We are happy to report that the Attic Office (the formerly unfinished room over our garage) is NEARLY done. Since we last posted, the CEILING LAP BOARD has been cut, nailed into place, and painted…the CEDAR BEAMS have been finished and recessed lighting installed…the WALLS have been drywalled, taped, sanded, textured, and painted…and the A/C ducts have been put in! We are SO CLOSE TO DONE, so we wanted to share the updates and some things we learned along the way.
Let’s remind ourselves where we began.
BEFORE: Our forgotten attic space. This was a previously inaccessible, never finished “room” over the garage.
Midway Through Project: Now, with over 70% of the room done, we have interior stairs, floor boards, insulation, drywall, lighting, and air conditioning!
Here’s a quick recap of walls and ceilings, and what we learned along the way!
Kneewall + Drywall
The space above the garage, aka our new attic office, is essentially just a peak. The walls are sloped from roof ridge to floor on two sides and then vertical on the ends. To make the attic office look more like a proper room we decided to build knee walls.
In our area, knee walls are not required in spaces like this, so we had a lot of freedom to decide how tall they were going to be. Too tall and the room would feel too narrow. Too short and they might look ridiculous.
We ultimately decided on 3 foot tall knee walls. Besides aesthetics, they served two purposes: 1) to allow for placement of our electric outlets and 2) to conceal the a/c duct lines. We used 2×4 lumber to layout the knee wall. Studs were attached (at the top) to the ceiling rafter beams and attached (at the bottom) to another 2×4 we secured to the floor. We also considered where the electrical drops were going to be and (thanks to our favorite electrician, Mr. Mason) everything was laid out perfectly and to code.
Not sure about local building codes? Always look up the codes in your area, or just ask your friendly building inspector, like we did!
The drywall on the side knee walls and the ends of the attic office were then taped and sanded.
Measuring the angled drywall pieces at the top of the stairwell was a serious challenge.
Instead of doing all sanding work by hand, we rig up a rotary sander+shop vac combo. We use duct-tape (’cause it never stays put!) to attach a vac hose to the rotary sander dust port on one end, and attach the other end of the hose to the shop vac. It’s a louder operation (wear hearing protection!), but it’s MUCH faster, LESS strenuous, and FAR LESS MESSY than sanding everything by hand. Since the shop vac is continuously collecting dust, less dust ends up in your air and the overall clean-up is much quicker.
Wall Texture
Next up —- spray-on texture for the attic office walls. To apply, we use a sprayer handle (with an attached hopper) and our air compressor. The sprayer comes with 3 sizes (small, medium, large) for the nozzle. We used the smallest nozzle to achieve smaller texture.
To achieve our desired “orange peel” texture on the drywalled stairwell and knee-walls to match the rest of the house (note: this step is not a must), we mixed our bag of dry texture (available at any home improvement store) with cold water in a 5-gallon bucket/ Our final texture mix had a consistency similar to a thick paint. It’s better to add too much water than too little. If the mix is too dry, it will jam up in the funnel of the texture sprayer.
Set your air compressor to between 60-90 psi. At 90 psi, the texture seems to come out in a finer spray which allows you to add a little at a time and not over-do it.
The secret to applying texture — random, circular patterns as you move at a medium pace! Slow pace = glumpy walls. Fast pace = too little texture. It’s a good idea to use some scrap wood or drywall to test your technique before applying to the wall itself.
Ceiling Lap Boards
Quick wins with —- shiplap! This part of the project took us from dark and unfinished to almost done in a couple days! Sooo satisfying!!!
We decided against drywall on the ceilings of the attic office because we wanted some additional layers and texture in the room. Lap board is more expensive, but it’s so easy to install. No spackling, sanding, or texture is necessary. Also, the thought of holding full sheets of drywall up to the angled ceilings as the other person got a few screws into the rafters was not an appealing option.
We purchased 9/16 in. thick x 5-1/4 in. wide x 16 ft long, primed lap boards (depending on your location, you may only find these boards in 12ft lengths – still great to use!). We wanted to reduce the number of seams and make the job go a little faster. The over-‘lap’ insures the gaps are consistent without the need for spacers. We used our finish nail gun and tacked the lap board onto the ceiling rafters.
Melissa used our multitool to shave off pieces of the shiplap. This was necessary in places where the board length didn’t end squarely on a rafter.
Chris enlisted Jolie to help to. They are careful to level it as they go. First piece is up — only about a hundred more to go!
Within about 2 hours, almost one entire side of the ceiling has been installed. It really does move quickly, especially with one person measuring, one cutting, and installing together. Teamwork!
Ceiling Cedar Beams
Initially, there were only 3 collar ties in the attic office space. These horizontal wood supports are used to brace the roof and increase stability in wind. The original ones installed were scrap 2x4s the builder placed 5 feet above the floor. We knew we needed to raise them and integrate them into the design.
Removing the beam was simple, but for the record, those beams were still a pain….literally. Everyone over 5 feet tall hit their head on at least one collar tie during early construction!
To accomplish the aesthetics we wanted in the attic office, without sacrificing structural integrity, we raised the collar ties approximately 18 inches higher, added 2 additional collar ties, and doubled up the wood so that we could add drop-lights.
We then clad the 2×4 crossbeams in cedar (using the smooth side out, not the rough sawn side). Then, we drilled holes directly into the cedar for the can lights.
We left the top side of cedar beam open to allow for easier access in case we need to change a bulb or the fixture in the future. The cedar was then painted with a clear satin polyurethane to protect it from moisture and prevent discoloration.
These are the same recessed lights (purchase on Amazon here) we used in the basement renovation. Super easy to install. With one wire running from the switch we daisy-chained them all together. We were able to hide the wire in the crossbeam cavities, running it across the top along the ceiling ridge beam.
Of course, setting the last few boards around each of the 4 beams was the most difficult part of the ceiling install. But then, we were ready for paint!
Painting All the Things!
To make the attic office space as bright and open as possible, Melissa chose her favorite paint color (well, one of her favorites anyway) – white. Specifically, Behr Premium Plus in Ultra Pure White in Satin Enamel (yep, right out of the can). The stain finish looks great on walls and ceilings and goes on perfectly with our trusty Graco Magnum airless paint sprayer.
We have used our Graco Magnum X5 airless paint sprayer so many times in the last couple of years and it has never given us any problems. This sprayer just keeps going and makes jobs so much easier/time efficient.
First, we prepped the space — covered the cedar beams, the outlets and the A/C grates, and taped plastic at the bottom of the stairs. Make sure you have a small roller ready to smooth out any drips on the ceiling shiplap.
There’s a real joy in taking on challenging projects that add value to your home and your life. Projects of this size can be difficult, but in the end you can’t beat the satisfaction you feel as you stand back and admire the fruits of your labor.
In our next post, we’ll share our finished DIY wood floors!
If you found this post useful and inspiring, save THIS PIN to your Attic Offices board on Pinterest.
Jami says
What did you use to disguise the shiplap seams where 2 boards met? Having a difficult time in our attic conversion keeping our seams from cracking.
Brooke says
Hi! Love your project, what width shiplap did you use? (I see you used 16ft length, sorry if I missed the width.) Thanks!
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Brooke – you’re not the first person to ask this question. We were able to get shiplap delivered to our house in this size: 9/16 in thick. x 5-1/4 in. wide x 16 ft long. I just amended the post though because it seems, in many areas, that 12 ft long shiplap planks are more common than 16ft. But either will work well. In any case, 5 1/4 inch was the width – to answer your question. Good luck on the project!!
Elizabeth says
We finished our room. We are so thankful for your detailed explanation and pictures of your finished attic space. We love our new space. Is there a way to share photos with you?
Deana says
Were you concerned with not using drywall to help with heating and cooling costs? We have a bonus room and woukd like to use something else besides drywall, to avoid the mess. I had a quote from a guy and of course he recommends drywall for efficiency. We do have insulation but thought about adding more insualtion so we could do shiplap on all floors and celings. Any ideas? Thanks. Love your finished room!
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Deana, That’s an interesting question. I’m not certain that there’s a significant difference in the r-value of wood lap board and drywall. However, I am certain that lap board, especially pre-primed, is far easier to install than drywall! But lap board is also more expensive than drywall. If it were us, we would likely go with the look we want that fit our budget. And you could truly this project on your own – sans contractor. We would love to see your finished space!
Allison Fraas says
Hello! What did you use as trim between the shiplap and the wall at the ends?
Elizabeth says
What size lights did you use? How do you heat and cool the area?
Elizabeth says
What size lights did you use? 4 inch or 6 inch? How did you heat and cool the room? We have almost the exact same room and dimension and are adding a mini split
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Elizabeth, We used 3″ LED can lights. Worked great! In fact, we use them all the time for most of our projects. Good luck to you on your attic space!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for th response. Where did you all find the 16ft shiplap. So far we have only been able to find 12ft. We went with 4in can lights. We bought our cedar for light boxes today. Getting excited.
Allison Fraas says
Hello! The link for the lights seems to go to a 3inch set. Is it correct? Thanks!
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Allison – yes they are 3″ lights. I think I misidentified them as 4″ previously, but they’re definitely 3″. I literally just purchased some last week for our newest project. 🙂 Now I need to double-check I didn’t write 4″ anywhere else. LOL
Mallory Wear says
We are looking at transforming our attic to a playroom and I appreciate the detailed layout. A couple
Questions:
1. What is the sq footage of your space?
2. Would you mind sharing an estimate if costs for all materials, electrical and insulation?
3. What made you go regular insulation over foam?
Thank you!!
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Mallory, Happy to answer!
1. The finished space was approximately 22 ft x 12 ft. (264 sq ft)
2. Great question! We estimated all of our costs on this post (scroll to the bottom): https://renosemipros.com/finished-attic-office-reveal/
3. We were going to spray foam, but because we wanted to leave air space for the ridge vent, we used the rigid foam as baffles and then had room for regular insulation on top. Ultimately, we were trying to achieve over the recommended R-value for the space, which we were able to do.
I hope that helps!! — Melissa
Arby Popp says
Are your lapboards MDF or wood? Where did you purchase them?
Melissa Metzger says
Arby, Good question – all the lap boards were real wood that we purchased pre-primed. Then, we sprayed the finish coat on with our airless sprayer. We were able to skip the priming step that way. We purchased the wood from a box store (Lowes or Home Depot).
Nicole says
Hi! Looks great. How did you lay out the pattern for lap boards? What was the length of each board you used? Thanks 😊
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Nicole, we bought boards in 16′ lengths because it gave us so much flexibility to lay them out in our 22-ish long span of wall. We essentially eyeballed everything, cut so they weren’t all lined up, and then used the remnants to start the next row. So, for example, if the wall was exactly 22 ft long, we would use a 16 ft long board first, then we would cut another 16′ long board down to 6 ft, to fit the remaining wall space for that run (22 ft – 16 ft = 6 feet). Then, we would have a 10′ piece leftover, and that piece would be used to start the next row up. It wasn’t perfect, but it needn’t be, so long as the seams don’t line up, and are somewhat staggered, you’re golden. Hope that helps!
RUPERT says
Hey I love the finished project great job very impressive!! We are going for a similar look and am wondering what the dimensions of the cedar boards used to to make the beams are?
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Rupert! Thank you! The width of the cedar was 6″ (or actual 5.5″) wide, but the length would obviously depend on your space. Ours ended up being approximately 2.5′ across at the longest length point. We hope that helps and would love to see your finished product!
Jackie says
Hello! We are going to be diving into our FROG room here soon and love how you detailed the process you went through. One question I have, how were you able to close that “gap” between the cedar collar ties and the lap boards? In some photos I see the gap during your installation and then it’s not there in your completed photos. Did you have to recut lap boards or did you fill it in with the piece that was cut out? I’m so curious! Thank you!
Melissa Metzger says
Hi Jackie! Good luck on your FROG! We cut small strips of the leftover lap board and put it into place, then used caulking to finish the seams. They are almost invisible in person and in photos. So, I zoomed in and put some arrows around the faint lines for you. We hope that helps! And we’d love to see pics of your space once you tackle it.
Elizabeth says
What size lights did you use? 4 inch or 6 inch? How did you heat and cool the room? We have almost the exact same room and dimension and are adding a mini split
Melissa Metzger says
A mini-split would be perfect for the space! We wired for one on the outside of the wall, but never ended up installing it. Overall, we re-routed two small ducts from the main floor and used them for the attic office.