Monday, February 21, 2011

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??



19 comments:

  1. Very cute!! Love this idea :)

    ~meri

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  2. OH, LOVE!!
    What a great idea...simple, but makes such a statement against that dark paint!

    Great job!

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  3. fantastic! I'm a new follower and I already just love your blog :) Saw your link on Giggles, Glitz and Glam! Great stuff. Can't wait to keep reading.

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  4. Turned out great! Thanks for linking up over at Giggles, Glitz & Glam!

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  5. Beautiful! I like how the tiles are off center of the frames.

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  6. Great idea...I just love vintage ceiling tiles. Still makes my heart flutter abit when I walk in a place and see those beautiful babies up on the ceiling!

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  7. I know you're already received it, but I'm awarding you the Stylish Blog Award! I just recently started following your blog and LOVE all your cute ideas! I'm planning on making the recipe card holder for my Mom for Mother's Day!

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  8. looks great, and i love the dark color in your room!

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  9. I'm a new follower, please follow me back.
    Blessings, Lori
    lorisstorys.blogspot.com

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  10. Looks great!! I love the detail on the tiles!

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  11. Very interesting! The whole thing came together nicely.

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  12. Gorgeous! I'm featuring this over at womenwhodoitall.blogspot.com

    Jill

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  13. Love tin ceiling tiles- in fact we are looking for some to actually use on the ceiling of our old home.

    Great job!

    bee blessed
    mary

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  14. I featured you this week!!! LittleEme.blogspot.com
    Come check it out and grab your featured button! :)

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  15. Hey Maggie, you did such an awesome job with those tiles. I love how they turned out, and love the frames, and how the tiles are not placed in the frame completely. It looks really cool.

    I loved it so much......

    I just HAD to FEATURE YOU, come grab a button and display it proudly!!

    Thanks for linking up to Bella Before and After **AMAZE ME AUGUST** party, I LOVE having you.

    Hugs,

    Bella :)

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  16. Hey STACI,,, don't mind me calling you Maggie, sorry girl, I was looking at another name right before this, and it stick with me, ooops.

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  17. fantastic!!! great thinking "out of the box" ;)

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