Sometimes the most useful things on this website are not in the posts I write (shocking, I know) but in the comments you all leave– tool tips, building suggestions, light fixture recommendations.
And when I realized last week when Katie was all, “um, hello? Facebook page, please…” was that I don’t use this site the way you all do. Mostly I interact with the admin screen, which means I’m totally out of touch with what would make this website easier to use. (I’d love to be proactive about this, but a girl can only do so much in the wee hours of the morning.) And since I love having this platform to share my craziness projects with all of you, when you ask I listen.
So, here’s a new feature on the site, thanks to Nicole who asked for a way to subscribe to comments.
Now when you post a comment, you’ll see a little check box under the “submit” button that allows you to receive follow-up notifications via email (for just that post) when anyone else comments.
You’ll only get updates for posts you mark the checkbox for, and they will automatically go to the email you enter when posting a comment.
Just another way to keep up with the insanity around here.
On Crooked Ceilings
Nicole also asked for more tool recommendations (totally working on this) and a magic wand to be able to put a straight ceiling on not straight ceiling joists.
I have no magic wand (to my unending disappointment) and I haven’t done this myself, but I can tell you how I’d tackle the crooked ceiling problem in theory:
- Figure out which joist is lowest
- If just one joist is off and it’s less than 1/4″ I would probably use a hand planer to make it level with the other joists.
- If the joists are all over the place, the only way I can think of to fix it, is shim the hell out of everything. Get yourself a good level and a couple of clamps… clamp the level up there and then use a second ruler/tape to figure out how far down you have to shim each joist.
- Consider decorative ceiling elements like tongue and groove wood, or these armstrong faux tin tiles… I suspect this would hide all manner of crooked ceiling evils (while looking fairly awesome).
See? Here to please.
Also, if anyone has any better suggestions for the crooked ceiling problem, it may be an excellent time to check out the new comment subscription feature. Just sayin’.
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Comments
Jake
I work with The company that makes the O’Keeffe’s Working Hands and saw your post a week or so ago and would love to chat with you about the product if you get the chance. Great blog.
Jake 800-275-2718
Allison @ House of Hepworths
What plugin did you use for the email notifications? I need to add that to mine!
Thanks
~Allison @ House of Hepworths
kitliz
I used the Subscribe to Comments plugin – super easy, seems to work good so far: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/subscribe-to-comments/
alan herrell
You can use RC-1 Resilient channel, which is acommercial product available at drywall supply stores.
Below is a link describing the stuff. It also limits sound transmission as well.
http://www.phillipsmfg.com/products/mcif/channels.htm#RC1
Nicole
Thanks, Alan! The book Kit referenced awhile back (Renovation by Michael Litchfield has become my bible) recommended steel something on the ceiling to level it, but there wasn’t really enough detail for me to figure out what he was referring to. I suppose the idea is that you attach these steel channels to the rafters cross-wise, shimming appropriately to make them level in both dimensions, and then you can attach your drywall (or your non-elementary-school-cafeteria-style modular ceiling selection) to those.
I guess what I really need is a tutorial on using laser levels and string more effectively so I don’t spend quite so much time staring at walls, as Kit puts it, ‘pondering the meaning of life.’ Or maybe I should 86 all this measuring and leveling stuff and just eyeball it, since that’s apparently what happened when my house was built to begin with.
Kate R
Thank you Nicole!! And Kitliz, of course! Love that button. Some days I would feel like I was stalking your blog because I would keep checking in to see if there were any comments I missed. Now I only have to check the posts I don’t comment on. Or else start commenting on every post, lol.
kitliz
And Kate has unearthed my devious plan! You have to comment to follow… muah ha ha.
(Okay, it’s not a devious plan, it’s just the way the plugin works!)
Kate R
ROFL! It worked!
Kate R
Um okay, since we’re allowed to ask for things(Wow, kinda like our own little wishlist) … How about a couple of buttons at the bottom of each post for “next” and “previous” so we can go from post to post? When I want to view multiple posts, I always have to go back to the home page & navigate from there.
Lisa
Thanks Nicole for the followup comments suggestion!
A case of beer also helps with crooked ceilings looking straight.
danny
It looks like you guys know everything. So I thought I’d ask you about stretched ceilings. There is a company in New York called Plafond Group that specializes in stretched ceilings. Their website has all the information about stretch ceilings and much more. The web address for their site is http://www.eurostretchedceiling.com