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    Home » Blog

    DIY Ceiling Planks from Laminate Flooring

    by Jennifer Fancher 32 Comments Published: 5/8/20 Updated: 3/8/22 This post may contain affiliate links.

    3237 shares
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    When we made over our Boys Bathroom, we needed to hide a bad ceiling repair, but our budget was low. Here's how we made DIY Ceiling Planks from Laminate Flooring.

    We love our recent bathroom makeover!

    But I never shared our sneaky trick to hiding a big boo boo from the builders.

    So I thought I would share how we fixed our problem with a super creative solution!

    DIY Ceiling Planks from Laminate Flooring

    (Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)

    We were all gung ho about scraping this popcorn ceiling and giving this bathroom a much needed update.

    All was going so well until this happened.

    bad ceiling repair

    See that big circle? It's about the size of a paint can lid.

    It kept coming back to the party, no matter how many times we times we tried to kick it out.

    This is after about 4 passes of compound that we finally threw in the towel.

    Budget was the biggest factor when we made over our boys bathroom. We only hand $1000 to spend and we needed to cut corners everywhere. Which was why we scraped the popcorn off the ceiling to begin with.

    We realized this was a mistake from when they built this house, but it was never known because of that popcorn.

    I was really getting discouraged until I had an epiphany.

    In our basement, the previous owners had installed laminate flooring in the kitchenette. They left us boxes of leftovers in one of the closets!

    I ran as fast as I could and brought it upstairs.

    laminate flooring unclose

    I was super excited to have a solution until I brought it into the room.

    It was wayyyyyy too orange.

    So, defeated, I set the wood on the counters upside down, and noticed this.

    unique flooring stamps

    A cute little inspection stamp.

    On the perfect color wood!

    I started unpacking the rest of the wood and laid it out upside down.

    laying out flooring upside down

    All those knots and stamps had me swooning!

    What a lucky break we had by simply turning the wood over.

    marking the studs

    To begin with, we marked the studs. Those are the two side-by-side marks.

    Then using a large level, we drew lines so we would know where to nail the boards in.

    installing ceiling planks

    The first row is particularly important to get straight.

    If you mess that up, the entire ceiling would look off kilter. So take your time when you install that first row and double check that you are square.

    installing laminate flooring on the ceiling

    Once that first row was in, everything else went super fast.

    We had to cut out a hole so the ceiling light would hang properly. So I got out a jigsaw and was able to trim the board to fit.

    installing flooring on the ceiling

    Afterward, we were back at the progress we had before and finished the entire ceiling in about an hour.

    diy flooring on ceiling

    Then it was time to hang the light.

    Our fixtures over the sinks were black with brass accents.

    We used the same brass fixture, but taped off a ring. Now it mimics those other fixtures perfectly!

    flooring used as ceiling tongue and groove

    We tied it all together by adding a strip of cedar to the drop ceiling above the shower.

    updated brass light fixture

    Then we painted the walls using Iron City by Romabio Paints. It's one of my custom colors with them!

    bathroom wood ceiling

    I just love when things work out like that!

    It was a total fluke, but with stunning results!

    laminate flooring on the ceiling

    Since this is our boys shared bathroom, this gives it that rustic feel it needs!

    So the next time you need to find a creative solution for your problem, don't be afraid to think outside the box.

    You just may find a happy little mistake like we did!

    Don't miss the full bathroom reveal. We were able to make over this entire bathroom for just under $1000!

    Pin This for Later!

    Don't miss the other posts
    in this Bathroom Makeover!

    THE BEFORE
    RAISE THE ROOF: HOW WE MADE THE BATHROOM CEILING TALLER
    DIY SHOWER DOOR UPDATE
    HOW TO MAKE A BATHROOM VANITY TALLER
    REGROUTING BATHROOM TILE
    INSTALLING AND LIMEWASHING BRICK VENEER
    DIY CEILING PLANKS FROM LAMINATE FLOORING
    HOW WE CHANGED OUR BATHROOM TILE FOR $150
    HOW TO MAKE CEDAR FRAMED MIRRORS
    THE BIG REVEAL!

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    1. Jennifer Fancher

      March 28, 2022 at 7:55 am

      Hi Rachel! Unfortunately, the homeowner only left the extra boards and not the branding on them. Wish I could be more helpful!

    2. Rachel D O'Brian

      March 25, 2022 at 8:34 am

      What a beautiful job! WEll done! Do you have the name of the flooring you used?

    3. Amanda Walding

      July 10, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      Live it! So pretty! A correction though... It isn't laminate flooring, it's wood. We have the same flooring. Laminate is pressed wood with a laminate cover, this is actually wood. That's why it's so beautiful underneath. I may try the same thing with our leftover wood!!! We are having to replace a ceiling thanks to a leaking ac...

    4. Jennifer Fancher

      July 01, 2021 at 6:51 pm

      Yes, we used a pneumatic brad nailer. It's worth the purchase or rental to make the job super quick and easy!

    5. ESTHER M ROJAS

      June 21, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      Did you use a nail gun. Thank you for Sharing.

    6. Jennifer Fancher

      March 10, 2021 at 9:12 am

      Hi Nikki - great question! Our ceiling was installed a year and half ago and we also don't have an exhaust fan. Plus my boys take scalding hot showers, so there is tons of steam! We haven't noticed any warping at all in the ceiling boards. It is holding up excellently well! Hope that helps!

    7. Nikki E.

      March 05, 2021 at 12:51 pm

      I LOVE this idea! I think I'm going to try this in my master bath. How has the wood stood up over time? My biggest concern is using wood in a "wet area". My bathroom doesn't have a door (just an arch between the bed and bath) and there is an exhaust fan. Should that be enough ventilation?

    8. Jennifer Fancher

      February 14, 2021 at 11:27 am

      Hi Grant! Thanks for reaching out. We did not trim the lips off - in fact, they were a great tool to use to keep the spacing even and straight as well as using the lip to nail to the ceiling joists. It also left that 'nickel spacing' look that is beautiful with shiplap type of treatments. Hope that helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions!

    9. Grant Loomis

      February 06, 2021 at 10:28 am

      Hello Jennifer,

      Job looks great! I had a quick question I couldn't gather from the post. Since laminate isn't cleanly cut like traditional wood and has "lips." Did you trim that off? One picture looks like it's still intact but I couldn't quite tell. Wondering if it being inverted made a difference installing. Thanks for your time.

    10. Jennifer Fancher

      December 05, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      Thanks so much, Laura! Unfortunately, all we had were the boards and not the manufacturers box. I would bet it came from either Home Depot or Lowes. You could also visit those stores and look at individual pieces.

    11. Jennifer Fancher

      December 05, 2020 at 1:33 pm

      Unfortunately, all we had were the boards and not the manufacturers box. I would bet it came from either Home Depot or Lowes. You could also visit those stores and look at individual pieces. Hope that helps!

    12. Kaitlyn

      October 27, 2020 at 9:58 pm

      What was the brand and name of the laminate flooring that was used? Would love to get the same!

    13. Laura Patterson

      October 17, 2020 at 5:42 am

      What an amazing idea! Do you happen to know what brand flooring was used?

    14. Jennifer Fancher

      September 30, 2020 at 12:42 pm

      Thanks Megan! I would say our tile was about 1/8 inch thick - not too thick.

    15. Megan Andrewski

      September 27, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      Looks great! How thick was the laminate flooring? We have some left over as well but I'm not sure it's as thick as yours.

    16. Jennifer Fancher

      August 11, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks Mark - it was a fun and economical way to recreate a look without spending a lot of money!

    17. Mark Rupert

      August 09, 2020 at 8:21 pm

      That ceiling is very elegant and exquisitely looking Jen. I have spare laminated floors, I guess I find the use for them. Thank you for sharing this one, it's really timely I guess.

    18. Jennifer Fancher

      June 21, 2020 at 9:59 am

      Thanks for the encouragement, Shirley! So glad to find a fellow DIYer out there who pinches pennies like we do! Let me know if you have any questions and good luck on your bathroom remodel.

    19. Shirley

      June 16, 2020 at 11:44 am

      P.S. love the paint color!!

    20. Shirley

      June 16, 2020 at 11:43 am

      Absolutely stunning!! What a great find on that wood! I would have done the same thing. I’ll start something one way, not like it and it usually ends up looking gorgeous in the end and that’s exactly what you have done. I just started redoing my bathroom in the master and already don’t like a few things and trying to figure out how to change it without expense..lol. Thank goodness for DIY!

    21. Jennifer Fancher

      June 16, 2020 at 11:15 am

      Thank you Tammy! We are so pleased with the results!

    22. Tammy

      June 16, 2020 at 10:30 am

      I absolutely love it! Amazing when a "problem" has such a beautiful solution!!

    23. Jennifer Fancher

      May 16, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      Thanks so much Anne! It was such a happy surprise!

    24. Jennifer Fancher

      May 16, 2020 at 12:55 pm

      Thanks so much Cathy! So glad you stopped by!

    25. Kristin

      May 11, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      This is such a great idea! It looks so amazing!

    26. Cathy Clark

      May 10, 2020 at 12:54 pm

      Perfection!!!! So beautiful & so smart—the ceiling & the light fixture as well!!!

    27. Anne Dee

      May 10, 2020 at 8:14 am

      Great idea - turning the wood over! Love how the room came together. Thanks!

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