NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Barn apartment progress (and a barn wood wall sneaky peeky)

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Ryan made the mistake of making a list of what was left to do for the barn apartment. It. Was. Ugly. I am very motivated by lists. Ryan … not so much. He prefers to bury his head in the sand.

But, he (with the help of my brother) has really been knocking out a lot of projects and I think he’s feeling better about progress. Like, “maybe it will actually get done sometime before Henry graduates college” feeling better.

Kyle and Ryan1

So I’ll share some of the goings-on since the last update.

Ryan and Kyle built a door for the storage/eaves space from original barn wood. This was a necessity, because I don’t Henry thinking he’s allowed to get in there. There isn’t clearance to make it swing or slide, so it’s just hooked in there.
Barnwood storage door1

Ryan also put lighting in the storage space, which is a necessity for a small space with no windows.

Barnwood plank wall tutorial12

Ryan’s almost finished with the drywall in the bathroom. He’s been sanding, mudding and taping in the evenings and I’ll get to paint this room next.

Bathroom mud and tape renovation1

Speaking of painting, I took the entire day Friday to paint the main living space and Henry’s bedroom. I also knocked out the ceiling. I went with satin Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Dophin Fin (the paint was provided to me at no cost as a Behr DIY Expert).

Barn apartment painting Behr elephant skin1

We decided to take the wall color up past the slanted ceiling because it was a cleaner line there. When we originally rebuilt the barn, this was just going to be storage. So, it wasn’t imperative that everything was straight and even. But then we up and went crazy. So we make it work.

When I first starting cutting in the ceilings, I was nervous. I wanted something REALLY light grey – like almost white. And while the dolphin fin looked almost white at our house (we used it on our dining table and Henry’s kitchen helper), it felt darker in the barn. But once it was all done, it looks great and is plenty light. The color also isn’t too cold or too dark. Barn apartment painting Behr elephant skin2

I talk about Behr paint a lot and I get a lot of questions about it in real life and on the blog. To me, the Ultra (with primer) is worth its weight in gold. I painted our entire house with the paint (and I paid for it), and it consistently covers better than any other paint I’ve used. In the apartment, I was able to only do one coat and some touch up OVER DRYWALL.

I was impressed because I was steeling myself for a second coat. Drywall usually sucks up the paint. But, it only took a little touch up with a brush instead of a second coat. That, my friends, is winning. I’m working on a post about all my lazy girl painting tips because I have some other tips to make your painting jobs fast. But this is your prelude. (By the way, I did need to do two coats of Behr Premium Plus Ultra Pure White ceiling paint in this space. And I hate, hate, hate painting ceilings. My version of hell.)

Barn apartment painting Behr elephant skin4

I did put two coats of the same paint on the built-in cabinetry. Thanks so much to everyone who shared your thoughts on how to handle the cabinetry. A handful of people suggested painted the cabinetry the same color as the wall, and I ultimately decided to go this direction so everything sort of fades away and makes the space seem larger.

Barn apartment painting Behr elephant skin3

We still have lots to do in the built-ins (like trimming out between the cabinets and some sort of feature area above where the television will go. But for now, there’s two coats of paint done. I love how it looks.

 

Built in shelves apartment barn1

And here’s a little sneak peek of one of the barn board walls. WHICH ARE AWESOME AND I AM OBSESSED WITH THEM.) But, I have a ton of pictures of this process, so I’ll be back Friday with the full deets.Barnwood plank wall finished3

Look at me, being so sneaky. Or is it being lazy?Barnwood plank wall finished4

Sneaky, lazy, is there really a difference?

Do you loooooove?

Comments

  1. Wow. You guys are amazing DIYers! I’m not sure my husband and I could do all you’re doing and planning. He’s always fixed things around the house, but upgrading our home and building things is new to the last couple of years. In my dreams I’d like to tackle an old home, but in reality I’m not sure we wouldn’t kill each other! Great post, Kim!

  5. Yes, I loooooove! I am consistenly amazed at your mad DIY skillz. When it comes to this type of stuff, my DIY-ing consists of nagging my husband to do it. 🙂

  6. Wow, it’s coming together so fast! How in the world do y’all find time to get all this done with real life going on? Oh yeah, you’re young. ;0)

    • Oh my goodness, me either. =)

      We are actually using hand-me down hardwoods and I’m a nervous wreck about it. Because I didn’t choose the style or color. But it’ll all work out. Crossing fingers.

  17. I’ve always found that the same paint color looks lighter on furniture than on a whole wall. But it’s looking great in there–so excited to see the big wall reveal!

    • You are totally right. But it also looks exactly the same between the wall and wood up close. So, I don’t get it.It’s like college science all over again.

  18. This looks awesome! I think the color is perfect (contrasts with the ceiling, but still keeps the space feeling bright). And I think painting the angled portion was a good choice, it makes the space feel a little bit taller.