WoodHaven Ceiling Planks by Armstrong – A DIY Adventure With Dana Vento.
As you know, we have been working hard installing a bathroom in our basement, it has been quite the undertaking. We both work full days and at the end of the day, we hardly feel like pushing through, but we do, actually my husband more than myself. As we lavishly live our DIY life out loud for you all to see how items work, we are really excited for this particular install.
We have looked for products like those great KOHLER products that are easy to install and look just right when they are in and the Armstrong Ceiling WoodHaven Planks are the missing piece to the DIY. As we have the walls completed, it is now time to hide those joists and make the room look official, sometimes easier said than done!
I did not want the typical ceiling in their, drywall, basic, because nothing in the new bathroom is basic and slapping up some drywall would really ruin the new ambiance. So where did we find a great name, with great looks to grace our ceilings?
Actually, it might surprise you to know that the same great name you have come to know for floors, Armstrong has some kicking Ceiling products and this made me tickled pink because I know the great quality in their brand.
Here is what we started with, a blank area, that used to be storage, but it had plumbing rough-ins.
I wanted a fancier ceiling that makes the room look complete, official and that can withstand humidity and moisture. Drywall was out, as an option because it was bulky and would take a lot of effort to install. Drywall was also hardly advantageous for aging with moisture as it is not mold or mildew free, causing other problems.
Here is a close-up look at the ceiling and the joists we were working with, pretty straight forward, nothing fancy, so we hope!
One other thought on drywall was from learning previously that with a ceiling constructed of drywall there was no hope of access to anything overhead when things go wrong(electrical, etc) and hindsight is foresight ! We shopped around a lot for a ceiling and in the end the best choice was an Armstrong Ceiling. The ceiling of choice is WoodHaven ceiling planks. This install is slated to be quick, easy and look amazing when it is done. We can’t wait to see the difference in the bare ceiling to the completed project can you?
My DIY plan was all set, and I knew we could do this as I had a certain look and feel I wanted in the room and while we are not professional ceiling installers I had the feeling my husband and I could tackle this DIY Ceiling install with ease. We spent time studying the website and reading about our product, but we actually learned the most by trying out the first piece and moving from there forward. It is imperative with any DIY that you do sit down, plan and read directions or things can go wrong, and we had not time to let anything fall through the cracks since the weekend is 2 days short, therefore, we read and learned.
Let’s look at this again the before and after, because it is just WOW!
I wanted this room to look warm, inviting and all pulled together and while it might seem easy to just slap up a basic ceiling, it is just as easy to install and Armstrong Ceiling. Since our Bancroft Petite Vanity is Black on the base and white, I was able to actually make a color choice for the ceiling between black and white. In the end, I picked white because white adds height to a room whereas, dark colors, like the black, actually make the room appear smaller. Additionally, I want to say our room has the Country Provencal look and the planks offer up that coordinating look without overstating.
What are WoodHaven Ceiling Planks from Armstrong and why would I choose planks? The WoodHaven ceiling planks I chose, look like natural wood, but they are not made of wood. The planks are constructed of a medium density fiberboard, which is perfect for bathroom placement as it won’t expand, shrink or change shape due to humidity and bathrooms are a moisture-rich area! The second factor is that the room is in the basement, so the planks are in an area that often fluctuates with temperature again, this won’t affect the planks! So far so good, right? Here’s another small thought: the WoodHaven Ceiling Planks create minimal cleanup as compared to drywall material which creates, dust, dirt, debris and the need to clean, no thanks! The WoodHaven Planks are light, easy to move and require very little work to install.
When we were out, about and looking at houses, I spent a lot of time looking at ceilings, moldings and how a room presented and one thing was certain a ceiling can make or break a room’s appearance, warmth and beauty! The WoodHaven collection of ceiling planks provides what looks to be natural wood grain, but it is not.
The choices in styles are plenty, and we had our work cut out for us on just deciding what wood we wanted the ceiling to mimic like: rustic knotty pine, weathered driftwood to beadboard. All the planks look like real wood textures which allows a room to be much more intricate in design without doing anything more than placing ceiling planks!
The DIY Installation is here in my video, take a look at how easy it is to get these planks up. Installation is quick, easy an uses the existing joists!
The image below is how we pre-planned on the computer how much material we would need as well as how the ceiling would flow based on the Joist direction.
The ceiling on a 10×10 can easily be installed over a weekend. My husband started into the project and within a few hours he had most of the ceiling up. I was his assistant and as we cut, and hung I was really getting the hang of how-to hang. The results are stunning and it makes drywall a thing of the past! My husband worked over a weekend to get these in and we had to allow for cut-ins(those areas where it was not just one solid piece), that is about the only thing that slows down the process.
The ceiling looks amazing and while we still need to go and purchase the trim, this is pretty much the finished look. If you are looking for a ceiling that actually finishes a room, provides warmth, and you are done with the look of drywall ceilings, this is really a Must Look at ceiling. You will love the ease of installation and the final look is nothing short of an A-HA moment! I can’t believe that this great WoodHaven Ceiling is in our basement and not our upstairs bathroom! I feel another easy DIY project possibly starting! Stay tuned as we lavishly live our DIY installation life out loud and show you how easy it is to install Armstrong Ceiling Products.
Product was received in order to facilitate this review, all opinions of product, images and ideas are my own, as usual!