8,571. That’s how many blankets we have. Approximately. Maybe not quite, but it feels like it.
Our first house was half the size but had twice as much storage as our current home, and that has presented some storage challenges. As far as linen closets go, we have ONE little closet in our upstairs hall. Our laundry room on the main floor is a disaster to discuss on another day, but it’s where we store most of our cleaning supplies. I wouldn’t say I’m lazy, but I don’t exactly want to walk up and down our stairs every time I need to clean our upstairs bathrooms (or other messes – thank you, cat), so I also need to store some cleaning supplies in that linen closet. Why don’t I just store them in the bathrooms, you ask? Because I need any storage space in the bathrooms for towels, toiletries, etc. This linen closet really is the best option…
BEFORE: Messy cleaning supplies storage.
But it was a crammed mess and not exactly organized. Plus, those wire shelving units leave bottles wobbling and tipping all over each other. Every time I had to grab cleaning supplies, my brain would do a little “Uuuuugh!” and I’d quickly shut the door in hopes of forgetting about it. And one time, a bottle cracked and leaked fluids all over the toilet paper stored below. 😬 Basically, the storage “system” in our linen closet was not working.
Until today, when I snapped and decided I was going to fix this situation. I’ve seen many blogs where people cut wood to fit right over the metal shelves, and I do like the look of them. However, I decided to take that idea a step further and customize organizers right into the shelf I needed for cleaning supplies.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Step 1: Measure and cut wood pieces. The existing metal shelves of my linen closet are 29.5 inches long and about 12 inches deep. I decided to add a little extra depth so I could be sure a front piece would fit over the front of the metal shelf, and so I planned for 12.5 inches to be safe.
Shelf empty for measuring.
Using scrap wood in my garage, I used a T-square to mark a rectangle for my 29.5 x 12.5 inch base. This I cut with my table saw. That was it for the base.
Then I used that same wood (you could use other wood) and cut a back piece and front piece at the same length of 29.5 inches. The front piece I made 2.5 inches, since it’s just for show and only needs to be tall enough to cover the metal shelf’s front. The back piece I made a bit taller at 3.5 inches, just for the sake of catching stuff from hitting the back wall.
Setting that back piece on top of the base, I measured and found I had 12 inches to the front edge now. So, all my dividers needed to be 12 inches if running from back to front. I cut a section of the rest of my wood at 12 inches, and then I decided how to split that up.
First I tackled my side pieces. I decided to make one side the same height as my back piece, or 3.5 inches. Taking that 12-inch long board, I cut off a 3.5 inch piece. For the other side, I wanted a taller end so that tippy bottles and containers would have something to rest on and not fall over. I ended up cutting a piece at 9 inches for that side.
Next, for my interior dividers, I cut another piece at 9 inches to go by my tall end and pin in those tippy containers. Then I cut 3 more pieces at 3.5 inches to act as dividers that would be even with my back and other side. (I changed my plan later to make 1 piece run length-wide just to give me a different space for storing short things like sponges right up front.)
Cutting and planning divider pieces.
Step 2: Sand and paint. With all my pieces cut, I took some sandpaper and rubbed down all the edges to get smoother corners. I also really sanded down the front top corners of my divider pieces so they would be gentler on reaching hands.
Once the corners were smooth, I took all the boards down to my workshop and rolled on some leftover white paint. My wood was already primed, so I only needed one coat. How well you paint these pieces depends on your wood, but I was happy enough with the results after one coat.
Sanded corners and painted.
Side note: I didn’t bother to paint the underside of my base since it would sit on a low shelf. If you’re putting yours higher, it might look nicer to paint the underside too.
I gave everything a few hours to dry.
Step 3: Test fit and assemble. Knowing my luck, I took all my pieces up to my linen closet and tested to be sure it would fit. Since I could lift up the metal shelf over the shelf in question, that really helped with wiggle room. I found that my base board fit perfectly, and so did my end pieces.
Taking it all out again, I set my pieces on the floor and carefully nailed them on one-by-one. Using brad (my trusty nail gun), I nailed on the back piece first.
Nailed on back piece.
Then I did my tall side, making sure it stayed square. Next I did the other tall divider piece, again keeping it square while nailing it into the back piece and the base.
Tall sections on.
For the exact spacing of my other dividers, I grabbed a few containers and my widest spray bottle to make sure these dividers would be spaced just right.
Planning spacing.
Once I was happy with the spacing, I took the divider piece that would go lengthwise and nailed that into the divider it would intersect with like a “T”. If I’d waited to do that last, once my other dividers were in, I wouldn’t have been able to get the nail gun in there. So, keep in mind that the order of attaching your dividers might be important! Lastly, I nailed on that connecting divider and the last divider according to my predetermined spacing.
Step 4: Placethe organizer and attach the front piece. I wasn’t sure if the front piece would become an obstacle when placing this whole thing into the closet, so I waited to put that on until the organizer was in place on the shelf. I positioned this front piece so that it stuck up slightly above the base board like a little ledge. Mostly eyeballing it but also checking with a level, I held it in position and nailed it into the base, using only a few nails at each end and in the middle.
In place and assembled!
Step 5:Finishing touches! I needed to touch up my paint in a few places (I’d stuck on the back board backwards 🤦♀️), plus I wanted to fill my nail holes along the front.
I also added a little hook on the front piece so I could hang my duster out of the way. And, on the wire shelf’s front under the wood organizer, I stuck on a paper towel holder. This was one designed for a pegboard, but the spacing was perfect to fit tight between the metal spindles. If you wanted to use a different kind of paper towel holder, you could stick that right on the wooden front too.
AFTER: Organized cleaning supplies!
That was it! It looks so much better and is easier to keep our cleaning supplies organized. Simply folding the blankets looks 10x better too, of course, 😜 but the organizer really saves the day!
So much better!
I also may have given myself ideas to replace the bifold door… Stay tuned. 😜
To say our girls love art is a huge understatement. To say they make a mess is an even bigger understatement. I’d initially planned to make their art space in our basement, but I don’t want to kick them out of our kitchen/living room (where all the action is). It’s their house too, after all.
Despite many promises to pick up their scrap paper and put caps on their markers, our kitchen island daily looked like the picture below. It was both a constant mess AND the girls couldn’t find anything. So how was I to fix this?? (And to be honest, I took this picture on a good day. 😆)
BEFORE: Craft supplies everywhere.
My mom actually came up with the idea to make a turntable with cups to hold their supplies. I’ll give her the credit for this one since, despite my expectations that it would make no difference, the girls really seem to be doing better with this system! 🤞🤞 At the very least, it’s easier for me to clean up their stuff.
You could make these with different containers – plastic cups, plastic baskets, tin cans, whatever. I used mason jars because they’re clear and so let the girls see what’s in them, plus they’re strong. I used old berry baskets because I’ve had them lying around forever. Basically, I used what I had and this project cost me $0. If you had to buy every single thing, I think you could still do it for under $50.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Step 1: Paint/seal the base. Since I had 18-inch MDF rounds left over from when I’d bought a bunch on Etsy, that’s what I used for my lazy Susan’s base. But a wood round as a base would be pretty too. You could buy one at pretty much any store like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, or you could even buy a preassembled turntable at Target, etc. If you don’t want to paint the wood, I’d suggest at least sealing it with polyurethane to help keep them stain-free and easier to clean up.
Since my round base was MDF, I had to paint and seal it. I went with a nice white paint that I applied with a roller in 2 coats. I didn’t bother with the underside, just the top and all around the sides.
White base painted.
Easy. I did consider getting creative and making a line down the middle of the circle, painting one half one color and one half another color. This would make it very clear which girl had which side. However, I knew there’d be a few things they’d have to share – tape, big glue bottles, etc. – so I decided to leave the base white so there’d be less arguing about where these things ended up. 🤷♀️ But “color coding” sections of the base would be a cute way to go too!
Once the white paint was dry, I took my base outside and sprayed on a clear gloss to seal and protect it.
Step 2: Color code the containers. I wanted each girl to have 3 mason jars and one basket. All of one girl’s containers would be pink; the other’s would be green. I knew I could easily paint the baskets, but I debated for a while how to distinguish which jars belonged to which girl. Tie on ribbons? Paint the jars but lose some of the transparency? I probably could have done a number of things, but the obvious answer hit me eventually – painting the jar rings and twisting them back on the appropriate jars.
Side note: Test to make sure your supplies fit in your containers! After testing with the girls’ new markers, I knew one of the mason jars for each girl would have to be ring-less so that the markers would fit better. Not a huge deal, but I’m glad I checked.
I used pink spray paint but had to paint the green containers by hand because that was the paint I had to work with. Spray painting the pink rings and basket was definitely easier, but still this whole painting step only took me about 20 minutes.
Once the paint was dry, I sprayed everything with the same clear gloss as the base.
Spray painting containers.
Step 3: Attach the turntable hardware. (If you bought a preassembled turntable to begin with, this whole step is done for you.) I already had a cheap little plastic turntable that’s worked great as a helper when doing other projects. Since I got a bigger one for myself, I had my little one to use for this project.
Since the base needed to sit level on the turntable hardware, I flipped over the base and did quick measurements to find the center of the base’s underside. This center I marked with a pencil. Then I simply used some hot glue, drizzled it all over the turntable hardware, and stuck it over that center mark on the base.
Finding center for the turntable.
Once the turntable was attached, I also stuck on some little bumpers to help the turntable not slip around or scratch my counters. If you use metal hardware, this would be extra important.
Attached hardware with bumpers.
Step 4: Attach the containers to the base. Next, I flipped the base back over. I used the same hot glue and spread it around the undersides of the baskets, then firmly pressed them in place – one on each side of the circle.
Attached baskets.
That done, it was time to arrange and place the jars. Because hot glue doesn’t work on glass that great (I needed a really tight hold), I used some construction adhesive and squeezed it from a caulk gun around the undersides of the mason jars. Carefully positioning them in place, I pushed them down like I had with the baskets.
Adding jars.
With all that on, I still had room between the baskets, so I decided to hot glue a crayon box facing each girl’s basket. This works really well so they don’t drop and spill the whole box, and they can see all their crayons right there facing them.
Step 5: Add the craft supplies! I’d made a run to Target for all new markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, etc. I’d also gotten a pink pair of scissors and a green pair of scissors, keeping with my color-coding plan. All these supplies I divided up equally and stuck in the containers, or else between the containers. Some things, like glue bottles and stencils, I sat on the base’s sides or right in the middle, hoping these “no man’s land” supplies would be shared amicably. For the markers that fit better in the jars without rings, it was still pretty clear whose was whose because those jars were right by the pink or green jars with other markers.
AFTER: Organized craft supplies!
All done, I gave the turntable a test whirl and was glad to see everything stayed put! (I also tested at max velocity and still was safe! 😜)
A week later, I’m happy to report this all has stayed intact despite aggressive craft processes. It’s easy for the girls to see what they have to work with. They’ve so far beenMUCH better about putting their things away because they like having their own sides and not having to share.
All in all, my mom might know what she’s talking about. My kitchen island and I are thankful.
Confession: I still had my Spring decorations up until about an hour ago. 😆 But now that summer is cooling and there’s pumpkin spice in the air, I decided it was time to move away from bright flowers and put up some seasonally appropriate décor. Our front door in particular has been naked and in need of some color, so I pulled together a few craft supplies and got to work.
BEFORE: Bare door in need of decorating.
Inspired by a frame idea I’d seen on Pinterest forever ago, I took a canvas I didn’t like much, some joint compound, acrylic paints, scrap wood, and less-than-pretty plastic flowers to create some unique fall décor. All of this was stuff I had lying around, so it cost me $0.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Step 1: Add texture with joint compound. I’d never tried this before for the base of a paint pour, so I’m glad it worked! I placed my canvas on a turntable and plopped on a large glob of the joint compound. Then I used my gloved hands to spread it all over the canvas. First I spread it just to cover, and then I went over it all to create the texture.
Spreading joint compound.
You could draw shapes with your fingers or swirls or whatever, but I patted all over to create little ripples. It ended up almost looking like an alligator skin pattern.
Patted-on texture.
I did not use quick-drying joint compound, so mine took about a day to dry.
Step 2: Paint! You could paint however you want with whatever colors you want. I wanted to play a bit and so did an acrylic paint pour with a mix of fall colors – dark green, light green, pastel green, bright orange, dark orange, and gold. I also squirted some silicone pouring oil over the colors to add a cool effect.
Colors I used.
First, I poured on a generous amount of Floetrol to help the paint move over my bumpy canvas. I spread that around with my glove, making sure to get the sides of the canvas too.
Next, I made a few trails and drip spots with my paint colors. This is also when I added a little of the oil in drops. These color trails I then surrounded with extra Floetrol.
Adding colors!
Quickly after that, I took my blow dryer with a diffuser and blew the extra Floetrol over the colors, kind of like burying the paint. Then I blew along my trails so that the color blew back over the surface of the canvas. I moved the blow drying in a few different directions to move the paint where I wanted.
Blowing the paint.
It’s important not to over-blow the paint, or it will mix too much and muddy the colors. If this does happen, don’t panic! You can add more Floetrol and paint over the ugly parts and do it over. I had 2 spots I didn’t like after the first pass, and my redo looked much better.
Fixing a spot.
Once I made myself stop, I saw how the texture was already adding a cool rippling effect to the painting.
Close up of drying paint!
It took about a day to dry. It was humid and HOT, so eventually I aimed a fan right at the painting, and that helped it to dry much better.
Step 3: Make the frame. While my paint was drying, I took some quick measurements. You could measure before you start, but the joint compound’s texture/lumps can add a little bit to the size, so I wanted it all painted before deciding how wide to make the frame. I needed my frame to be at least 16 and 1/2 inches wide, and I decided on 18 and 1/2 inches to replicate the “floating” look of my Pinterest inspiration frame. I also needed the frame to be at least 2 inches wide to fit around the canvas, and I decided on 3 and 1/2 inches to again get the detached/floating look I wanted.
So, I cut some 1x4s into the pieces I needed. I cut 2 at 17 inches long for the front and back. For the sides, I cut 2 little pieces at 3 and 1/2 inches long. Once my pieces were cut, I quickly sanded the edges.
Using Brad (my nail gun), I held an end in place against the sides and nailed it on, making sure the pieces were lined up square. I started at one end, then did the other. Pretty quick and easy. 👍
Nailing together the frame.
Step 4: Stain the wood. I used leftover stain from when I’d made my faux beams. After quickly filling my nail holes with a little wood putty, I took a rag and wiped stain all over the frame – sides, ends, edges, insides, and outsides.
I left this to dry in front of the fan beside my drying painting.
Stain drying.
Step 5: Prep plastic flowers. If you have nice flowers or greenery that doesn’t require beautification, all the better. But my particular flowers were not evenly colored and looked pretty cheap, so I decided to spray paint them a coppery/rose gold color. I wanted a little green at the bases, so I wrapped them in blue painters tape to cover the bottoms. Then I stuck the flowers in styrofoam so they stood up while I spray painted them all around from every angle. These dried in a few hours.
Step 6: Assemble! Once everything was finally dry, I flipped the canvas over and slipped on the frame so that the backside of the frame was also facing up. You can position the frame as far up or down as you want, but make sure it’s going to be level across the canvas. I measured 3 inches up from the bottom and held the canvas up against the frame tight, making sure it stayed at 3 inches. Again using my nail gun, I secured the back of the frame to the wooden backsides of the canvas.
Nailing frame to canvas.
With the frame now on, I played around with the position of the plastic flowers. Once I decided on placement, I took some duct tape and carefully taped the flower stems to the inside of the front frame piece. (I’m sure you could secure the flowers any number of ways, but the duct tape works just fine. 🤷♀️)
Painted plastic flowers ready.
Step 7: Hang. This part is a little abnormal compared to how you’d normally hang wall art, so it’s worth mentioning. To make the whole piece hang right, you hang it by the frame, not the canvas. The frame sticks out farther, so that’s where you need to secure it in order for the whole thing to be straight and not tilt against the wall (or in my case, door). It actually looks really cool sticking out from the wall, like a 3D effect – hence “floating.”
Frame attached to door.
I used Command Strips placed evenly across the door where I wanted the frame to hang. The whole thing is a bit heavy, but the strips held fine! So, if you don’t want to figure out hooks/nails/screws to hang this, Command Strips are a fine way to do it. Plus, obviously I didn’t want a hole in the door. lol
AFTER: New fall décor!
That’s it! I’m happy with how all these scraps worked to make new fall décor for my bare door. I can even change out the flowers or add more if the mood strikes. I’m really glad I was able to recreate something that inspired me and has been in the back of my mind for ages, and I’m already getting ideas for how to create different art in more floating frames. Christmas décor, perhaps?
Yes, that double “faux” is on purpose! Everyone seems to love wooden ceiling beams, and I’ve seen several DIY ways to add your own if you don’t have real ones. Most methods involve buying wood and building 3-sided “beams” before nailing them onto a 4th top side attached to the ceiling. They look very nice. However, they are still heavy enough to make me worried about how well they’d be attached overhead. Installation certainly seems like a multi-person job, too. And, wood ain’t cheap. I’ve also seen faux beams made out of prefabricated foam that is super-light and looks like real wood. Nice alternative, but still very pricey – 8 ft can be around $120.
So, when considering adding faux beams to our guest room’s weird ceiling, I tried to think of another way to make my own. What I came up with ended up costing only $70 for FOUR beams that were a little over 8 ft – and I had most of the materials, so I only really spent $30!
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Step 1: Measure and cut foam strips. I measured out my leftover 4×8 foam sheet piece and did some math to decide what size to make my 4 beams. (I’d already decided on making 4 simply because I wanted 2 on either side of the ceiling light.) I ended up measuring and marking every 3 inches. This would make my beams 3 inches tall (on the sides) and 5 inches wide (across the bottom) once the 1-inch-wide sides were attached to the 3-inch bottom piece.
BEFORE: Leftover foam board.
Unlike the one video I found where someone made foam beams like this, I didn’t plan on a top piece at all. That person still used the method of running a board along the ceiling and then attaching the foam to that to hold it on the ceiling. But…this is foam, and even at 8ft+ these beams are incredibly light. There’s really no reason to do the work of attaching a heavier and more expensive piece of wood to the ceiling this way for foam. (Or at least, if there is a reason, I can’t think of it 🤷♀️). Simply by using the right adhesive on the top sides of my side pieces, I’d be able attach the foam beams directly to the ceiling.
Anyway, since I was only planning on 3 sides to make my beams, I needed 12 strips of foam to make 4 beams.
I ended up using my table saw, but you could use a circular saw or jigsaw or even a hacksaw if you mark straight lines to follow. With my table saw, I cut 12 strips that were 3 inches wide, plus I did a few more 3-inch strips because I needed to add more length. My ceiling spans 101 inches across, so I needed to cut these extra strips to 5 inches long. I needed, again, 3 sides for each beam, so I needed 12 of these 5-inch strips.
Side note: You could make your beams whatever size you want. I considered 6-inch-wide sides, but it’s a small and short room, so I didn’t want the beams to intrude that much. If you’ve got nice high ceilings, bigger beams would look great! And I imagine you could make them as long as you’re able to manage too.
Step 2: Assemble the pieces. With this foam all cut in my garage, I moved inside and spread an old sheet to cover my guest room floor.
Beam pieces all cut.
Because my table saw made such straight cuts, I was able to lay one strip down and then move another into position so that the edges met at a nice 90-degree angle. I made sure both side pieces would line up like this, and then I took my caulk gun with the adhesive and ran a line along one side of what I’d determined to be my bottom piece. Then I simply positioned one side piece again and pressed it down into the adhesive. It held almost instantly – this Loctite adhesive is great! (If you use another adhesive, be sure it works on foam board because not all adhesives will be as strong.)
Once I was sure that first side piece was stuck on, I flipped the beam over carefully and did the same to the other side.
Adding adhesive for second side.
With those 3 pieces now making my first beam, I grabbed my little 5-inch long extensions and assembled 3 together like a mini beam. That done, I spread adhesive on the end of my long beam and then lined up my mini beam before pressing the two together. I made sure the edges were as tight and straight as possible, and it again stuck solid pretty quickly.
Adding extension piece.
One beam assembled!
I carefully moved this beam aside and assembled the pieces for the remaining 3 beams, using the exact same method. There were a few little gaps where the pieces met, so I filled them with some adhesive to really help everything hold. I knew I could paint the Loctite too, so it helped to disguise the seams where my extenders connected.
4 beams assembled!
Optional step: Texture the foam. I didn’t do anything to my beams’ texture because I liked how the ends were rough like wood anyway, and the few dents and scrapes already on the sides looked rustic but not overly rough. You could, however, add wood grain-like texture if you want. The one video I’d found earlier showed how they used a steel brush to lightly wipe long grain patterns over the foam. You could cut out chunks to really roughen up the “wood.” You can cut, dent, put in nails, or whatever you want – foam is pretty easy to manipulate!
Step 3: Paint. Again, I didn’t bother texturing, partly for the reasons above and partly because of what I’d planned to do with paint. During previous experiments, I’d found it was pretty easy to layer paint and stain to make a faux wood effect.
First, I needed to get a base coat of light brown paint on the foam beams. I used leftover paint – the same leftovers that I’d used to paint the lower section of our guest room walls. It only took one coat, and really I didn’t need it to be perfect since I was staining over it anyway.
Painting less than perfectly.
Once my little helper and I had all the beams painted, I let them dry for a few hours. Already, I liked how the dents and cuts looked like rough wood with only the paint on. Since a lot of people paint beams, this could be the final look if you wanted to add a perfect coat.
Painted beam.
Step 4: Stain. The only real tricks here are to use something that won’t spread the stain on too well and to use a stain that’s darker than the paint. I used a silicone basting brush (which is great for use on dozens of projects). I dipped the brush in the stain, let a little run off, and then brushed it back and forth over the painted beam. Yes, this goes on a little bit at a time and takes a while. But it worked great to achieve the look I wanted – aged wood with rough grain lines. In some places I made it darker; in some places I really spread the stain so it was lighter. But everywhere, the basting brush allowed little streaks of dark stain to look like wood grain over the lighter brown undertones of the paint.
Brushing on stain.
It’s worth noting that this can be a bit messy and splatter as you’re wiping – hence laying out a sheet on the floor. I also thought I was being smart (for once) and wore gloves. However…I was also wearing shorts. 🤦♀️
Anyway, this takes a while. But once I was done with all 4 beams, I was quite pleased with the results. I let this dry overnight. (Mine were still a little tacky the next morning, so I impatiently wiped off the wettest parts and waited a few more hours until all was good and dry.)
Drying stain.
Step 5: Attach beams to the ceiling. Once dry, all that was left to do was figure out my beams’ placement and attach them to the ceiling. You can space these however you want. I opted to come in from the wall 6 inches on either side of the room, so I made pencil marks on the walls at either end where the beams would start and end. I wanted these 2 beams in place before committing to where the innermost 2 beams would go around my light fixture (which of course was not centered in the room 🙄), so I didn’t mark anything for those inner beams just yet.
Pulling aside my first beam, I carefully flipped it over so that the tops of the sides were facing up. With my caulk gun, I spread adhesive all along those 2 top sides. I also added a little to the ends where they’d meet the walls, just for added security.
Adhesive on for ceiling.
Because these beams are so light, I was able to lift this prepped beam easily overhead. I positioned the ends so they met the pencil marks I’d made – this was how I was sure my beam was on straight across the ceiling. Then I very lightly touched the beam to the ceiling and wall to let the adhesive hold the beam in this position. Now that the beam was lined up correctly, I moved to the middle of the beam and pressed up so that the adhesive really stuck onto the ceiling. I carefully moved all along the beam and pressed up. The adhesive held immediately, and there was no need to brace the beam because it stayed in place without any support.
First beam on!
I repeated this with the beam that went on the other side of the room.
Next, I measured the remaining space between my installed beams and then did the math to figure out where to mark for the remaining 2 beams. I ended up spacing them 33 inches apart… Not that that measurement means anything for your project, but basically I eyeballed it and decided where the beams would look best around my light fixture. 😜
So, I repeated the process for installing these last 2 beams, and that was it.
Attaching a middle beam.
I did go along where the beams met the ceiling and wipe away any excess adhesive that squeezed out. There wasn’t much ooze, but that is something to look for. Other than that, my beams were done!
AFTER: Foam beams installed!
I cannot believe how well these turned out. I had my hopes, but wow. It was easy and cheap and makes a big impact in our guest room. Do they feel like wood? Of course not. But who touches the ceiling? They certainly look like the real thing…or at least like the fake version of real thing. 😂
Now, who thinks I should change that light fixture? lol
Life (and UPS) handed me lemons, but here’s how I lemonaded a broken mirror into wall art.
The original mirror I’d ordered for my guest bathroom showed up broken, so after letting Amazon know and getting a refund, I had this broken mirror lying around. I liked the frame and so kept it in the back of my mind until some way to use it came together. I saw a couple of cool ideas on Pinterest of art I wanted to mimic, and once I finally had the time (bathroom finished!) I got to work with what I had.
BEFORE: Broken mirror frame.
Now, if you’re going to do this, obviously don’t go smashing a mirror solely for the purpose of doing this just like me. You could use any frame, really! And have you held onto poster frames for years like I have? Then you’ve already got the basics!
BEFORE: Old poster frame.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Large frame
Poster frame (with cardboard back and acrylic front)
Step 1: Cut the poster frame’s cardboard backing. I did absolutely no measuring for this project and instead just traced around my frame onto the cardboard. Since the cardboard backing already had a hook for hanging, I was able to position my frame around that so I could use the hook again!
Positioning the cardboard.
I gave myself a little bit of extra space as I used a utility knife to cut along my line. From there, I lay the cardboard on top of the back of the frame, lightly taped the bottom to hold it in place, and then shaved it down with my utility knife to the exact size. This way, I could be sure I had the right sizing without the cardboard sliding on me as I cut.
Trimming cardboard.
Side note: This “exact size” depends on your specific frame. My frame had a 1/4 inch lip that ran around the front to cover and hold in the original mirror. That gave me a little wiggle room in my cuts because the edge didn’t have to be perfect. But basically, you want the cardboard piece to sit inside the frame without being too loose (falling out) or too tight (bending the cardboard to fit).
With the cardboard cut, I carefully did a test run to make sure it fit when pushed into the frame’s sides. It worked!
Cardboard backing ready.
Step 2: Cut the poster frame’s acrylic sheet. Knowing this acrylic was far more temperamental than the cardboard, I followed the same basic plan but much, much more carefully. Setting the acrylic down first, I traced the frame. Then I used my utility knife and slowly cut the bottom line at exactly the right size – I didn’t want to touch up too much for fear I’d rough up the edges.
With that bottom line cut, I lay the acrylic over the back of the frame and taped the bottom edge like I’d done with the cardboard. Then I very carefully went around the frame with my utility knife to cut the acrylic.
Cutting the acrylic.
Once I’d cut all the way around and removed the scrap acrylic, I removed the cardboard again and set it safely aside for later. Then I carefully tested to see if the acrylic fit…and one little corner broke as I squeezed it into the frame. 🤦♀️ But it wasn’t too bad, and I knew I’d be able to cover it with a later step. Again, you really want to be sure you’ve cut everything to the right size.
Step 3: Make art with joint compound on the cardboard. Setting the acrylic and the frame aside, I lay my cardboard out, backside down. Using some leftover joint compound, I spread it all over the front side of the cardboard and used my fingers to make swirls and circles. The idea is to make the grooves deep enough that they add a 3D look to the piece.
Side note: One thing I’d do differently would be to use some of the fast-drying joint compound (NOT the kind pictured below). First, because it obviously dries faster. But also, the stuff I used was quite wet and warped the cardboard a bit. This I fixed later by setting heavy things on the cardboard to flatten it back out, so if you have this warping problem, that is a way to fix it!
Joint compound ready.
Once the joint compound was dry and flat, I used a little white paint to cover the edges of the cardboard just in case they’d be visible. You could paint the whole piece too, in any color, if you wanted! I just liked the natural, slightly off-white color anyway.
Touching up edges with paint.
Step 4: Use paint pens to make art on the acrylic. You want to draw on what is going to be the front side of the acrylic. If it’s on the backside, it might touch the rough grooves of the joint compound and scratch off. Plus, the paint will catch the light and be really pretty if it’s on the face of the piece.
My first inspiration for this artwork that I saw on Pinterest had fish, but I decided to do birds instead. You could do anything! I found a few pictures of herons for inspiration, and then I drew them onto the acrylic. The gold paint pens I used left a cool metallic shine, and I made sure my strokes were smooth to make the feathers.
Step 5: Insert and secure the acrylic. After the paint dried, I lay the frame face-down and then replaced the acrylic into the frame, making sure the painted side was down. To make sure the acrylic stayed in place at the front of the frame (which was down on my table), I took some clear caulk and squeezed it out all around the edge of the acrylic where it met the inside of the frame. I didn’t bother smoothing the caulk line too much because I didn’t want it smearing across the acrylic, plus it won’t be visible inside the sides of the frame anyway.
Acrylic in place.
Step 6: Insert and secure (if necessary) the cardboard. Now it was the cardboard’s turn! I carefully placed it, backside up, on top of the back of the frame. Pushing the edges gently into the frame, I was relieved that it fit without any damage, and it fit so nicely that I didn’t have to caulk or tape or anything! (So, again, it’s important to get the right size from the start.)
Cardboard in place.
OptionalStep 7: Decorate the frame. I could have stopped there, but my frame was wide and I didn’t like seeing the gap between the acrylic and the cardboard deeper in. I also had that cracked corner to cover, so this is a great step if your cuts weren’t quite perfect. (I was lemonading this project a lot! LOL)
Taking a bunch of wooden beads I had leftover from other projects, I fired up my hot glue gun and glued them all around the inside edge of the frame where it met the acrylic. This was time-consuming but unique and exactly what I was hoping for. You could also do feathers around the edges, or jewels, or stones, or rope – anything, really.
Glueing on beads.
With the beads on, I again could have stopped there. But, I decided I wanted them to blend into the frame a bit more to let the golden herons be the focal point. So, I painted the beads black. This again was time-consuming, but I really like the end result.
Beads painted.
Once that was dry, I realized it needed one more bird for balance… and then it was time to hang the artwork in place! 😜
AFTER: Layered wall art.
I really like how this turned out. It’s cool how the light reflects off the golden birds, and the gap between the acrylic and cardboard layers means the birds have slight shadows. The grooves of the joint compound add a 3D effect, and the beads around the outside add depth too.
Our guest bedroom isn’t nearly the disaster that our guest bathroom was, but it’s still quirky. When I repainted the room and added decorative details to the walls, I was in and out of the room enough to confirm that the door into the room was an annoying problem. It had to open into the room and swing away from the corner because of where the light switch was on the wall. And because the room is pretty small, when the door was open, it awkwardly took up a lot of room.
BEFORE: Single door too big for space.
So, changing to narrower double doors was a pretty obvious option. They wouldn’t be as intrusive or take up as much room, plus a narrower door wouldn’t cover the light switch on the wall.
Problem: I did not want to pay for double doors.
But…I already had the original door to work with, so couldn’t I make my own?
For once, Pinterest was not a whole lot of help. I couldn’t find many examples at all for how to do this, so I figured it out as I went along. 🤷♀️
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Note that I did this with a hollow door. If you have a solid door, this would be way easier because you wouldn’t have to cover the cut sides that expose the door innards.
Step 1: Measure and remove door. While the door was still hanging in place, I used a tape measurer and found the middle point of the door. Then I used a T-square and drew a straight line down the middle.
That done, I grabbed a screwdriver and removed the handle from the door. This is easier to do than you might expect, and you can just wiggle and yank the parts free once you’ve got the screws out that were holding the 2 sides together. Next, I opened the door wide, grabbed a drill (because faster than a screwdriver), and removed the hinges from the door. Since I was changing out the hinges for all new hardware, I also removed the hinges from the doorway’s frame. (If you’re using the original hinges on that double door, you could just leave them on the doorframe.)
Removing door hardware.
With the door now off, I hauled it up to my garage.
Step 2: Cut the doors to the right width. Using my new table saw, I carefully ran the door through so that it cut down the middle, along that line I’d made. Now I had 2 parts!
Here is where math came in. I had to make sure that the 2 doors ended up being no wider than the original width of the single door, obviously. Since my cut sides now exposed that the doors were hollow, I needed to run 1x2s the full height of each cut side to cover that up. This meant I needed to cut each door further to allow for the 1x2s’ added width. I also decided to leave a slight gap between the doors to make adding hardware/hinges easier. (More on that later.)
I ended up cutting an additional 7/8 inch off each door. This was easy on my table saw (love that thing!), and soon I had my doors the right width.
Step 3: Add 1x2s to cover the hollow sides. I quickly measured the full length of the doors and then cut 2 straight 1x2s with a miter saw to that length.
Since the hollow doors didn’t leave much to attach the 1x2s to, I also cut little chunks of 1x2s to fit inside the hollow doors. These I spaced inside so they’d be flush with the cut side of the door, and then I used 5/8 inch brad nails to nail them securely from the underside of the door.
Adding secure pieces.
With these securely in place, I quickly used a pencil and marked off on the top of the door where they were located – this would let me know where to nail once the long 1×2 side pieces covered them up.
Next I was able to line up my long 1x2s so they covered the hollow sides, and then I simply nailed them where my securing little 1x2s filled the hollow space inside.
Side note: Again, if you’re using a solid door, you can skip all that.
These sides with the 1x2s now were the sides that would meet in the middle of the doorway. I wanted to use the original door’s hinge grooves when rehanging the door, so that side was on my right. For the left-hand door, I needed to flip around the door so my new door handle could be cut in the right spot. (The old hole we’ll cover later.)
Step 4: Cut a new door handle hole. After some debate, I decided to place my new hole about 36 inches up from the bottom. It’s very important to take into consideration the added 1×2 when determining your handle’s placement…which I didn’t do the first time around but I’m telling you the right way now. 😜 A good cheat is to use the existing door hole for your measurements. My hole needed to be (like that standard hole) 1 and 1/4 inches from the edge of the door, and it needed to be about 2 inches wide. I happened to have a small cup that allowed me to trace a 2-inch circle.
Planning the door handle hole.
You could use a hole saw, but (long story less long) my 2-inch hole saw was out of commission. Since this hole is covered by the door handle anyway, it didn’t have to be perfect, and I’m pretty good with my jigsaw. So, first I used the biggest drill bit I could find and drilled a starting hole along the circle I’d traced. Then I took my jigsaw and cut around my traced line to create the hole for my door handle. This had to be cut all the way through so both sides of the door had an even hole, and my jigsaw did just fine with that.
I took my new door handle and tested it out to find it fit 👍. Next, I needed to cut a hole in the 1×2 on the side to allow the latch to go through. This was easy enough just using the giant drill bit and carving out a hole even with the middle of my cut circle.
Planning the latch hole.
I’d also need to cut a hole for this latch on the other door so this would work, but I decided to hold off until the doors were hanging so I’d be absolutely positive where the latch needed to line up.
Step 5: Rehang the hinges and doors. Starting with the door that already had the original hinge grooves, I took my new hinges and used a drill to attach them to the doorframe. Then I lifted the new door into place (propped on my foot, since this halved door was so light) and screwed that door onto the waiting hinges.
One door on!
It swung perfectly!
Happy with that one, I moved to the other side. I used a level across the doorway and marked on the doorframe where the hinges needed to be to line up with the first side. Then I screwed the hinges into the doorframe.
Now, because this side doesn’t have grooves cut out for the hinges, they will protrude a bit and take away from the width available for your doors. That’s why I’d given myself a little extra room when cutting my doors to the right width. You could use an oscillating saw and cut grooves for your hinges – and I tried this at first – but honestly it worked just fine by attaching them straight onto the doorframe since I had some wiggle room. Just be SURE you measure and account for your hinges from the beginning! Fortunately, they don’t stick out enough to be noticeable because of the doorjamb.
Holding my second door in place, I used a pencil to mark for sure where each hinge needed to line up. (Since there are no hinge grooves, I wanted to be confident when I was screwing it secure for good.) Next, I grabbed a drill and screwed the hinges into that door where I’d marked.
Holding my breath, I closed both the doors together…and they were too wide near the middle. I’m honestly not sure exactly why this was (I suspect my doorframe isn’t plumb), but it ended up being a simple fix by just removing the middle hinge entirely. 🤷♀️ Since these doors are so light, I didn’t need that hinge for support anyway. And again because of the doorjamb, you can’t see that the middle hinge is missing.
Now my doors closed!
Step 6: Cut the latch hole in the other door. With the doors closed, I got on my knees and used a pencil to mark through my door handle’s hole onto the other door where the latch hole needed to be. With this generally marked location, I opened the doors and traced a nicer line for where I needed to cut for the latch. Then I used my big drill bit and cut about 3/4 inch into the 1×2 to create a cavity for the latch.
Figuring out the latch.
Step 7: Prep door and paint. It was one of my smarter ideas to paint the doors before adding the door handles so that I didn’t have to paint around them or risk dripping all over them.
First, it’s important to caulk along the edges of the 1x2s so there aren’t any gaps between them and the rest of the door. I also used wood putty to fill all the nail holes.
Prepping for paint.
With that prep work done, I painted everything with a fresh coat of white. (This might’ve been easier if I’d taken the doors back off the hinges, but the paint wiped off the hinges easily enough when I inevitably goofed.) I went over the 1x2s with a few extra coats to get them to match with the already-white doors. I probably should have used primer, but oh well. I was also sure to paint well over the caulk. I did this on each side of the doors.
When that was dry, I used a glossy polyurethane and rolled that over my whole doors. This was both for protection and because my trim paint is glossy, so that just looks like the best finish on the doors.
Painting the doors.
Step 8: Add door handle hardware. Once the poly was dry, I took my door handle, assembled it through my door’s new handle hole, and screwed it tightly in place. I tested the placement of my latch hole in the other door and found it lined up perfectly and was deep enough. So, I took the strike plate (for the latch) and screwed that in place. I then tested everything by closing the doors again, and fortunately there was still enough room even with this added strike plate. (If you find there’s not enough space, you can use an oscillating saw or even a sander to carve in a groove for the strike plate.)
Next, I measured for the location of my dummy handle on the other door. I used a level and marked the height where it would match the first door’s handle. Then I marked how far in it needed to be from the 1×2 edge. With the placement figured out, I simply screwed the dummy handle onto the door. Easy!
Adding handles.
Step 9: Cover the old door handle hole. There are several different ways you could do this finishing step. I considered all kinds of molding options to decorate the door and cover my old door hole(s). You could nail on thin plywood like I did on my faux-shiplap doors. You could do all kinds of board and batten looks. I even thought about sticking on mirror squares to cover the whole doors and then covering the mirror edges with narrow molding to make the whole doors look like decorative mirrors (I still think that would look cool).
I ended up keeping it fairly simple.
First, I measured where I wanted my decorative pieces to cover the hole(s). Then I used a level to make straight lines across the doors. Next taking a whole bunch of little bamboo sticks, I glued them on across the doors, using my lines to make sure I was level. I did this to both doors, using a combination of hot glue and wood glue because I kept running out of one or the other. 😬
Adding decorative wood.
With those pieces on (around 50 for each door), I next cut a few scrap pieces of cool molding that I’d used in the guest bathroom. These I placed at the tops and bottoms of the bamboo sticks, and I nailed them on with my nail gun.
Adding molding.
Once the glue dried, I painted all this with the same white as the rest of my doors. It looked pretty cool!
AFTER: New double doors!
Close up.
I could’ve done this on the other side of the doors too, but this style wasn’t quite the same vibe as what’s going on in our main basement area. (The “vibe” here is best described as pure child toy chaos punctuated by mommy’s valiant efforts at decorating.) So, for the exterior side of the doors, I decided to simply run boards across the doors – careful to place one right over the door hole(s) – and cut their ends at angles so they wouldn’t stick out too much. I spaced these boards equally on the 2 doors and nailed them on.
Adding wood to outside the doors.
I puttied the nail holes, then painted them the same white. Once this was done, I went over everything again with a coat of poly to smooth it all together.
And finally, to make the exterior side a little fancier, I took wooden pegs and glued them over the boards to add a cool effect and dimension. These I left their natural wood coloring.
Adding wood pegs as accents.
I also added a chalk board on the exterior so we can write notes to our guests.
Now we have double doors that look pretty cool and certainly function better for our guest space! Again, you could paint or do decorative molding any way you like, so I hope this works for you if you need a similar solution.
I’ll be honest: I’m running out of energy for the final projects in my basement bathroom remodel. But it’s so close, if I can muster the will to finish!
This project turned out way cooler than I anticipated, although I had it pictured in my head for weeks and weeks (like everything else). Remember this early picture from my bathroom nightmare?
BEFORE: Weird cutout with metal decorative thing.
Well, I decided pretty early to keep that little cutout and turn it into open shelving for decor. My husband was weirdly attached to that metal…thing, but I yanked that outta there real quick. (Sorry, not sorry.)
No regrets.
Then I added some framing and drywall to the backside. Then, after a little joint compound here and paint there, I had a little nook/corner ready for my shelving plan. This project was simple and easy, and really it could work for any corner, not just a nook like the weird one I had. You could make it any size too, even running the whole height of a room’s corner.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
Step 1: Measure and cut. The narrow side of my corner was 4 inches. I decided to run my 1x2s this whole length and shorten the other wall’s 1x2s where they’d meet at the corner. This left my longer corner side needing 1x2s that were 9 1/2 inches. So, those were the lengths I would cut a whole bunch of 1x2s for my shelving supports – an equal number of 4 inch pieces and 9 1/2 inch pieces.
For the top and bottom of my shelving area, I decided to cut 1×6 boards down so they’d hang 1/4 inch beyond the edges of the wall. (If you’re doing this in a normal corner, you don’t need these top and bottom boards at all.) This meant I needed to cut 2 pieces to be 4 1/4 x 9 3/4.
That was it for measuring! I went out to my garage and cut a bunch of 1×2 boards and then also cut my 2 pieces of 1×6 to the correct sizes. Easy peasy. Some of my cuts were a bit rough, and I wanted these pieces to all be as smooth as possible to the touch, so I quickly used some sandpaper and went over all the edges. I especially sanded down the corners of my bottom board since it would hang out beyond the wall.
Step 2: Attach the bottom piece and caulk. Because I wanted to make my spacing look right, I set the bottom piece in place and used a few small shims to make it level. Once level, I used Brad (my nail gun) to nail the piece in place. This would let me quickly space out and nail on the shelving supports and be sure I had them level.
There was a slight gap under the bottom piece where it met the drywall, so I took some paintable caulk and filled the gap. This helped it look as seamless as possible.
Caulked gap.
Step 3: Attach the 1x2s. I went up the narrower side first, since that side would cover the whole length of the side without needing to leave the right space for the other wall’s 1x2s.
I lay the first 4-inch piece on the bottom board and nailed it to the wall. Then, using one of the cut 1x2s as a spacer on top of that piece, I put the next piece in place and nailed that on. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Adding narrow side 1x2s.
Once that side was finished – I got lucky in that my spacing allowed my top piece to test fit nicely over my top 1×2 without a gap or too narrow a space – I started on the longer pieces. I used the same method of starting at the bottom and using a spacer. This time was even easier because I had the other 1x2s to meet at the corner. It only took a few nails for each piece to hold them secure, despite being longer than my 4 inch pieces.
Step 4: Fill the nail holes and stain/paint. Using some wood filler on my finger, I rubbed it into the nail holes to hide them.
Filling nail holes.
At this point, I decided I didn’t like the yellow-ness of the natural wood, so I found some leftover white gel stain and brushed it on the exposed fronts and ends of all the shelf supports. This might’ve been easier to have done back before I nailed them on the walls, but at least this way I covered my nail holes evenly, plus I didn’t waste any by staining sides that wouldn’t end up showing. It was also easier this way because I didn’t have to handle the 1x2s and get the stain on my fingers. 😜 While I was at it, I also stained the bottom board that was attached and the top board that wasn’t yet attached.
White gel stain.
Side note: I’d already painted the nook walls, and I considered painting my shelving pieces the same color. I’m glad I didn’t because I like the contrasting look of the whitened wood, but you could paint or stain any way you like in any colors and I’m sure it would look great!
Step 5: Attach the top piece and caulk. I’m sure I could’ve used math and found the exact space I needed at the top that way, but really it was dumb luck that my 1x2s ended at the top with just enough room for the top piece to fit without a gap or too narrow a space to fit. You might want to work out how to account for spacing at the very top. I’d still use my spacer method for the lower supports (more on why in a minute), but for the topmost 1x2s you could fudge the space a little to fit the top piece without it being too noticeable.
Top piece added.
Anyway, once the top piece was on, I caulked the gap just like I’d done to the bottom. I also quickly filled my nail holes and touched up the stain.
Step 6: Cutting and adding shelves! Here’s the important part about using a 1×2 as a spacer: The 1×6 boards I used to cut my shelves were the same width as that 1×2 spacer. Keep in mind that wood dimensions are never truly “1 inch”, so you can’t just measure 1-inch spaces. But the boards will be the same thickness, so this spacer will be the same size as the boards for shelves.
With my spaces ready, I decided to cut the shelves a little short of the full width and length of my shelving supports so they wouldn’t stick out too much when people walk by this narrow part of the bathroom.
So, taking the same 1×6 that I’d used for my top and bottom pieces, I cut 3 shelves at 9×3 1/2. Next I quickly sanded the edges, then used the same white stain and painted that on.
(They are the same size, really.)
Once dry, I took them to my corner nook and tested them in different support spaces to decide where I liked them best. They fit everywhere and stayed put! Because these stay so snug in the supports, there’s no need to attach them, and this also makes them adjustable as you like.
Shelves on! Done!
That’s it! I love how these shelves turned out, and it’s rare that you want to see the supports as part of the design. I could add even more shelves if I ever want, but for now I have to decide what to put on these! 😜
It’s been over a week, and I’m still recovering from this one. 😆 After demo-ing and rebuilding and waterproofing and tiling/grouting and finishing a shower for my aunt, I’m pretty happy with the end result. (And she claims to be pleased too, so that’s all that matters 😉) The WHOLE process of a shower remodel can be done in different ways – and people on the internet will give plenty of advice and opinions on how best to do it – so I’m only going to share how I do the most fun part. This is not my original idea, but it’s a really cool and relatively cheap way to add a “wow factor” to a remodeled shower.
Another disclaimer: How well this works and how safe it is depends on the epoxy you use. I use StoneCoat Countertops epoxy for all my epoxy projects (kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops, serving trays, etc.) because it’s easy to use, strong, and has zero VOC (not stinky). If you use something else, be careful to read those instructions thoroughly. But I highly recommend SCC, not only because the epoxy is good but also because they have fantastic online video tutorials.
Supplies:
(As an advertising affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep up my site!)
1 inch foam board 4×8 sheets
StoneCoat Countertops epoxy (their shower kit includes fiberglass mesh and thickener)
Foam board?! Yes. It sounds bizarre, I know. When a helpful Lowe’s employee asked what I was working on, she did a double take at my answer. LOL. But after explaining, I think I might’ve convinced her to give it a try in her own fixer-upper. 😂
I’ve explained in “DIY Countertops” how I use epoxy for countertops, but this is a little different. So, here’s how it works.
BEFORE: Standard shower/tub insert.
Step 1: Measure and cut. My aunt and uncle wanted the whole back wall to be one solid slab running all the way up. When I finally got that back wall waterproofed and ready, I measured the space. I did have a built-in bench seat to work around, but that was easy enough to measure for.
The back wall slab ended up needing to be 58×94 with a 15×17 corner cut out on the right side to fit the bench.
Side note: One thing to consider is how big of a slab you’ll be able to fit not only in its final destination but also along the journey there. Do you have room through doorways and around corners into the shower? Do you have a shower curb you’ll have to fit it over? If a full-height (around 8 ft) slab will not fit through those spaces, you can do a shorter slab rather than go all the way to the ceiling, or you could even do 2 narrow panels that can be siliconed together to fill your whole back wall. In a perfect world, you’ll be able to do a full piece like I did, but these are things to check!
With my 2 foam board 4×8 sheets lying on the ground, I measured out my width and height. I only needed an extra 10 inches of width from my second foam board to get my full 58 inches. I needed to take off 2 inches at the tops to get down to my 94 inches. I decided to make that 10-inch wide piece the side of my bench, so I held it in place next to my big piece and cut out the 15×17 corner.
Measuring and marking the foam boards.
I did all my cutting with a circular saw, but of course the foam is really easy to cut and you could use a utility knife or something else if you are more comfortable with that.
Cutting my foam board pieces.
Step 2: Tape the backside and prep. It’s good to have a big area like a garage for this project. I’d already prepared by spreading out a big roll of plastic on the floor and then setting up some sawhorses. One of the most important things when working with epoxy is getting everything level, and I mean LEVEL. Since this garage floor had a drain in the middle, I had to set boards under the sawhorses to make a level floor, but that wasn’t too bad. On top of the sawhorses, I used the rest of my second 4×8 foam board to lay across the middle and then also put boards on either side to help my work surface be level, and these also helped support the foam board slab so it didn’t flex too much where it stretched across the sawhorses.
Now that I knew how big my foam board slab was going to be, I could position all of this so the foam slab would sit on top and be level. I wasn’t too worried about getting it perfectly level at the moment, since for now I placed my foam board pieces upside down on top. With the pieces all lined up, I simply used Gorilla Duct Tape and ran a strip all the way to connect the 2 pieces, then I ran a few small strips across that for added strength.
Taping the undersides together.
That done, I flipped the now-one-piece slab over. To make sure the epoxy wouldn’t stick my slab to the supports underneath, I pushed back everything at least a few inches so the top slab overhung the supports – this way, the drips would fall down to the plastic instead.
Flipping the whole piece.
Step 3: Attach fiberglass mesh, dry fit, and trim (if necessary). At this point, I had everything basically in the position it would need to be in. Now I needed to make the foam board stronger. The first part of this is to attach a fiberglass mesh to the surface of the foam slab.
Before I unrolled my mesh, I quickly dusted off the surface of the foam board slab to clear any debris and/or dirt. Once it was clean, I took the big roll of fiberglass mesh and unrolled enough to start near the bottom edge of the slab. I’ve found that it works best to keep the mesh an inch or so in from the edges – otherwise it’s hard to hide when the epoxy flows thinner over the edges. Making sure the mesh was positioned thusly, I walked along the side and unrolled more and more, careful to keep the mesh smooth and even. If a bump formed, I just lifted the mesh back off and smoothed it out.
Rolling out the fiberglass mesh.
At the top end, I cut the mesh so it stopped again an inch or so from the edge. Since my roll was 36 inches wide, I had to apply another strip to finish covering the slab. I went back to the bottom to line up the edges of the mesh as best I could to avoid an obvious seam. I then unrolled the mesh again to the top, cut it, and the went all along the side and trimmed back the extra mesh.
Smoothing second strip of mesh.
This mesh also helps hold the 2 pieces of foam board together, so I took my cut-off extra and went under the slab to semi-awkwardly 😜attach it to the underside where the taped area ran from bottom to top.
Side note: I will say that the kind of fiberglass mesh you use makes a difference. For my own master bath shower, I’d bought some off Amazon – it’s a PAIN because the adhesive is so strong that you can only unroll a few inches at a time and it tears constantly. Thefiberglass mesh I used for this project was right off the StoneCoat Countertops website, and I nearly cried because it was so much easier. 😂
Anyway, with the mesh on and smoothed out, I lifted the whole foam slab and saw immediately that it was stronger and less bendy than before. It was so light that I could carry it by myself through the house and into the bathroom for a test run. Carefully lifting, turning, tilting, and pushing it into position against the back wall of the shower, I found that one little spot was too wide to sit flat against the wall. (Walls are rarely perfectly even, so this is an important thing to check.)
Marking this area lightly with a pencil, I checked the rest of the way around the slab to make sure I had some wiggle room. It’s good to keep in mind that the epoxy will add about 1/8 inch as it covers the slab, so you need at least that much on either side to make sure the final result will fit.
Side note: Since I was doing tile on the side walls of the shower, I knew the tile would help cover the slab’s side edges. That’s the nice thing about doing just a back wall slab. If you’re doing the whole shower surround (which is doable and pretty!), you need to prep your exposed sides/edges better.
With this resizing figured out, I pulled the slab back out of the shower and returned it to the garage. With a multitool blade, I cut off a bit where my pencil marks indicated the slab had been too wide. This just meant little trims along the side, so this didn’t mess up my mesh at all because of the inch I’d left all the way around.
Step 4: LEVEL and Quick Coat. Now was the time to check for perfect level all over the surface of the slab. I also double checked that all my supports were tucked under the slab to avoid sticky drips.
StoneCoat Countertops makes a Quick Coat that works perfectly as a base layer of epoxy. It adds strength to the foam board/fiberglass mesh surface you’ve got so far, and it dries super quickly so you can move on to the next step that same day. You also add a thickening agent that makes it extra strong.
You should definitely read the instructions, but basically I mixed parts B and A, then added a decent amount of the thickening agent and stirred until I got a gooey glue-like consistency.
Quick Coat with thickener.
(Psst. Get a stir paddle like this as a drill attachment. WAY easier for mixing than by hand.)
Pouring on the Quick Coat.
I had to work very, very fast with this Quick Coat. It was really hot that day, which made it cure even faster than normal. In total, I think I had about 10 minutes to mix, pour, and spread it evenly over the whole surface with my little squeegee. I made it, but my last few wipes with the squeegee were tough!
Spreading fast!
Once that was on, I left it to dry and went to work on tile or something, but within a few hours it was ready for the next step.
Step 5: Undercoat and guide paint. Typically they say to lightly sand between each coat that you do with epoxy, but I skipped this and everything was fine. 🤷♀️ You next want a nice base coat of color down, like a primer, and I used the SCC white undercoat for this. (You can also get it in black if you’re doing darker colors.) I rolled it on and made sure to cover the whole surface and hide any of the foam’s green color.
Applying white undercoat.
I gave the undercoat time to dry and then did a second coat. After that dried, I painted the whole surface in a normal, white, latex paint. Right after that, I took a spray paint that I planned to use in my color coat and sprayed guiding lines to help outline the pattern I wanted to make with the epoxy later.
Adding guide lines.
Then I let this sit. Usually I give this undercoat/paint overnight. However, I started this early in the morning and it had most of the day to sit, so I ended up doing the next epoxy step later that night. (It finally cooled down at 9:00 pm to “only” 75 degrees, so that helped too.) Normally, I’d say give the paint at least 8-10 hours to dry and gas off.
Step 6: Color coat. Much of this step is the same as how I do countertops. Before I do anything with the epoxy, I prepare all the different colorants I’m going to use. There are hundreds of colors and additives to use with epoxy, but for this project I used a white epoxy dye, pearl metallic mica powder, titanium mica powder, white metallic mica powder, charcoal spray paint, aluminum spray paint, and white spray paint. Each of these I set by a cup, ready to go once my epoxy was mixed. (Plastic cups work great as a cheap option, btw.)
Setting up!
With cheap latex gloves on, I mixed parts B and A of the epoxy in a measuring bucket. (Again, read the epoxy instructions.) I used 128 oz, which worked out to be about 3 oz per square foot. After mixing for 3-4 minutes, I was sure it was well-mixed and at the consistency I recognize to be 👍. Then it was time to pour the epoxy into my different cups for colors. Not one to waste, I set the bucket upside down on my slab to drip the leftovers onto the slab while I mixed my colors.
A few tips with the colorants… If you use mica powders, you really need to stir them up so they don’t clump and leave streaks. If you use dye, you only need a little squirt because a little goes a long way to creating opaque color. For the spray paint, I mostly cover the cup with one hand and spray into the cup through my fingers to cut down on the fumes. (Also, if using spray paint in an enclosed area, wear a respirator.) If you want to be gutsy with a “dirty pour” or “exotic pour,” you can mix different colorants by pouring them into the same bucket or cup, stirring or swirling only a little bit between each color, and this makes cool effects when you pour the cup.
Once my colored epoxy cups were ready, I lifted the main bucket off the slab and used my little stirrer to scrape out what was left. Then I set that bucket under my sawhorses to be out of the way. Taking one color cup at a time, I walked around the slab and poured out the cups over the slab, following my spray-painted guide lines from earlier. Once each cup was empty, I set it under the sawhorses out of the way. I did leave one small cup of dye-white epoxy set aside to add white veins/lightening effects later.
Pouring on colors.
Once the colors were on, I used my gloved hand to begin wiping the epoxy back and forth and along my guiding lines. It’s really cool to see how the different colorants mix and react to each other. If you have a hard time getting the epoxy to spread, it helps to heat up the epoxy with a kitchen torch so it flows better.
Once I was sure that I did indeed have enough epoxy on and it was thick enough to manipulate how I wanted, I wiped epoxy along the edges to help the epoxy flow over the sides and coat the edges – it needs a gentle nudge to help it flow.
Wiping to cover the slab.
After I’d spread the epoxy to cover the whole slab, I could see how my pattern was coming together.
Next, I lightly spray painted over large sections with my aluminum color.
Adding spray paint.
Right after that, I used 91% isopropyl alcohol and spritzed from above. This adds a marbling effect that is SO cool and really starts to make the colors look like natural stone. Then I sprayed lightly with my white spray paint to lighten spots. And I spritzed with alcohol again.
Adding alcohol.
Taking my last cup of white that I’d set aside earlier, I started from off the slab and quickly poured small lines across the slab and zig-zagged all over to create lines/veins of stronger white. I didn’t want the look of veins, necessarily, though, so I gently wiped these into my pattern to cross and add layers.
Adding white lines.
From there, I continued to lighten here, darken there, spritz here, gently wipe there, until I was happy with the whole piece. It’s hard to know when to stop! LOL. But it’s really cool how, the more layering you do, the cooler the effects look. You’ve got about 45 minutes to an hour to work with this color coat, and if you don’t like something, you can wipe it and change the look as you go.
Wiped lines.
Layers of work showing!
Swirling together.
Forcing myself to strip my gloves and walk away, I went to bed around 10:45 that night and let the color coat cure.
Color coat on!
Step 7: Touch up. I’d love to say that I do this perfectly every time, but the reality is that sometimes there are spots I’m not happy with the next morning. It was cool how gravity had pulled the colors here and there, adding a more natural touch to my pattern even if I hadn’t intended for it to happen.
However, there were problems, and I’ll explain how I fixed them in case you have similar problems and get discouraged. In one place, the slight gap between my foam boards had created holes where epoxy had flowed down and not leveled out on the surface. I also had 2 mosquitoes get stuck. 😬 And in a few places along the sides, the epoxy wasn’t very thick and so the mesh showed through.
Problem area.
So, I mixed up a cup of epoxy and added some thickener. Then I added a drop of white dye, stirred until opaque, and sprayed paints into the cup, only slightly stirring enough to create swirls and pools of color.
Walking around my slab, I used a small stir stick to dribble the mixture onto my problem areas. With the thickener, the epoxy didn’t run all over and drip off, but instead it sat on my problem areas and covered them nicely. I also spread some of this epoxy and spray painted a few areas on my edges, finishing up with spritzed alcohol to help blend my touch-up areas with the surrounding colors.
Touching up with thickened epoxy.
Step 8: Clear coat. I gave these touch ups about an hour to sit (completely arbitrarily), and then I mixed up another 128 oz of epoxy. This I left clear, and immediately I dumped it onto the slab. This clear coat is weirdly satisfying to smooth out and spread over the beautiful color coat, and it’s certainly easier by comparison.
Pouring on the clear coat.
Side note: Again, it’s suggested to lightly sand between coats of epoxy. However, I’ve found that whenever I use spray paint, it’s not worth risking the scuff marks. As long as the color coat is very recently cured (just to the point it’s no longer tacky), adding a clear coat without sanding seems to work fine.
But what about my fresh touch-up areas of epoxy that weren’t cured yet? The thickener helped it to not wash away with the clear coat, plus I was extra-careful to blend the clear coat into the touch-up epoxy so that it was level without washing over my touch ups. The touch-up areas had just enough of a head start to hold up, basically.
Once the whole slab was covered, I used my gloved hands to pat it all over the place. This helps to mix the clear epoxy one last time on the surface and also helps it self-level. Some people like to use a chop brush that you pat all over the place, but that’s a lot of work on a 40 square foot slab. 😜 There’s also the issue of potentially losing bristles that get stuck in your epoxy! And really, I just like the feel of doing it with my own hands because I think it gives you more control. Just like with the color coat, it’s good to wipe epoxy over the edges to help it flow over the sides too, and this is a lot easier when cupping your hand and running it along the sides.
Patting the clear coat.
All this patting leaves a lot of bubbles in the epoxy. While the epoxy settled for the next half hour or so, I walked around and around the slab with my little kitchen torch and blew out the bubbles. It takes a while. The first pass might lead you to believe you got them all, but then the light hits from a different angle and you see more! Then around you go again. 😜 But it is important to get out all the bubbles you can, or else they’ll harden and be there forever.
Bubble in need of popping!
For the next hour, I went back every 20 minutes and checked for bubbles. After an hour, I’ve found that usually no more bubbles will form.
Torching bubbles.
I let this sit overnight. It’s amazing how this clear coat adds dimension to the color coat, so it’s worth the hassle. It also adds strength to your slab by adding a second coat, so again, worth it.
Clear coat on.
Step 9: Sand the drips. Once the clear coat was dry the next morning, I used a small sander and sanded down the drips on the undersides of the slab. You want to remove these not only for looks but also because they’ll be in the way when the slab needs to press against the wall. It’s easy enough, but an important step.
Sanding the drips.
Step 10: Install the slab! When the clear coat was cured to the point that fingerprints didn’t show if I pressed, it was time to hang the slab. First, I went into the bathroom and applied dabs of 100% silicone to the back wall. I used pretty much a whole tube of the stuff via a caulk gun, squeezing out dabs all over the interior parts and tracing an outline all around the sides, top, and bottom.
Then it was time to, as quickly as possible, bring in the slab. While certainly lighter than a stone slab, this foam/epoxy slab is still awkward to move, so it’s best to get another person to help. My uncle and I carried it inside, and I copied how I’d moved it earlier during the dry fit test run.
The slab will still bend a bit, so be careful not to crack it! But honestly, I have yet to damage one during install (knock on wood), and I’ve been pretty rough while shoving them in place. This time, I held it against the back wall and gently pushed it all over to stick the back into the silicone.
Once the whole thing was pressed on, I was glad to see that it stayed in place. Sometimes you may need to carefully brace the slab in place until the adhesive dries. (I had to do this with my basement bathroom slab due to…less than perfectly plumb walls.)
With the slab on, I took this time to shift gears and finish the tile, admiring the slab whenever I needed a grouting break. 🤣
Slab in place!
Optional Step 11: Apply a top coat. I say this is optional because there are a few different ways to finish the slab.
Option 1) You can stop now. The clear coat will fully cure in 30 days and have a glass-like finish. It’s beautiful, but it’s not as protected as if you applied a top coat. And it’ll show fingerprints and water droplets much the way glass does, which means more cleaning. This is the way I’m planning to finish my basement bathroom shower…which is still a work in progress, as seen below. Since this shower won’t be used daily, I’m less worried about cleaning and maintaining this one, so a glass-like finish hopefully will be fine.
Basement shower “no top coat” example.
Option 2) You can apply StoneCoat Countertops’ glossy version of their Ultimate Top Coat. This rolls on as a very, very thin layer kind of like a coat of polyurethane. It has a glossy finish that is still pretty but knocks everything a little flat as opposed to the dimension of the plain clear coat. A big benefit is that this is much easier to clean and has a slight texture that prevents fingerprints.
Option 3) There’s also a matte version of the Ultimate Top Coat. This works great for more “natural” looking stone designs where you don’t want shine, such as soapstone (like what I did in my master bathroom below). Like the glossy version, it adds a lot of protection, but it will knock out any shine and flatten the dimension of your design.
Master bathroom “matte” example.
Option 4) You can sand with a really fine grit and “hone” the epoxy like stone. But I’ve never done this, so I can’t give any real tips here.
For my aunt’s shower, we went the glossy UTC route because they wanted shine but easier cleaning. So, once the slab was on, I mixed up the glossy Ultimate Top Coat and followed the instructions (and YouTube tutorials) to roll it on. I did this with the slab already hung because it was a lot easier to move quickly over the whole surface this way rather than trying to reach everywhere from around the slab with it lying down.
Side note: This top coat is hard to get right, so be sure to watch some SCC videos of how to do it before winging it yourself.
Done! The next day, the top coat was dry, and my work with the shower slab was done! Again, it takes 30 days for a full cure, but because of the Ultimate Top Coat, my aunt and uncle only needed to wait a few days (48 hours is generally recommended) before using the shower. If you don’t use a top coat, it’s recommended to wait 7 days for light use. Still, it looks worth the short wait to me!
AFTER: Finished glossy slab!
So is it worth the effort? This shower slab covers about 40 square feet and cost roughly $500. To tile like the rest of the shower, it would’ve been a little over $700. For a real solid slab, I’m told it’s anywhere from $900-$5,200 before the cost of labor. So for me, that’s a solid 👍, especially since I can color it however I want to match the rest of my bathroom.
Another valid concern is whether this foam-based shower slab will hold up. If you do the fiberglass mesh and the multiple layers of epoxy, these slab surfaces are STRONG once fully cured. The Ultimate Top Coat also protects extremely well from scratches. My master bathroom shower is used daily, and we fall/lean into the walls all the time and juggle/drop bottles without causing any dents or scratches.
Personally, I think these slabs are a great way to add a wow factor without breaking the bank, and they’re a creative alternative to tile or a real slab. 🤷♀️ Plus, they’re certainly easier to clean than rows and rows of grout!
If you saw my recent Instagram post about our bathroom remodel, you might’ve noticed how I fixed the ENORMOUS chunk of drywall I had to take out. As aggravating as that demo was, I’d thankfully already planned to make my own tile-looking textured walls. So, this plan kept me from freaking out too much when I tore that wall out and then had to patch in drywall and cover seams. (What lay behind this wall was such a mess… I did what I could. 🤦♀️)
BEFORE: Absolutely terrible walls.
My plan was simple…ish. I found a tile I loved but didn’t have the $$ for on TileBar, and fortunately they have very inexpensive samples you can order. These samples became my templates. I knew how much joint compound I would need for my bathroom walls from when I’d textured the walls of our basement’s main room – about 3 gallons. And, I had leftover paint from that main room and also the guest room – one paint for the “tiles” and one paint for the “grout.” Finally, to give the “tiles” the finish I wanted, I’d use some high-gloss polyurethane to add a bit of shine and also fully seal everything.
So, with the drywall patched up and seams decently covered (albeit somewhat lazily because I knew I’d be hiding it all), it was time to make my walls look tiled.
Tile samples for templates.
Step 1: Spread joint compound. Knowing I’d need some time for this, I opted not to get the quick-drying kind of joint compound. That kind had worked fine for my faux-bricks in the main room, but making my tile shapes was going to take a little longer than simply rolling with a brick-pattern roller.
Supplies:
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Tile samples/templates
Joint compound
paint for tiles and paint for grout
polyurethane
Using a 6-inch spreader, I covered one wall at a time. I spread the joint compound thick enough that my “grout lines” would give the illusion of decently thick tiles, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch or so. I made sure to spread the compound as smooth as I could, but I left some rough texturing because I wanted rustic-looking tile. If you’re aiming for fancier, less rustic tile, obviously try to get the joint compound as smooth as you can. I also knew I could sand off any really rough bits, so that helps too.
Spreading joint compound.
Step 2: Trace your tile templates. I tried different tools to do this, but I ended up liking my finger best for the job. I wanted my rows of tiles to be as level as I could get them, so I started at the very bottom of my wall. Holding my tile in place just off the joint compound, I was careful not to get it in the mud. Then, I simply ran my finger around the edges of the tile to create my “tile” in the joint compound. With that first one done, I held up the alternating shape and lined up the edge to fit against my first tile’s edge – like they shared a grout line. Then I traced that tile with my finger.
I repeated this for that whole bottom row of tile. When it was time to do the next row over that, I again lined up the edges to share grout lines. After a while, I only needed to use one of my tile template shapes because I could kind of checkerboard how I positioned the template, and it still gave me the other shape because of where the edges lined up. At the top of my wall, I had to finish with only the bottom parts of my “tiles” to make it look like my tiles were cut to fit against the ceiling.
Tracing tiles.
It’s worth noting that, after a while, it was a good idea to rinse off my tile templates to get rid of the joint compound building up on the edges from my finger’s tracing. This also helped to keep globs from falling off onto my wall.
Side note: I also considered finding/making cookie cutter type shapes to push into the joint compound to make my tiles. I couldn’t find the exact size or shapes I wanted, but that’s an option if you can find or make the shapes! That way, you wouldn’t have to trace but rather just kind of stamp tiles instead.
Anyway, this tracing took some patience, but I soon saw how it was coming together! Once I had one wall traced, I spread joint compound over my other walls and traced those with tiles too. I tried to line up from the corners to make it look like the tiles wrapped around the room. If a tile had been “cut” into one wall’s corner, I finished that tile on the other corner.
Traced tiles in a corner.
Step 3: Dry and sand. After the joint compound was dry (I gave it overnight), I took a bit of sandpaper and wiped over my walls to knock free any loose chunks of joint compound. For any parts that stuck up too pointy, I sanded these to soften any edges. If some of my tiles were too rustic and rough, I sanded those smooth too.
Joint compound can be quite dusty, so once my sanding was done, I grabbed a broom and gently swept off my walls to get all the dust free from the nooks and crannies.
Dusting the sanded walls.
Step 4: Paint the tiles. Full disclosure, I did this backwards from how I’m telling you to do it. I painted everything the color of my grout lines first, then I went back and did the tiles individually. I did this because I had way more grout-colored paint and wanted a base down rather than risking having to do 2 coats of my tile-color paint but running out. Having done it this way, I can definitely say it would be easier to paint everything the tile color first! That’s a lot more area to cover, so it’s way smarter to roll on the tile color and worry about your grout lines later. Painting individual tiles took FOREVER.
For this base coat (which should be your tile color) I used a small roller, and this helped get in all the little gaps. The joint compound will suck in the paint fast, so keep that in mind if you’ll need a few coats.
Painting grout color as base.
Painting tiles (and realizing better way).
Step 5: Paint the grout lines. Even after I painted everything my grout color and then painted my tiles, I still had to go back and repaint my grout lines anyway so it looked more like a real grout job. 🤦♀️ With your tiles all painted, you’ll just have to use a small brush and paint along your traced lines.
I found this went pretty quickly, despite all the lines. With a small brush, I ran paint through all the finger-traced paths and connected them all around the tiles, running the paint up the little sides of the paths to look like grout running between the tiles.
Step 6: Seal with poly. Once the paint was dry, it needed a little something to keep it from just looking like paint. Depending on the tile finish you want, you could use matte poly or satin or gloss. I wanted a little shine to my tiles, especially since this is a dark basement bathroom.
With another small roller, I spread on the poly pretty quickly. I ended up doing 2 coats to get the look and feel I wanted.
Poly drying.
Oh. One more thing about the poly! I know everyone on the internet seems very concerned about textured walls attracting dust. But the poly finish helps with that too. I’ve had these walls finished for a while now, and I’ve done a lot more construction/sawing/sanding in the room without dust sticking on the walls at all. 🤷♀️
Done! I really like how these walls look now. The “tiles” add character and interest to the walls, and the texturing is a nice way to make the room feel cozy and earthy. Plus, you can’t tell what a mess the drywall was when I started! 😜
AFTER: “Tile” textured walls.
AFTER (the facing left wall too.)
Clearly I have a ways to go with the rest of the bathroom, but the walls were a big step forward. You can see the whole left wall “tiled” in the picture above, as opposed to the first wall where I only textured the walls around where my new vanity will go…assuming I figure out how to build the thing. Wish me luck!🤞
Well, it finally happened. Potty training resulted in needing to call a plumber. And, of course, this happened in the basement bathroom toilet the day before I’d planned to redo the floors, meaning I had to put renovations on hold until we could remove the toilet.
To de-stress and avoid glaring at my 3-year-old, I decided to make some artwork for the bathroom walls. This project was cheap, easy, mess-free, and took me less than an hour, plus I was left with enough materials to do more mossy projects in the future. It helped that I already had leftover embroidery hoop inner rings from other projects, and I was happy to finallythink of a use for them. And I’m so glad I talked myself out of ordering 2 boxes of fake moss, because one box went a LONG way…even with my 4-year-old stealing it for her own art project when I wasn’t looking at my piles. 🤦♀️😂
BEFORE: My gathered supplies.
Supplies:
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Step 1: Cut the paper backing and glue it onto wooden rings. I used long packing paper that had been wadded inside an Amazon delivery. You could use paper bags instead just as easily. Placing the paper on my counter, I didn’t worry about making perfect circles just yet, but I made sure the paper was fairly flat and smooth. I set my wooden rings on the paper, then cut out wide “circles” around each ring.
Paper backing ready.
As soon as my hot glue gun was ready, I carefully squeezed the glue all around the back edge of my first wooden ring. I did this as fast as I could so the glue would stay hot, and immediately I placed the ring back on top of its corresponding paper. Gently, I pushed the ring down so the glue stuck all the way around. After giving it a second to cool, I made sure the paper was attached all around without any big gaps.
I repeated this for my other 2 rings, then moved onto the next step once all 3 circles were ready.
Step 2: Glue on the decorative faux moss. I went through a LOT of glue, but I only did small sections at a time to make sure it stayed hot/sticky. There was no real skill needed for this part, just zigzagging and swirling the glue onto the paper backing. I did about 3×3 inch sections at a time, one circle at a time. Around the inside curve of the wooden ring, I made sure to glue that wood as well so the moss would stick right up to the sides.
Immediately once each 3×3 inch section of glue was on, I tore off chunks of each moss color and stuck them in place by gently pressing the moss into the glue. If any area had exposed paper visible around or through the moss, I squeezed on a bit more glue and added more moss patches.
Glueing on moss.
This took a bit of time but came together kind of like a puzzle as I arranged my different colors of moss. I did one circle at a time, and, once finished, I liked how the random moss sections seemed natural and how all 3 circles looked together. I briefly considered doing more circles since I had so much extra moss, but I didn’t want to overdo it on my wall.
All this left!
Step 3: Cut off excess paper and glue. This took ZERO time to dry, and then it was time to cut off the excess paper around the back of the circles. Some glue had squeezed out of the backs too, and this was also easy to cut so that nothing stuck out farther than the wooden edge of the circles.
Cutting off extra paper.
Step 4: Hang and enjoy! Now my mossy circles were ready to display. Because these are so light, I only used one small nail to hang each ring. First I hammered in the nail, then held the moss circle in place, then gently pushed so the nail poked through the paper and hung on the wooden ring.
I love how these turned out. I wanted a really natural, organic touch on my walls, and these do the job! It’s a bit like having a “living wall” without any hassle or risk of dead plants. LOL. You could create these mossy circles in nearly any color, because you can find decorative faux moss in white, pink, blue, orange, yellow, etc. personally, I hope my green mosses will play off of my bathroom’s tiles, countertops, and shower panels…but we’ll see once I finish those projects! 😜
