Debbie Travis' Facelift - Episodes - Cassandra's Basement

After

Rock n Roll music requires a radical backdrop, and the zingy yellow paint really gets the point across in this basement Facelift. When you want to kick up the decorating, think outside the box for ingenious materials to work with. That doesn't mean expensive. Our funky coffee table is decorated with washers and cement. Floor tiles are cut from medium density fiberboard. The neon shelves have coloured Plexiglass dividers, and the room dividers are plastic board. From fun fur to bold coloured plastics, the elements combine to make a young, hip space.

Although the room's focus is band practice and teenage fun, mom did require somewhere to work. A corner of the room was designated office space and separated by a moving wall. We toned down the colour to a relaxing shade of blue and the mood changed instantly.

Click on the small photographs on the right to view each of the different angles of the room.

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Coffee Table

The low profile coffee table sits on industrial wheels screwed into 4"x4" pine blocks. The top is decorated with washers of different sizes but the same width, stuck down with carpenter's glue. A layer of hard drying cement, we used Durabond, is smoothed over the top as even as possible to the washers. Once dry, we sanded the top smooth, exposing all the washers' tops, and sealed with oil-based varnish.

Floor

The glossy white tile floor is built from 3/4" thick MDF, cut into 2'x4' pieces. The top edges are rounded with a trim router to look like real tile. Oil-based primer is applied to both sides and the edges to seal completely. Pre-drill holes, six per tile 2 inches in from the edge. Lay the floor over a plywood subfloor and vapour barrier. Secure with washers and screws and prime the metal. Seal the seams with paintable caulking. Apply two coats of floor paint. You can also varnish for added protection, but it must be oil-based.

Heat Shield

We decorated the heat shield behind the wood stove with painted flames. To make the stencil, we stuck adhesive vinyl to the shield and used a template of flames to trace the images onto the vinyl. We cut out the images and used heat resistant spray paint in yellow and orange to colour in the flames. Spray lightly with upward movements to build up the colour. Remove vinyl and wipe away any leaks immediately.

Room Divider

To separate mom's private home office from the wild play area, we installed a room divider with movable corrugated plastic panels. Inspired by the Charlie's Angels TV series openers, we made our own mural in motion of the girls in the Penny Lane band. You need an overhead projector for this project. Take photos and trace images onto a piece of acetate with a black pen. Temporarily tape the plastic panels to a large wall, side by side. Cover the area that will have the image on it with sheets of MacTac (we used yellow). Project the image onto the MacTac and trace around the figures. Cut around the figures with an Xacto knife, and peal away excess MacTac.

Shelf Unit

Carpenter Rob designed this brilliant shelf unit -- not a project for amateurs! Fluorescent light tubes are set inside coloured Plexiglas boxes that support the shelves.

Wall Art

Design your own wall art using coloured plastic CD cases. Choose a big poster of your favourite rock group, draw a grid on the back and cut it into squares that will fit neatly into the cases. It's helpful to number the pieces on the back before you cut so you can easily fit the mosaic puzzle together. Use a level to mark out positions on the wall and stick on each case with Velcro.