Installing the Bead Board Ceiling

After this weekend, Graham and I felt much better {side note:  Graham didn’t get the whole DH thing, so he will just go back to a plain ‘ol Graham, like the cracker}.  In any case, this past weekend we got the bead board ceiling and can lights installed in the kitchen!  Now, if we squint and close one eye {and only focus on a small part of the ceiling}, it is almost like we aren’t living with a demolished kitchen!

We have to paint the ceiling to officially finish it, but it is still leaps and bounds above what we had just a few short days ago.

Before we could install the ceiling, however, I went around and fixed the plaster around the top part of the wall {the yellow section that was previously covered by the drop ceiling}.  We wanted to patch this up a bit to give the crown molding {that we plan on installing later} something more substantial to hang on to.

I am proud to say that I did all of the mudding, taping, patching, and sanding all on my own!  Graham gave me a quick five minute lesson and then I was left to handle the damage myself.  For my first time mudding EVER, I think I did a pretty good job {and, I will admit, towards the end I wasn’t as careful knowing this was going to be covered up anyways}.

{the first board is in!}

Once I was done sanding, it was time to install the bead board planks.  One….by…one.  We opted for the pine “premium” planks that you can get back in the paneling section {not the ones in the lumber area}.  The reasons included that they were 1) of higher quality {less knots} and 2) much lighter {our house can tighten its belt a bit easier}.

Graham was extremely proud of the cuts around the junction boxes {I was impressed as well}.  After we got done cutting around the first one, he suggested we quit the project while we were still ahead {thinking that if this went so well, something was bound to go just as badly}.

We only had one “accident” during this whole process.  Graham was trying his hand at some acrobatics while trying to utilize the two ladders {and fridge} to steady himself while nailing in the boards.  Unfortunately this lead to a coffee casualty early on Sunday morning.  Luckily, we planned on tearing out this flooring!

We did decide on a staggered pattern for the bead board, but we didn’t plan very well and ended up with a bit of waste.

However, I was secretly jumping for joy watching those pieces stack up as I have a project in mind for them {a long, long way down the road……the first priority is to get my kitchen and bathroom back so that I am not brushing my teeth from the bathtub faucet…..yes, you read that correctly}.

{halfway there}

{our kitty cared for the boards while we worked}

{installing the can lights….no more working by one of those “smart electrician” lights}

A look at the ceiling progression, one more time:

Like I said, we plan on painting the ceiling, and of course installing the pendant lighting.  But, again, I am brushing my teeth from the bathtub faucet, so we have bigger fish to fry at the moment!

This weekend, we are taking a MUCH needed break from the kitchen, however.  We will be celebrating our god-daughter’s first birthday.  We have been looking forward to seeing G and her parents ALL WEEK {hey, guys!} plus utilizing someone else’s sinks and kitchen and walking around WITHOUT our shoes on!  I will post all of the cutey-pa-tootey pictures from this weekend when we return.

Otherwise, the next step in the kitchen is to tear out the hardwood floors, fix some of the original subfloors, level it off, and then tile!  Our goal is to have the floor completely grouted {and, more importantly, the bathroom sink installed back in place} by the end of NEXT weekend.  Me and the bathroom right now = #bathtubproblems

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