Painting a Basement Ceiling

We've done it.  And we love it!  Operation "Paint Our Exposed Basement Ceiling" is complete!!

We managed to turn this:

Into this:

Then we added some chicken wire to the ceiling:

 And finally some furniture:

At one point there was a ceiling in this area, the previous owners took it down for reasons we have no clue but we were left with an exposed ceiling and lots of options.  

Plank Ceiling:

Tin Ceiling:

Drywall:

There are SO many options, but the long term price of technically making this a room was a factor along with both of us being able to work on it and adding our own flare to the room.

So we went opted for the painted exposed ceiling!!! We also figured if the painted exposed ceiling was an epic fail, we could just cover it up with drywall.

How we got from point A to point B:

We actually prepped.  Usually we don't for projects and just roll with the punches, but since we had already painted the walls, and did not plan on ruining the carpet, we opted to put some plastic up and cover the carpet with paper. Ready. To. Rock.

Then to prevent paint from getting inside the can-lights, the hubs sealed those babies shut with some painters tape and plastic garbage bags.

And then finally came the fun part:  We used Grand Distinction "Airy Mint" (N233) paint and primer in one (at Menards) and LOVE the results.  

We pulled out our Flexio 590 sprayer, got it prepped and ready to rock and started with the project:

 And after a few minutes of figuring it out, things were rolling spraying nicely.

 Although the hubby was spraying his heart out, it didn't seem like we were making much progress.

This was a point during the project, I think it's called the "What the eff did we get ourselves into, I don't think we are ever going to get done".  Right after we had that moment, the hubby tried out the roller on the joists.  Imagine the feeling right after the storm clouds pass and the warm sun comes out and the birds start chirping.  That was what we had when we realized in that moment that this project was not going to be an all-nighter.

 I did a little dance.  Look at that coverage.  

 So he rolled, and rolled and rolled some more until all we were left with was just the corners and hard to reach parts were left.

And he pulled back out the sprayer and filled in all of those sections.  FYI MUCH easier.  If only we would have figured that out FOUR hours earlier.  We just chalked it up as a learning experience, since we will be finishing the remaining unfinished parts of our basement with the same color at some point down the line when our muscles stop hurting from all of the painting.

We could have been done there, but we opted to make more work for ourselves.  Why not?  So the hubs picked up "poultry netting" aka chicken wire and  stapled it to the ceiling for more character.

The hubs rolled out each roll and stapled as he went.

When it came to the can lights, he attached the chicken wire over the light and cut out the opening with a wire cutters.

The measurements worked out for us that he put on the two outside rows then overlapped with the middle row.  There is obviously an overlap, but we are alright with that and it is not nearly as noticeable in person as it is in the pictures.

 

And to think when we moved our stuff in the room looked like this:

 Huge difference if I say so myself:

A few things we learned from doing this project:

1. We were surprised that we didn't have to refill the canister with paint as often as we expected.
2. There is a nozzle inside the paint canister for the sprayer that can be spun around if you are holding the sprayer towards the ceiling, to make it easier for the paint to be sucked up and sprayed out.
3. We eventually ended up using a roller on the joists and found that the sprayer worked AMAZING for the corners and hard to get spots.
4. Although we mixed the paint in the big five gallon container, the hubby found that it sprayed MUCH smoother if he also mixed it again once he poured some in the canister.
5. We wore a mask over our mouths and eye wear, but breathing made things foggy and difficult.  Next time we'd probably look into a better ventilation or mask.

Right now we are enjoying the extra living space but still have plans for this room:

• Crown moulding 
• Add a dart board
• Build some floating shelves by the bar area and under the TV
• Find a bigger, more comfy couch (because our sitting room is at a minimal).
• DIY some artwork for the walls
• Find two more chairs for the back table and either paint or stain them (I'm on the hunt)