Tray Ceiling Upgrade

A few weeks ago, I decided I really wanted to do something different with the tray ceiling in our kitchen. I scouted Pinterest and Google for ideas and came across this. It was just a picture, no  "how to" or material list so I decided to check out Lowes.

Right near the Aspect Backsplash, they had Fasade "Thermoplastic Multipurpose Backsplash".  I ended up purchasing two sample sheets: one of the silver cross hatch pattern and one a brushed nickel pattern.   Tim was on the fence about this project because it thought it was going to be "too much" with our stainless steel appliances and backsplash. That being said, he was a good sport and went along with it. We both LOVED the brushed nickel design in the store but HATED it once we held it up to ceiling. We decided to go with the silver cross hatch pattern.

Our measurements worked out pretty well for this project. We needed exactly 8 sheets: 2 sheets across, 4 sheets long. This left for very little margin of error but we were confident we could make it work.

I always say that one project leads to another and it proves true again here. We have the original kitchen light that was installed when we bought our house. It's a track light from Ikea that they no longer sell. We don't hate it and it lights the kitchen well. The problem? Changing the bulbs was near impossible. Due to the design of the fixture, there was no where to grab the bulb in order to get it out. We decided that if we wanted to replace the light, we should do it now to ensure the tiles we were installing would cover the electrical opening appropriately.

So when we went to buy our supplies, we also checked out the light fixtures. Luckily I had a 10% off coupon from Lowe's for signing up for electronic statements. We ended up purchasing 8 tiles, adhesive and a new light fixture. We went with an Allen + Roth track light for $88.

First, we painted the edges of our tray ceiling green. Its the same color green as our dining room. Since the kitchen and dining room are attached and the kitchen is basically colorless, we decided to bring in the green. I have to admit I was skeptical of the green at first but ultimately it grew on me.

While the paint was drying, we took down the old light to see what type of mess was under there. We were shocked to find it was actually a normal electrical junction... a rarity in this house.

Next, we laid out our pattern on the floor. It was a little confusing at the start because we essentially had to "flip" our pattern for it to go on the ceiling and keep with the right and wrong edges in order to attach additional sheets.

We started slow but quickly got the hang of it. It was definitely a two person job, especially when it came time to trim around the fixture.

The tiles were relatively easy to cut. We used a cutting mat, ruler, scissors and an X-acto. For around the light fixture, Tim held a tile in place and I used a dry erase marker to outline the fixture right on the tile. After cutting, we simply wiped away any trace of the marker and adhered our tile to the ceiling.

After all the tiles were secured, we attached our new light. When all was said and done, I liked it but I didn't LOVE it. Tim agreed but since it was after 10 pm, we decided to call it a night and re-evaluate in the morning. I thought that maybe it was the green paint and that I would repaint it tan but didn't want to rush into anything.

The next day I went to work and received a text from Tim with this picture...

and I LOVE it. The white (mini) Crown moulding made a huge difference in my opinion. It cleaned things up and really made the ceiling pop.

We ended up using a PVC composite moulding we purchased at Home Depot. It was just over $6 for an 8 ft piece. Tim used the miter saw to cut the interior angles and secured it with the pin gun. A little caulk and white paint and things were looking pretty seamless.

There is NO natural light in my kitchen so pictures are difficult. At one point there was a window over the sink but since we have an addition on our house, that "window" now serves as the bar area. Here is a picture from the floor.

Inexpensive, not labor intensive but lots of impact.