{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
I need a new faucet for the kitchen sink. I’m sure I could find the perfect one at Lowe’s.
Congratulations on moving in! I have some plaster work to repair, painting and light fixtures to replace. After looking at how lovely the board and batten looks in your dining room, you may have inspired me to try that in my own…..Best wishes in your new home!
That was a great use for your gift card! It is going to feel so much cleaner knowing those old dusty tiles are gone!
If I won, I would use the card to buy the supplies needed to sand and stain my deck before winter.
Such a huge difference!
I need to paint, paint, paint around my place.
I too need to paint. The outside of my house will be the first to be painted. I’ve looked at paint at Lowes and they have the exterior paint colors I’ll need. This gift card would certainly help with that! Thanks Rhoda for your great giveaways and a chance to win! Love ‘ya!
Lookin’ good! If I won the $100 gift card, I wold paint my dining room and kitchen and buy and install the new baseboards I have been wanting to put in there as well!
I’m getting ready to replace light fixtures & paint all the cabinets in my house so this would be used up!
I need some new light fixtures!
Hi Rhoda,
I am so happy for you, you’ve really come a long way baby. Your house looks fabulous! If I won the card, I would seriously invest in organizing tools for my garage… So please send that card my way.
You should be so proud of yourself and your parents are so wonderful. They deserve the world, don”t they?
Thank you,
Mirna
This post had me grinning, I remember spending two days or more replacing those tiles. Good old college summer jobs.
As for the gift card….. there are endless ways to spend that! Currenly we are a couple days from closing on a new home. The bedrooms in that place desperately need a redo. Paint and wall treatments definately, and I dream of new flooring – the current carpet is nasty.
what a job that was…and how much fun it must be making your home a home!!! I do envy that. I mentioned you today on my blog: http://cre8tivecompass.com/mag/?p=13252 Come see what I said!!! XOXOX
I’ve enjoyed seeing the progress you and your parents have made on a great home for you. So neat that they were able to help.
I could use a new closet door…..I have bi-folds and would love to have one that opens out to better get into the closet! Thanks for the give away.
Paint! I too am redoing my house and still need to paint almost everything
Please enter me in the drawing for the Lowe’s giftcard.
I have learned from you Rhoda, just how much paint can
change and upgrade a project. Loved your gingham treatment
in your Master Bedroom. So I need paint to start my bathroom
makeover…then rugs, shower curtains, etc……
Can’t wait to see more of your lovely home…sooo happy for you!!!
Thanks,
Nancy A.
What doesn’t need doing? I recently bought a house built in 1949, and the previous owners did some poor DIY painting, and there is zero landscaping. So I’m painting my way through the house, and as soon as the heat breaks, I’ll start creating some planting beds around my foundation. In the spring I’ll be able to plant!
Finish redecorating the living room! We will be finishing the painting this weekend. Thanks for the giveaway!
Oh.My.Goodness! I could sure use that $100. toward a new stove! Thanks!
I need a new bathroom floor
thanks
I am downsizing to a 800 sq ft apartment that needs new lighting fixtures! Lowe’s has the best selection and exactly what I want.
Since we have been in our house for 25 years, my list of needed updates is too long to list! I have several rooms that need cosmetic updates!