Vintage Ceiling Tile Transformation

February 10, 2019



DIY farmhouse shelves pray big sign tin ceiling tiles


Has your decorating style changed over the years? Mine sure has. There was a time when I was partial to a mix of traditional and country, but today that's not the case. There's nothing wrong with change, but for the fact that you're left with home decor items, furniture and accessories you no longer need or want. In an effort to recycle, I do try to use some of these pieces over again in different ways, or in different rooms, etc. And while some can be used "as is" I find that sometimes a little DIY magic is necessary for that item to remain useful in light of my style preference of the day.

*This post contains affiliate links. A purchase of any of these items helps to support this blog and its creative efforts at no cost to you. To read more, please see my disclosure page.



painted vintage ceiling tile distressed black wood frame


Here's one such item. I purchased 4 of these framed vintage ceiling tiles at a craft show in Galena, Illinois 15 years ago. At least I was told they were vintage, having actually been taken from an old building before its demolition. And while they were perfect for my country style decorating back in the day, eventually they no longer fit in with my evolving decor.





I was partial to their history, as well as the crackled paint on the frames.




And believe it or not, the colors matched my decor perfectly. Until they didn't. So they sat in the basement till our infamous garage sale two years ago. After which they went right back to the basement. I considered trying to sell them on our local town garage sale Facebook page, but since they hadn't sold at our actual garage sale I figured it wasn't worth the hassle. I felt bad about just taking them to Goodwill so I held onto them.

Tin Ceiling Tiles | Vintage Tin Ceiling Tiles



Then I had an epiphany. I had been noticing with some frequency that a few of  my favorite online decor retailers (as well as some local craft/home decor big box stores) were selling -- you guessed it -- tin ceiling tiles, but with a chippy, shabby look to them, which was much more to my current taste. So why not give mine a facelift?



I toyed with the idea of taking the tiles out of the frames, but as you can see here the metal tabs on the back of the frame were actually hot glued to the frame. So I thought I'd leave well enough alone on that front. I did, however, feel the need to paint and distress them.




Materials



Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint in Fluff

paint brush

sandpaper or sanding sponge 


white painted framed ceiling tile wall art

Here it is after two coats of paint.


And here it is after I sanded both the tile and the frame.




painted distressed vintage ceiling tile wall art boxwood wreath porcelain cow creamer




cow cremer pitcher boxwood wreath tin ceiling tile

It fits in so much better with my modern farmhouse vibe, don't you think?




I had a blast using them to style my DIY farmhouse dining room shelves.




So what's the take-away from all this? That it's okay to change your decorating style, and even more okay to recycle some old favorites into some new favorites. 

And if you'd rather get the ceiling tile look -- but in the form of wallpaper (which I think is a pretty neat option) -- check out Vintage Tin Tile Peel and Stick Wallpaper


Well, that's it until next time, friends! 

I hope I've inspired you in some way
and you enjoyed reading about my
Vintage Ceiling Tile Transformation.

Don't forget to Pin it!


Stay in touch: Just click on my Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram icons in my top right sidebar. You can also sign up there to receive my blog posts via email newsletter as well.

Sign up for my newsletter --
don’t miss another thrifty,
 DIY home décor post!

Leave a Comment!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Perfect! They look great now! Don't you just love a project where you can reuse it for your decor now!?

Unknown said...

Praying for a swift recovery!! I've had several knee replacement (one got infected twice), but the joints seem to heal amazingly well. Good luck!!

Kathy said...

Praying for your swift recovery. I was an OT and worked with hip and knee replacement vets. Just remember to sit in high seats, "nose over toes"--get your butt up to the edge of the seat (n.o.t.), then push off from where you are and reach for where you are going (i.e. don't push off from your walker, use the chair arms or your knees. Use the gadgets the OT offers you; you won't need them for long, but they come in handy! Do your exercises and you'll be fine!

Barb said...

YOUR IN MY PRAYERS. At the age of 55 I also went through a hip replacement, Never saw it coming, but can say I have had a good experience. Ask me anything! 2 weeks after having surgery I was hanging wash on my line, with my cane! It was 7 years on Dec.31. Please keep us posted on how it's going. You will B a Canaanite!

French Ethereal said...

I love how your ceiling tiles turned out, Kathleen! Aren't you glad that you hung onto those tiles?! A few years ago I was amazed at the prices of original tin tiles ~ pretty steep and very hard to get ahold of any. Nice to see that you have these cuties! Pinned to several boards for you. <3

Happy Valentine's to you,
Hugs,
Barb :)

Mary K. said...

Kathleen I am always on the lookout for these types of tiles. I think they make beautiful art just as you have done with yours and the distressing in a perfect touch!

Decor To Adore said...

This is my type of makeover! I love the new look. Happy Weekend!

Related Posts with Thumbnails