{Giveaway is Closed}
The winner is #164: Lee in Ky! Congrats, Lee!
One of the last things Dad and I did before my move in date, was change out the ceiling tiles in the den. Well, most of them anyway. We still have to fix the ones where the light fixtures are attached and the ceiling vents, so there’s a little more to finish out before they are completely done. But, it’s amazing the transformation of just changing out the saggy old ceiling that was there since probably 1979, when the house was built. It was a mess up there.
Here’s the old, saggy ceiling tiles, which were very yellowed and just plain disgusting. I’m so glad I was able to change them out, they feel so fresh and clean now. Thanks to being part of Lowes Creative Bloggers team this month, we were given a giftcard to do any project we wanted to. Bingo! This was at the top of my list and I’m so grateful that I had enough to cover this. Cost for the ceiling tiles was just under $250.  I think it was worth it to change them out, makes a huge difference.
I did go in and roll white ceiling paint over all the gridlines to freshen them up too.
Then, one by one, I popped out the ceiling tiles. They were very brittle from age and lots of gunk was on top of them. I wore my safety glasses to keep stuff from flying in my eyes.
My dad is a pro at giving directions, as you can imagine.
I took them down and he toted them out of the house and stacked them up.
Me and my safety glasses.
And pretty soon we had a bare ceiling with all the duct work showing. We left up the light fixtures for now and will get those changed out soon. If the ceiling just had open wood up there, I would have considered painting it, but all the duct work is up there too, so I’d rather keep the drop ceiling for now.
There was so much debris up there that fell out every time I pulled out another one. Lots of vacuuming going on afterward.
And one by one, those ceiling tiles went back up. It’s a matter of just inserting them back into the empty space and letting them settle into place. Not hard, but takes some patience to get them all in place, since there are wires on many of the ends of the grids that you have to work around. And the ceiling tiles are a little bit fragile, so you have to take care of the edges of them.
We went back after all the big tiles went in and cut these smaller pieces. I took out the old ones and drew a template for the new ones from those. We ended up getting out the table saw and it worked well for cutting these partial tiles nice and straight. I popped them all back in one at a time.
And now I have a fresh new ceiling that looks tons better than the old. No more sagging and yellow color.
We will fill in those holes very soon and it will all be finished with clean new tiles. So glad I decided to tackle this one now instead of later. It will feel so much better. You can see the difference in color on that one to the left of the vent where the light fixture is now. Much more drab and dirty.
I love the new clean ceiling that I got with these Armstrong commercial ceiling tiles. These are just regular commercial grade 2×4’ ceiling tiles, #933 if you’re looking at the store. They were $37.00 for 5 boxes or more (contractor pricing). We used 6 boxes to complete this project.
Thanks to Lowes for supplying the giftcard for October for this updating project. It was the perfect finishing touch for my new den furniture. It will feel so much better in there now. I love being a part of Lowe’s Creative Ideas blogger team.
Here’s some great news too! Lowe’s is giving away to ONE of my readers a $100 giftcard, so you can get busy on a project of your own. Just leave a comment telling me what needs doing at your house. I’ll choose one winner at random in a few days.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Giveaway is sponsored by Lowe’s. U.S. resident addresses only, please.  I received a giftcard for my project, but was not compensated for this post and all ideas and opinions are my own.Â
Rhonda says
I replaced old kitchen countertops with black granite last year. Now I would love to refinish my kitchen cabinets to give them new life. The cabinets date back to the early 80’s – I have been looking at the Rustoleum products but afraid to take the plunge – a gift card would get me motivated!
Susan says
I think I would put the gift card towards a new stove, something we desperately need! Here’s hoping we win!
Jann Newton says
New bathroom faucets is what I would purchase from Lowes.
Cyndia Montgomery says
There are so many projects around here that need doing, but my current goal is to finish my basement. I have the flooring, but will need drywall and ceiling tiles. Any amount on a gift card would help immensely!
Marianne G. says
We need a new porch light desparately!
Kara says
I’d put the card towards a new powder room toilet! Never knew toilets needed replacing until a plumber told me mine was outdated and that’s why it doesn’t flush properly, argh!!!! I’d also love to update all of my interior doorknobs! Wow, I could use that gift card up in no time!!! Love all of your home renovation updates! I wish I had a handy man like your father!!!
deb mattin says
I just talked with my husband about changing out the ceiling tiles in our family room . After doing some redecorating, the tiles look shabbier than ever! Your tile switch-out is inspiring and exactly what I would use with a Lowe’s gift card.
Monica Converse says
Updating, updating, updating! Hardware, light fixtures, paint trim!
Leslie Stewart says
Way to go! Great improvement! Don’t work too hard…but I know you are so excited!
Leslie
Staci S says
Amazing work on your house! It is really turning out well and I love your kitchen. My screen door is broken and I want to replace it with a storm door.
Connie McCallum says
The ceiling tiles looks so fresh! I can’t believe how bright that room looks now with the painted paneling and new ceiling tiles.
Elaine in Laguna says
Gosh that ceiling looks so much better and fresher! Another job well done! I’d use the gift card to paint my daughter’s bedroom. It’s so faded and needs paint so badly. Thank you, and have a great day!
Stephanie says
I want to paint my kitchen cabinets. A kind of smokey blue on the bottom and cream on the top. It’s a big project, but I’m going to do it one section at a time. I would use the gift card for paint and door knobs.
Carol Trauthwein says
Need to repair leaking shower in my master bath to prepare for moving in my mother-in-law so I can look after her 24/7 after she recently suffered a stroke! Would really help offset some of the supplies!
PattyP says
After seeing your beautiful plaid paint job, that will be my next project.
I am updating my home office and using a lot of your great ideas!
Martha says
Our bathroom needs remodeled desperately. That is my next project. Thanks for the give a way.
Kate says
We really need outdoor lights, as well as a bathtub drain! My showers end up being foot baths!! Thanks!
Dawn Beaver says
Let’s see…I need to paint my office and update the kids old toy room with paint amd new curtains. I could spend hours looking around Lowes for all kinds of good stuff 🙂
Kim says
My house needs over haul in all rooms. 100.00 would be great to start with. Thanks for the giveaway.
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says
Rhoda, those new tiles make such a big difference- and just knowing everything is nice & clean sure helps, doesn’t it?! 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity to snag a Lowe’s gift card- I’d probably use it to buy drop cloths for some sewing projects.