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.
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.
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.
A cute little inspection stamp.
On the perfect color wood!
I started unpacking the rest of the wood and laid it out upside down.
All those knots and stamps had me swooning!
What a lucky break we had by simply turning the wood over.
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.
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.
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.
Afterward, we were back at the progress we had before and finished the entire ceiling in about an hour.
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!
We tied it all together by adding a strip of cedar to the drop ceiling above the shower.
Then we painted the walls using Iron City by Romabio Paints. It's one of my custom colors with them!
I just love when things work out like that!
It was a total fluke, but with stunning results!
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!
Jennifer Fancher
Hey Tara! Thanks so much for reaching out and for such a great question. We did not seal the ceiling at all - just left it as it came!
It has been almost 3 years since we installed the ceiling and both our boys take long and run-us-out-of-hot-water type of showers. The ceiling still looks the same after all these years!
I hope that helps! Good luck on your project!
Tara
Hi there! We are doing the same thing in our bathroom renno and using the underside of an engineered hardwood flooring. I really want to keep the natural look of this wood, but am concerned about moisture if we don't seal it. We will be using ours above the shower as well (we do have ventilation). Just curious how yours has continued holding up to the moisture? I assume you didn't seal or treat these in any way prior to installation? Do you think using them above the shower would be ok without sealing, or no? I'm having trouble finding an option for sealing/protecting them that won't change the color of the wood. Thanks for your help!!
Jennifer Fancher
Hi Rachel! Unfortunately, the homeowner only left the extra boards and not the branding on them. Wish I could be more helpful!
Rachel D O'Brian
What a beautiful job! WEll done! Do you have the name of the flooring you used?
Amanda Walding
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...
Jennifer Fancher
Yes, we used a pneumatic brad nailer. It's worth the purchase or rental to make the job super quick and easy!
ESTHER M ROJAS
Did you use a nail gun. Thank you for Sharing.
Jennifer Fancher
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!
Nikki E.
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?
Jennifer Fancher
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!
Grant Loomis
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.
Jennifer Fancher
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.
Jennifer Fancher
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!
Kaitlyn
What was the brand and name of the laminate flooring that was used? Would love to get the same!
Laura Patterson
What an amazing idea! Do you happen to know what brand flooring was used?
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks Megan! I would say our tile was about 1/8 inch thick - not too thick.
Megan Andrewski
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.
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks Mark - it was a fun and economical way to recreate a look without spending a lot of money!
Mark Rupert
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.
Jennifer Fancher
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.
Shirley
P.S. love the paint color!!
Shirley
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!
Jennifer Fancher
Thank you Tammy! We are so pleased with the results!
Tammy
I absolutely love it! Amazing when a "problem" has such a beautiful solution!!
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks so much Anne! It was such a happy surprise!
Jennifer Fancher
Thanks so much Cathy! So glad you stopped by!
Kristin
This is such a great idea! It looks so amazing!
Cathy Clark
Perfection!!!! So beautiful & so smart—the ceiling & the light fixture as well!!!
Anne Dee
Great idea - turning the wood over! Love how the room came together. Thanks!