The project starts with a spare room that's typical of the extra (or "bonus") room in many households: a nice size -- 10'x10' -- but boring, with plain white walls and nondescript furniture. Not to worry -- the room's lack of visual interest is no match for Golden, who already has a grand plan for taking this space from dull to dazzling! When starting a project like this one, a solid strategy for the floor plan is essential, Golden says. To create the floor plan for this space, she maps out the room using a computer software program, first sizing the room to scale before adding depictions of windows, furniture and accessories.
Next, she experiments with mixing and matching various paint chips to find the perfect color scheme for the French country motif. After considering a few combinations, Golden settles on just the right hues to achieve the cozy, shabby chic look she's envisioning.
Since this project will require a detailed painting technique for the walls, the application of wallpaper to the ceiling and the installation of crown molding, Golden rates this project a solid "4" on a difficulty scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most difficult).
To complete any project in a single weekend, it's essential to be organized -- and that means planning your time carefully. While a whole weekend with nothing to do but decorate is indeed a treat, it's crucial to be ready to go when the weekend starts. To ensure you'll be ready bright and early Saturday morning, assemble all your supplies and tools in advance ....
Materials:
- Wallpaper
- 2 sawhorses with plywood top (for work table)
- Wallpaper brushes
- Wallpaper paste
- Crown molding
- Chop saw
- Nails
- Air gun
- Paint rollers
- Paint trays
- Metallic paint (for faux bois technique)
- Paint brushes
- Old shutters
- Straight edge
- Wallpaper tools
In addition to having your materials purchased and assembled in advance, you'll also need to have some prep work completed beforehand. For this project, Golden and her crew got a head start earlier in the week by painting the walls and applying two coats of paint to the existing furniture: the first coat black, the second coat white.
They also removed the existing light fixture, measured the ceiling for the wallpaper and crown molding, then primed and pre-painted the molding as well.
Since Golden wants this room to be a real show-stopper, she's decided to use a wallpaper treatment for the ceiling. The pattern, a classic black-and-white toile, features "everyday" scenes from pastoral France and has been around since the eighteenth century.
When applying wallpaper to a ceiling, Golden explains that it's important to work carefully, following these specific steps:
- Roll out the pieces.
- Apply paste to the back of the paper (following manufacturer's directions).
- Book the paper to set the adhesive.
- Apply the paper to the ceiling -- be sure to recruit a helper ... you'll need one!
- Continue applying pieces across the surface, making sure to carefully match up the seams.
- Mark where the light fixture will be on the appropriate piece; cut paper to fit.
Expert Note: When wallpapering a ceiling, you'll want to work from a platform. Create one easily by placing a couple 2"x4"s (or 2"x6"s) on opposite rungs of two step-ladders -- or on two sturdy straight chairs of the same height. To reinforce your platform for two people, use two layers of planks, one on top of the other.
With toile wallpaper gracing the ceiling, the room is already starting to take on a very French look. To enhance the style and further define the ceiling, Golden has elected to add white crown molding, which is installed as follows:
- Using the measurements obtained earlier, the molding is cut to length with a miter saw.
- Next, each piece is nailed carefully into place using finishing nails. (A second set of hands is essential for this step.)
- Once all pieces are in place, the nail holes and joints are touched up with caulk.
- Touch-up paint is applied to the caulked areas.
With the ceilings complete, Golden is now ready to turn her attention to the walls!
