Studio Help Needed

[Rita S]

Hi Everybody,

I hope this is the right area to post this..... I am moving back to my original condo shortly where I had first set up my original lampwork studio. It is in the basement w/ your typical cement walls and exposed ceiling.

I'm planning on painting the walls a brighter color, putting down a new vinyl floor as well as brighter lighting. My questions to you all is: outside of installing a drop ceiling to hide the current ugly view what else do you think can be done for the ceiling?

Unfortunately funds are tight so I can't do the drop ceiling. One direction my thoughts have gone is getting lots and lots of material (fireproof?) and staple it to the joists to cover the uglyness up. Any thought on this? Anybody out there ever try something like this? Think this id do-able?

Thanks for the help..........
Rita

[Cherine Perrin]

I'm thinking the material idea sound great. I'm not sure any about fireproof fabric. But you could get some bolts of inexpensive white cotton & dye them with that RIT dye's from the grocery store.

Good Luck!
Cherine

[rosiescreations]

This might help with the material idea. They sell burlap that you can treat and it comes in a bunch of colors
http://www.eburlap.com/fire_retardant.htm

[IF-Designs]

you could always paint the exposed parts ;) have fun with it too!

[debkauz]

I think I'd be pretty cautious with the fabric idea. I don't htink it's worth the risk of a fire just to not look at the ceiling. You are making beads anyway. Concentrate on that and not the ceiling! LOL! It's the beadies that are important.

[adovbs]

we had exposed ceiling in a place I worked a while back - they painted everything a textured flat black. Kept the ductwork exposed and everything, but left it silver/chrome, whatever you call it. Add some dashes of primary color, and I think it could look pretty cool!

Teresa

[Rita S]

Thanks for all the replys. I haven't made up my mind completely on what I'm going to be doing but I know it'll be something. :smile: One thing I definately have to do is investigate why it seems to get so dirty so quickly even w/ new glass block windows. The place is somewhat old, about 50 years, so I guess I can't expect a spotless basement.

One of the reasons I was thinking about putting material on the ceiling was thinking that it would catch whatever seemed to be falling from the ceiling. Perhaps this was my imagination. A friend of mine suggested that the junk might be coming thru the areas that are above the poured basement walls, where the outside ground meets the walls. Time to go to the local home store and ask what can be done to improve the situation.

Mmmmm....... I do like the idea of splashes of color to liven the place up.......

Thanks again,
Rita