Author Topic: I did this!  (Read 6782 times)

waffle

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I did this!
« on: April 20, 2015, 07:34:55 AM »
I'm pretty proud of this room. Below is a before and after of the room (I forgot to take a good before picture so I just have the lower quality realtor photo from the listing, but you get the idea. It took a lot longer than expected to do the wainscoting, but that's mostly due to me getting distracted with other things. I did everything myself and total cost from the floor clear up to the new lights was about $1100 (not counting all the fun tools I accumulated along the way). There's still a few touchups to do with the paint, but I really love how it turned out and my wife is really happy too. Now on to the dining room/kitchen...
« Last Edit: April 20, 2015, 07:36:53 AM by waffle »

opmal7

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2015, 09:42:20 AM »
Looks very nice.  I love the look of the hardwood floors with wainscoting.  The recessed lighting definitely brightens up the room too.

Tami1982

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2015, 09:51:39 AM »
Gorgeous!!  And you must feel so accomplished and satisfied.

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2015, 12:27:48 PM »
Thanks. We bought this house in October last year and knew it was going to be a fixer upper. The first few months was just fixing all the little things that popped up to make the place livable. I've had a little experience with DIY house work, but never anything on this scale. It really feels good to see some progress.

BlueHouse

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2015, 01:09:07 PM »
You did a great job!  Most impressive!

If I may make a suggestion:  You seem really good with wood.  If you haven't already considered adding a casement to the arch between the two rooms, that may also add to the look. 

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2015, 01:15:04 PM »
You did a great job!  Most impressive!

If I may make a suggestion:  You seem really good with wood.  If you haven't already considered adding a casement to the arch between the two rooms, that may also add to the look.

Thanks. That archway leads into the dining room. I'm planning on building out a wall a couple feet long there to provide a little separation between the rooms while keeping the open feel. I've also considered framing it in a bit more and having some decorative French doors separating the rooms, but that's a lot more expensive.

Jack

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2015, 07:26:29 PM »
I think the minimalist lack of trim on the upper half of the windows looks a little weird when paired with the wainscoting, and that it would be nice if the HVAC vents were flush with the floor. Other than that, it looks great!

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2015, 07:59:02 AM »
I think the minimalist lack of trim on the upper half of the windows looks a little weird when paired with the wainscoting, and that it would be nice if the HVAC vents were flush with the floor. Other than that, it looks great!

There will eventually be some trim around the windows as well as crown molding

thurston howell iv

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2015, 10:05:06 AM »
Nice work. Don't forget the quarter round trim on the baseboards. It will add to the finished look.
I'm working on mine as well!

The hardest part is staying motivated. It always seems like there's a little bit more to do...

Keep up the good work.

Megma

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2015, 10:15:54 AM »
The lighting really made a difference! Fabulous!

Drifterrider

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2015, 10:20:55 AM »
I'm pretty proud of this room. Below is a before and after of the room (I forgot to take a good before picture so I just have the lower quality realtor photo from the listing, but you get the idea. It took a lot longer than expected to do the wainscoting, but that's mostly due to me getting distracted with other things. I did everything myself and total cost from the floor clear up to the new lights was about $1100 (not counting all the fun tools I accumulated along the way). There's still a few touchups to do with the paint, but I really love how it turned out and my wife is really happy too. Now on to the dining room/kitchen...

How did you build your wainscot?  What materials did you use?  (I'm thinking of using MDF).

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2015, 10:56:29 AM »
I'm pretty proud of this room. Below is a before and after of the room (I forgot to take a good before picture so I just have the lower quality realtor photo from the listing, but you get the idea. It took a lot longer than expected to do the wainscoting, but that's mostly due to me getting distracted with other things. I did everything myself and total cost from the floor clear up to the new lights was about $1100 (not counting all the fun tools I accumulated along the way). There's still a few touchups to do with the paint, but I really love how it turned out and my wife is really happy too. Now on to the dining room/kitchen...

How did you build your wainscot?  What materials did you use?  (I'm thinking of using MDF).

That's what I did. I used this 1/8" panel http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-1-8-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-S2S-MDF-Tempered-Hardboard-127320/202820158?N=5yc1vZbqm7.
I glued and nailed it to the drywall and then used 1x6 for the bottom rail and 1x4's for the vertical and top rails. I just used common boards from home depot. Even though I sifted through them for the best ones possible it meant a lot of sanding/filling/sanding/sanding/sanding... The premium boards would be a lot less work, but a lot more expensive.

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2015, 10:59:34 AM »
The lighting really made a difference! Fabulous!

Thanks. I have them on a dimmer too which makes it really nice when just relaxing on the couch at night. That was a good learning experience. I had to drill through the beams to run all the wires and on one I accidentally drilled up through my sons bedroom floor above. That's ok though we are replacing that floor anyway.

Drifterrider

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2015, 01:19:11 PM »
I'm pretty proud of this room. Below is a before and after of the room (I forgot to take a good before picture so I just have the lower quality realtor photo from the listing, but you get the idea. It took a lot longer than expected to do the wainscoting, but that's mostly due to me getting distracted with other things. I did everything myself and total cost from the floor clear up to the new lights was about $1100 (not counting all the fun tools I accumulated along the way). There's still a few touchups to do with the paint, but I really love how it turned out and my wife is really happy too. Now on to the dining room/kitchen...

 

How did you build your wainscot?  What materials did you use?  (I'm thinking of using MDF).

That's what I did. I used this 1/8" panel http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-1-8-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-S2S-MDF-Tempered-Hardboard-127320/202820158?N=5yc1vZbqm7.
I glued and nailed it to the drywall and then used 1x6 for the bottom rail and 1x4's for the vertical and top rails. I just used common boards from home depot. Even though I sifted through them for the best ones possible it meant a lot of sanding/filling/sanding/sanding/sanding... The premium boards would be a lot less work, but a lot more expensive.

OK, so hardboard, whiteboard and paint.  Thanks.

Bob W

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2015, 01:27:55 PM »
The lighting really made a difference! Fabulous!

Thanks. I have them on a dimmer too which makes it really nice when just relaxing on the couch at night. That was a good learning experience. I had to drill through the beams to run all the wires and on one I accidentally drilled up through my sons bedroom floor above. That's ok though we are replacing that floor anyway.

Nice project work--- using LED dimmable lights we assume?     I do like can lights.   

waffle

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #15 on: April 21, 2015, 01:42:17 PM »
The lighting really made a difference! Fabulous!

Thanks. I have them on a dimmer too which makes it really nice when just relaxing on the couch at night. That was a good learning experience. I had to drill through the beams to run all the wires and on one I accidentally drilled up through my sons bedroom floor above. That's ok though we are replacing that floor anyway.

Nice project work--- using LED dimmable lights we assume?     I do like can lights.

Sure am. Its nice, all 8 LED's together use about the same wattage as the one nasty old fixture that was in the entry way area. I really like that since it means I didn't need to worry about overloading any circuits by adding in all the extra lighting.

soccerluvof4

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Re: I did this!
« Reply #16 on: April 24, 2015, 09:45:48 AM »
Very nice!! I agree about adding casement around the walk through and the windows. That would take it on a scale from 1-10 to an 11. Great work!