing it here in case anyone can use it for their own project. You can download the printable chevron template here. 

The latest victim of one of my painting episodes? This tray that I picked up at a local thrift store for $0.50.

   I think it's seen better years.  :)

To paint the tray, I first spray painted it Krylon Almond (I'm currently obsessed with this color). Next, I took out my handy dandy chevron template and traced around it. After you trace it the first time, you simply move the template to one of the sides, lining up the edges as you go. Eventually, you will end up with something like this. 

Lastly, you fill in every other one with paint. Truth be told, I messed this up the first time by painting two side-by-side. How did I mess that up?! It's my lack of attention to detail. haha! I had to re-spray paint and then re-trace the template. It's all good now, though.

And now ladies (and gentlemen?) for the final product:

By the way, I painted the chevron pattern with a Folk Art opalescent acrylic paint. It's also a good idea to seal the pattern in by covering the entire piece with a coat of polyurethane.

Thanks for looking! Please please let me know if you use the template I made. I would love to see your work, and possibly feature it here. 

Linking to these lovely link parties: Remodelaholics Anonymous, Under the Table Dreaming Sunday Showcase, Just a Girl Show & Share Day, Tatertots & Jello Weekend Wrapup; Funky Junk Interiors; How To's @ The Lettered Cottage

Clock Makeover

See this clock? 

It bought it from Walmart for $3. Kind of boring, right? (By the way, that's my lovely husband doing the hand modeling in this pic...hehe.)

I've had this on the wall for 4 years now - it was about time for a makeover! All I needed to turn this into a custom clock was a little leftover Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and some scrapbook paper. Piece of cake.

It took some prying, but I was able to separate the different plastic pieces so that I could take out the number plate. Once I did that, I traced it onto some pretty paper. Then, I simply cut it out, added the hand-drawn numbers, and placed it in the newly painted frame.

And here is the finished product!

Although it's not my favorite clock ever, I think it is an improvement. It was super easy! I should have done it years ago. If I had had some pretty number stickers on hand, then I would have used those instead of a sharpie for the numbers. I still like it, though. :)

Thanks so much for looking! If you have any clock makeovers you would like to share, please do! 

Linking to Creative Juice Thursday; Beyond the Picket Fence; Paisley Passions; House of Hepworths; Transformation Thursdays @ Shabby Chic Cottage

I am participating in the CSI Project's $5 and under challenge. Please join me by clicking the button below to enter your project that cost five bucks or less into the contest as well. :)



UPDATE: Jen picked my clock! Yay! Thank you, Jen!

Quatrefoil Painted Desk {tutorial}

Have you ever owned a piece of furniture that just made you say "blah" every time you glanced at it? Guilty! In fact, for over a year, I had been living with a used oak desk that my husband bought. It was a little too rough around the edges for my taste. It was in dire need of a makeover. The solution? I painted a quatrefoil pattern on the top, and now it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture!

The nice thing about this project is that it is super easy on the budget.

Materials - All you need is...

• to print a quatrefoil pattern (here is a great template from Tatertots & Jello)
• an Xacto knife to cut out the template
• a paint brush (preferably a small one with a strait edge)
• acrylic paint ($1.57) in your preferred color ( I used one 2-oz bottle of Apple Barrel's Burnt Umber #20512)
• Minwax's Polyurethane in Clear Gloss (if you want a big can with lots of leftover paint for future projects, go with the 32-oz can for $11)-- to seal the acrylic paint

Time - This is where the project becomes expensive in terms of the time it takes to finish it. I split it up into 2 days, and spent approximately 5 hours on it, if not more. In my opinion, it was worth it, though!

Let's take a look at the before picture of the desk. It's plain and boring and scratched up. Blah.

Time for a makeover!

Step 1 - Print and cut out the quatrefoil pattern using the template. I only cut out one template, but this also made the project take longer because I had to wait for the stencil to dry before I could add on to a section.

Step 2 - Once you have your stencil, tape down the parts that do not interfere with the parts you are painting.

Step 3 - The picture above does not show this, but I eventually found that my paint was more likely to stay within the lines when I used my brush and painted around the edges and then filled in the middle of each section. It took me 2 coats of paint, by the way. It could be worse! :)

Step 4 - Wait for a section to dry, and then move your template such that it adjoins with the section you just painted.

Here is what it looked like when I was about three-fourths of the way through.

I'm so surprised that I didn't mess up the pattern. I am by no means a perfectionist, so if I can do this, so can you!

Step 5 - After you have finished the piece of furniture and the paint is completely dry, give it a coat of shiny polyurethane to seal the acrylic paint. I waited approximately 4 hours and gave it a second coat.

Here is a photo of how the clear gloss can deepen your paint color, and make the whole thing more professional looking.

(Note: The other after pics of the desk were taken before I had a chance to polyurethane the desk. So, it actually looks shinier than that now.)

And here is the final result! (minus the clear gloss)

What do you think?

UPDATED: I wanted to show you pics of how the desk looks now with the polyurethane topcoat.

See how much shinier it looks? I like it much better, and now my quatrefoil pattern is protected. Yay!

Linking to...

Just a Girl Show & Share Day; Shanty 2 Chic; Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions; Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence; Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking; Restored It Wednesday; Get Your Brag On @ Gluesticks; Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma; VIP Party @ Designer Garden; Favorite Things Friday @ The Speckled Dog; Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table Dreaming