Remember when we were starting this project? Way back when deciding on paint colors, looking for molding? Ahh, it feels so good to be done and to have done it ourselves!
Paint the family room - Check!
Hide the speaker wires with crown - Check!
It feels so good to finally check these big things off our To Do List!! (yes that's worthy of a double exclamation mark!)
Ok, so here is where we started: we had the speakers in the corners of the room with plastic wire hiders to do exactly that, hide the wires. These were up for about a year before we decided to do something with this space. Ya know, the whole paint color decision making process took a while. Opps.
When we were getting ready to start painting, we took a few of the plastic guys down, eliminated some of the slack in the wires, and then drilled a whole at the top of the wall to run the wires down to the bottom of the wall which is where the rest of the outlets are for the electronics. Down the road we are going to have to get a entertainment/console table to hide everything. We like the IKEA one that we have, but it is starting to bow in the middle and crack, not good. For now, it works.
Once we finished getting the wires situated we taped, and taped, and taped some more. Man there were a LOT of edges to tape off in this room. We did the small mud room area too so that took forever.
Thankfully we didn't have to tape off the ceiling since we knew we were putting up the crown, but still, five windows and three doors later, we were exhausted. The TV was the last thing to come down at the request of the hubby : )
Painting took a while too, though it wasn't too bad since we did it over a weekend instead of throughout a whole week like we did in the kitchen. I think we have officially learned our lesson - painting will from now on be reserved for when we have a few days off, NOT a few hours every night after work. We went with the same color as the kitchen - Northern Cliffs by Benjamin Moore.
Pepper was also a big help during this project as you can see...
... but I cannot take much credit for the remainder of this project either. H did most of the work. Except for a few suggestions from me (we know how men just love suggestions) that actually turned out better than he expected. Like figuring out where the wires were going to come out of the crown before nailing everything up on the wall. Or, having the center speaker wire come from behind the wall instead of the crown so you don't see the it. Yup, that's what I get paid the big bucks for.
The crown is a 4.5" crown that matches the molding we already have in other areas of the house. After the crown was up, all the nail holes were filled with spackle and the edges were caulked. There were also a few gaps that needed to be filled with some painter's putty. All those areas were primed with some run of the mill primer from Home Depot. Then came more taping and more paining before we were totally finished.
I think it turned out great! Even though these photos are a bit on the yellow side (I had no natural light to work with), you can really see the difference of having that finishing touch of crown. And there are no wires in sight! Very Happy.
Here is what our To Do List looks like now:
- Purchase and hang window treatments (including hardware)
- Buy new furniture (including sectional, accent chairs, TV console, end tables, etc.)
- Artwork on the walls would also be nice
Not bad. Considering this room was a blank canvas. No paint, no furniture, nothing. I think we are on the right track to get the space looking more like home : ) I think the next step for this room is going to be adding pictures/art to the walls and getting some curtains. Those two things always seem to make a space seem softer and more lived in. Hopefully I can keep those costs down (curtains are surprisingly expensive). Check back for updates as we continue to make this house of ours a home!
- JP
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