Farmhouse Master Bedroom Restoration Part 1

Restoring the master bedroom in our 1800’s farmhouse has been quite the process.  One year later and I am back to show you the before and after pictures.

Farmhouse Master Bedroom Restoration: Before and After

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Farmhouse Master Bedroom Restoration: Before

I took the above picture in September of 2018 when we first looked at our house.

After closing on our house in January of 2019, Kurt and I spent the weekends here until we were ready to move in full time.  This was our temporary sleeping situation.

I will never forget waking up the first morning.  First, wondering if it was all a dream and if this was really our house.  Second, I noticed the century old trees that could be seen out the second story windows while still laying in bed.  I don’t know why but I think that is soo neat.  Third, there were chips of paint in our bed.  Where did it come from?  The beautiful tin ceilings that are original to the 1899 addition.

Original Farmhouse Tin Ceilings in the Master Bedroom

The amount of time and labor that went into sanding, priming, and painting these ceilings was more than most would be willing to invest.  We were fortunate enough to have my Dad’s help with this process.

*When you have an old home or buy old painted items, beware that they may contain lead paint.  Be sure to take necessary safety precautions.

This is what the ceiling looked like once it was sanded.

The Master Bedroom Fireplace

Ever since buying our house I wondered what (if anything) was under this faux paneling.  I was advised to leave it be, since it could easily be painted and look nice as is.  If you know me I am not one to listen to advice that goes against what I want to do.  One night I gained the courage to start ripping the paneling off and I am so glass I did.

Underneath all that paneling was a beautiful brick fireplace!

Master bedroom: Walls & Trim

This room had all the original trim, wide plank wood floors, and plaster and lath walls that were covered with layers of old peeling wallpaper.  In an attempt to restore the original plaster, we used drywall compound to smooth out the imperfections and blend the layers of wall paper that were not coming off.  This process required applying the compound, sanding, and repeating multiple times.

The trim was also in rough shape.  It all had to be sanded really well, patched, primed, and painted.

Progress to the Master Bedroom

When you have a fixer upper, you put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears before you start to see the progress.  Once we were able to prime the walls, ceiling, and trim the hard work really began to show.  I especially loved seeing the vintage brass chandelier replace the dated ceiling fan.

Master Bedroom Wall Paint

Even after the layers of drywall compound and hours of sanding, these walls still had a bit of texture to them.  I personally love the character it adds but felt as though a matte paint would be the best sheen for this room.  Usually matte is not an option but with Behr’s new Scuff Defense paint I was able to get the look I wanted without sacrificing durability.  So far this paint has lived up to it’s expectation and I am really happy with how it went on, covers, and holds up.  I used the color White Moderne and I’m obsessed.

Painted Farmhouse Floors

I get a lot of questions about our painted floors.  I will talk more about this soon, but basically I love our painted floors and the cozy cottage vibe they bring to our authentic farmhouse.  I wanted to carry that look to our master bedroom.  First, I had to clean out the plaster filled cracks between each floor board.  That was a long process in and of itself.  Then I used Zinsser 123 Plus to prime the floor and 2 coats of Behr Porch and Floor paint in the color BM Edgecomb Gray.  We do not seal our floors.

Farmhouse Master Bedroom Restoration: After

Looking back, I can not believe just how far this room has come.  Having a bedroom that is warm and welcoming makes all the difference in making a house a home.  I can’t wait to start moving our furniture into this space and start using it as our bedroom.

My temporary fix for the open closet space was to add four of these curtains.  Eventually, I would love to make this look like a built in cabinet.  For now, I am loving the cozy vibes that these curtains add.

Things to do still in the Master Bedroom:

We still have a few final details to do in this room, like fix the mortar between the bricks at the top of the chimney, add shoe molding, and make the old closet look like a custom built in cabinet.  We also need to renovate the master bathroom and walk in closet.  Those will be projects we tackle over time.

Thank you so much for following along with our master bedroom restoration process.  Your support and encouragement throughout the process gave me the motivation to keep at it, even when I felt like giving up.  Fixer upper life is not an easy life, but boy is it rewarding.  Thank you for being here through it all.  I can’t wait to share Part 2 of this room reveal which will show how I decorate this space.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram for more behind the scenes and daily updates!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will be sure to answer them in future blog posts.

Paint Colors in the Master Bedroom

Ceiling: SW High Reflective White in Satin

Walls: Behr Scuff Defense White Moderne Matte

Floors: BM Edgecomb Gray in Behr Porch and Floor Paint Low Luster

Looking for more fixer upper inspiration?

Check out these posts!

DIY Farmhouse Painted Stairway Transformation

Farmhouse Dining Room Restoration: Before and After

Part 2: Farmhouse Dining Room Reveal