Vintage Ceiling Tiles

Whew I am glad to finally have this project done!!  I started this project about a month ago, and for some reason it's just taken me a while to get done!

It started with these fabulous vintage ceiling tiles I found for 40% off $40 plus an additional 20% off!  Total cost $19!  I thought that was a steal (please don't burst my bubble if you've found them cheaper).

Yes, they started out as a rusty, nasty, mess, but the detail on them is ah-mazing  I started by spraying them with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer.  I wanted a brown primer so it would show through when I sanded them.

Tip: If you find vintage ceiling tiles already painted, spray them with a coat of polyurethane to keep them from chipping since they may have been painted with lead paint.

My hubby bought me this really cool spray gun!  These took a while to paint, and this definitely saved my finger!

After the primer had dried completely I spray painted them with Rustoleum Heirloom White.  It actually took about 4 coats.  I sanded them down so the brown would show through and have a rustic look.

My wonderful hubby cut them in half for me using a 4.5 inch grinder with a cut off wheel.  What a great guy.  :)

I hung them up on the wall and immediately realized that they needed something else.  They looked a little dinky.

NOT loving them....

Then I stumbled across this post from House of Smith's and thought....  *light bulb* .... I'll just make frames for them!!

Was that an adventure.  I will leave that one up to Shelley to tell you how to do it. After much TLC they did turn out fabulous and I'll know exactly what to do when I tackle this project in the future!

One thing I've learned - sometimes design just happens.  Totally unintentional, projects go wrong, measurements go awry, nails don't quite fit right, and the project quickly goes in a different direction.

Originally the ceiling tiles were going to be mounted to the back of the frame.  I won't take you through that painstaking process, but it just didn't work out!

Thank goodness!! I like this so much better!!

What do you think??