You Want the Cornice How Big??

Hate the look of curtain rods? My solution has been to put a cornice over them. The cornice can be more architectural or a fabric covered box. When you use a panel of fabric that hangs over the rods, it is called a valance. I prefer a padded cornice that has simple lines with plain fabric. As our home is an eclectic blend of antiques, comfy (which defies description) and modern, my first foray into cornices was going to be simple.

We have 22’ window on the south side of our home. I did not want drapes. I just wanted a detail element on that wall that hid my honeycomb shades. Ever talk to someone about building a 22’ long cornice? They sort of snicker at you, if not outright laugh. I priced a custom-made cornice, hold on…$3.00 to $7.50 per inch. Yep, per inch (22 x 12 = 264 inches x $5.00 = $1,350.00).

So, how hard could it be? Once again my husband and I set about to figure out how to build a cornice. We drew out the length and then determined how far it needed to project from the wall and how we wanted the face to look.

We made our cornice out of pine planks to give it the stability we needed. Once the pieces were cut, we screwed the returns to the face and for added measure added metal L brackets on the inside. We also used these to connect the recessed top to the face and sides.

The fabric we chose matched our wall cover and we laid it face-side down on the floor. We then put our padding on top and set the face of our cornice on that. We now had a sandwich!

I don’t like to cut the fabric until everything is stapled on, so I set the top near the edge of the fabric, leaving about 2-3”. I began in the center top and stapled. I then pulled the fabric towards the edges and stapled every 2”. I only moved 6” in one direction and then moved from the center in the other direction. This keeps the fabric taunt on the cornice for a smooth finish.

If your fabric has a pattern, you will want to roll the cornice up and check to make sure the pattern does not become skewed. Once the top was completed, I repeated the process for the lower edge, making sure that it stayed tight.

Once the top and bottom are done, I then pulled the sides and staple them. It’s just like wrapping a present – you want the paper to be tight against the sides of your gift, so you should have a nice snug fit. I then used a box cutter with a sharp blade and cut the fabric, leaving about 2” beyond the staples.

We placed metal L brackets across the recessed top and sides and then we invited a couple of friends over so we could get this bad boy placed on the wall. We drew a line where the horizontal board would go with a level and up it went. A few screws later and it was attached to the wall.

Have you ever built a cornice? What type did you build, fabric or wood? Do you prefer cornices, curtain rods or something else?

The Trick to Hanging Artwork

It’s the dreaded decorating task around the house that no one likes to do. But really, is it THAT scary? Is there something entirely permanent about putting a small nail hole in the plaster of your freshly painted wall? Not really, just make sure you kept enough paint for touch-ups!

There are many ways to hang artwork but here are some key tips to remember before pulling out the hammer.

First of all, figure out what weight limit your nail needs to be. Avoid using larger than necessary nails. This leaves bigger holes in the plaster and you are more likely to find the top of the hook peaking out over the frame of the artwork, which isn’t good. You do not want your nail hook showing, it is a distraction! Try using the small nail hooks because they will leave less damage on your walls.

It is important to know that if the artwork says do not hang on a wire, DO NOT HANG IT ON A WIRE! Majority of the time there is a reason and since we are not the manufacturers, we should probably trust their judgment. If the dreaded two hooks are on the back of the artwork, I recommend using a laser level or yard stick. This is the best way to possibly even come close to having the artwork hang level. Now sometimes it may seem like you have the hooks perfectly lined up. Don’t be discouraged. The hooks probably aren’t exactly level on the back of the artwork or the frame isn’t perfectly square.

Next comes the measuring part. If the artwork is small and light, there is not a need to find a stud. Save the studs for the large and heavy pieces of art. Try measuring up from the floor or down from the ceiling. There is no guarantee that the wall, floor or ceiling are straight and even, but it’s worth a try!

Do not center the artwork between the piece of furniture and ceiling. This is just going to result in the artwork being hung much higher than necessary. Large, heavy frames typically used in traditional settings or with oil paintings are best to be hung with the bottom approximately six inches above the back of a sofa or console. Skinny, small frames are recommended to be hung so the bottom of the frame is 10 to 12 inches above. If the artwork looks too small or too large when these measurements are used, then your artwork is probably is not the correct size for the space. Ways to solve this problem may be with groupings of artwork.

Good luck and remember, do not be afraid to pull out the touch up paint! Hanging artwork is a challenge for all!

Installing Drywall

General Steps in Installing Drywall:

This has been very much a learning curve for me and my husband. Like any new project, there are things that are uncovered as you move along in progress. Living in this old home, we have plaster walls, and in this case, they needed to be hammered away and removed (what a mess!). Behind the plaster we discovered wall framing created with backerboard running horizontally across the wall and attached to the studs.

Now that we could see the wall studs, we were ready to measure. Normally in newer construction, studs are spaced 16” on center. However, in our case, they varied. Some were 14, others 18, and only a few at a perfect 16. This can become complicated when you are attempting to cut, hang and drill into after you are holding a huge sheet of drywall up over the wall framing.

Measure twice, cut once! I can not stress this enough! We have variations of archways and different heights of drywall needed due to the tile walls and various niche enclosures in the bathroom. This made our drywall cutting more like a jigsaw puzzle, or as my husband would say, a game of tetras! Another important aspect is selecting screws to adhere the drywall and the actual drilling. The drywall screws should be on average 2 ¼” in length depending on the thickness of the drywall and the support system in your wall cavity. No matter what, make sure that the screws exceed a great deal of the thickness of the sheets.

When screwing in the drywall, it is important not do puncture the surface by screwing in too far. This is called a nail pop and no matter how much mud and tape you apply later, it will always be a little bit of a divot in the wall.

Next, it is time to mud using compound over the screws, which should been in a 8-10 inch sequence apart from one another in rows down the entire sheet.

After mudding comes sanding (with the finest grain you can find). Lightly go over the mudded areas 24 hours after drying. You will mud again! And maybe a third time too!

Then you need to tape on your final mudding layer while wet. Using flexible composite tape offers strong benefits as an off angle solution. Center the drywall tape over the joint and press it firmly into the compound. Because some compound will squeeze out, make sure that there is still a good bed underneath. When you get the tape embedded into the compound all along the joint, smooth it with the taping knife. The flexible composite tape offers strong benefits as an off angle solution.

Let the walls dry for up to five days, following the recommendations of the joint compound manufacturer. Give the surface of the drywall a coat of primer made for paint or wallpaper.

Installing drywall may not be the easiest home improvement project around, but it’s a lot simpler than it looks and it can be done with help from the tips that I briefly summarized in this article!

Next, the fun part PAINT! Happy drywalling!

Have a drywall horror story?  Tell us here!  And also let us know of any helpful tips you have of your own.

Adding a Splash of Generation Y Into a Baby Boomer Furniture Piece

We all have been there. As young professionals, we are clawing ourselves to the top. And being fresh in the market is never easy. Six months in you get to deal with student loans, and in the current economy you are just lucky to be employed…and if you have benefits with your first job you are even luckier!

So if you are in this situation you may be like me, living with some old hand me down furniture. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to have a piece of my history with me. I just did not expect that with my grandmother’s eyes I also got her furniture. So what to do with it? What can I do to save some cash but make it my own?

One of the first obvious answers is paint! It’s cheap, simple, a little messy but otherwise fool proof. My hand me down furniture is currently light cherry. It’s not a bad color, but it’s older furniture. The top coat is starting to look like a two week old manicure and I am still looking to give this furniture a new identity. My grandmother would be very upset but I think I am headed in the direction to paint it black.

When painting furniture, be sure to wear a mask and do a good job sanding the pieces before priming and painting. If the top coat is chipping like mine, you need to make sure the surface is even, because even though black can be slimming, in regards to furniture it will show everything! Also, beware of drip marks. Just like painting your nails, multiple thin coats is always better than one thick one.

So after I go from maple to black I will need to shop for new hardware. In reality, I should have this selected before I paint because if I need to reposition the drill holes, I will fill the previous sets and sand them before I paint. I have decided to do silver pull to match everything else I have. I really like the black and contrasting silver…

So now, even though my grandmother would argue with me, my dresser’s look much better and they look much better than what I could have afforded to buy new.

Have you ever taken a hand-me-down and made it into an awesome “new” piece?  Share your stories and photos!