Country Bedroom Makeover

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Country Bedroom Makeover

Rita Hill asked Scott Cam, the builder from Backyard Blitz, to get in touch with his feminine side and help out with this romantic bedroom makeover. Before they began, the bedroom was very stark, with four white walls and polished boards on the floor. Scott and Rita decided to give it a country-style look to tie in with the rest of the house.

How it was done

1. Scott installed tongue-and-groove panelling around the walls (see his step by step instructions below).

2. Rita painted the panelling a very feminine, soft pink colour. (Hint: when painting panelling, do the grooves first and then go over the lot with a roller.)

3. A balloon-style blind was made using poly cotton fabric. The blind was not lined, so it doesn't block the natural light from the window. Most fabric suppliers have patterns and/or instruction booklets on how to make window dressings. If you have never attempted anything like this before it is a good idea to follow one of these instruction books as a guide. They will outline all the requirements and explain the correct way to measure out the fabric for your chosen blind.

4. A bed, a mint-green cupboard and bedside tables were purchased at second-hand stores. Rita decided that these items of furniture would be perfect for the bedroom makeover.

5. Bedlinen by Charlie Brown (Pimlico Princess 'Green Floral') ties in with the soft pink hues and the mint-green cupboard. A lightweight quilt was made to go over the end of the bed, using leftover pink fabric. We sewed two 180cm squares of fabric together with an insert of Dacron wadding the same size inside. Measure 10cm intervals along each side and top stitch in straight lines to form a grid pattern. As a finishing touch, a mosquito net was draped over the bed.

6. Finally, Rita popped some roses into an old bucket which was bought secondhand and spruced up with pink paint.

DIY tongue-and-groove wall

Scott Cam showed how to add country-style, tongue-and-groove wood panelling to a room using panels that look the part, but won't break the bank.

What you'll need

Easycraft wall panels (see below) spirit level construction adhesive, pins and nails 75mm MDF architraves for doors 75mm x 9mm MDF strips for door architraves (see step 2) capping piece for panelling (we used sash window stop beads) tube of No More Gaps

1. Strip out the skirting boards and take the architraves off any doors that are in the way. The panels we used are 900mm high, so allowing for a small gap at the bottom we need to draw a level line around the room 910mm off the floor. Use a spirit level to make sure the line is perfect and then make checks around the room to ensure the distance from the line to the floor is at least 902mm, as an out-of-level floor could bring the distance below 900mm.

2. The place where the architraves were must be built up to the same thickness as the panelling is going to be (9mm). So if your new architrave is a colonial mould 75mm wide, your strip must be 75mm x 9mm. Scott only had to worry about one door so he used left-over strips of panelling, but if you've got a few doors, buy a sheet of 9mm Craftwood/MDF and get your timber yard to cut it into 75mm strips. The strips must mirror the architrave so you will need a 5mm quirk line (see diagram).

3. To install the panelling, butt your first piece up to the built-up strip and hold with construction adhesive. Scott used a nail gun to fix his panels into the studs behind a Gyprock wall. Small bullet head pins will do for a brick or render fix, and use plenty of glue. Blocks nailed to the floor (making sure the nail holes will be covered by the skirting) will temporarily hold the panels until the glue goes off. Props will hold the tops or middle of the panels. Work towards the corners of the room and cut pieces of panelling to fit the corners. Remember, make sure the tops of the panelling are always meeting your perfectly level pencil line.

4. Now replace the architrave around the door. You have built this area up with the MDF so it should fit nicely over the panelling. Then replace the skirting board. This will butt up to the architrave.

Note: the internal joins of the skirting need what's called a scribe cut (not a mitre cut), which is made using a coping saw. These are quite tricky and require a lot of practice. Ask a tradesman (if you know one) to show you how they're done.

5. To finish off, a capping piece is needed for the panelling. Scott used a stop bead from a sash window, because they're not too big and don't take away from the panelling. Nail the stop bead onto the top of the panel, use a little bit of No More Gaps for your internal corners and you're ready to paint the panels. Remember that the panelling is supposed to give the illusion of timber so a full gloss paint will look sensational.

Product information

We used Easycraft wall panels, available through Laminex Industries, phone 132 136. The panels are made from a high moisture-resistant, medium-density-fibreboard (MDF). They come primed and ready to paint. The panels we used in the bedroom are 900mm high, and the largest sheet available is 3600mm long and 1200mm high. They cost around $15.30 per square metre and are available from all stockists of Laminex products.

Dulux 'Sheer Bliss' acrylic paint costs about $62 for 4 litres.