Remember that little home gym tease last week? Well, its got a long way to go, but one task is officially off the “to do list”. So just what was all of that fabric for? Custom room dividers! Here’s how it all went down: Most of my time was actually research (to DIY or not to DIY)… I settled on using 2 large artists canvases suspended from the ceiling, clad in that beautiful trellis fabric.
The canvases are 30″ x 60″ in size.
Some of the tools you should keep handy for this project are: A drill, and suitable drill bit, pencil, ruler or measuring tape, screw anchors, hammer, staple gun and staples, safety glasses, of course your fabric of choice.
The hardware I used included:
Adjustable Connectors
Tape (for a decorative edge)
Ceiling Hooks.
Adjustable Connectors.
Hurricane Tape.
I started by cutting 4 pieces of fabric to size. Making sure to leave plenty of overhang to staple to the edges of the canvas. I needed four pieces because, as this is a room divider, I wanted both sides to be identical and equally attractive.
The goal is to keep all staples to the outer edges of the canvas, they will later be concealed with the tape or option of your choice. Next… staple away my friends! This would be a good time to throw on your safety glasses. You don’t want one of those staples pinging back at’cha! If you’ve never stretched fabric before, be sure to start in the centre of one side, stretch and staple directly across on the opposite side. Repeat with the remaining 2 edges, and work your way around the canvas staple by staple, pulling the fabric taut each time. Create a tidy corner and staple down. Repeat steps on the other side of the canvas.
Now its time to cover those staples. I actually was pretty happy with this “hurricane tape”, as it had a monotone checkered pattern and a lot of sheen. It gives the impression of ribbon, without messing around with double sided tape or hot glue.
*NOTE: Pre-drill holes in both the ceiling, and the canvas, and test out how your divider hangs, before stretching the fabric. Use anchors in the ceiling when necessary. After I stretched my fabric, I used a magic marker to dot on the fabric where my pre-drilled holes were. You can use the same drill bit to pierce the fabric and taped edge.
Now, just add your screw hooks! One set on each canvas, and one set to match in the ceiling. Connect the two with your adjustable connectors, set to your desired height, and you’re done!
As you can see, our little home gym has a ways to go… but these dividers have allowed us so many more options in furniture placement in the rest of the basement. We have a finished “L” shape, and the home gym is at the base of that L, with a fireplace directly across from it. Now, with these dividers, we’ll be able to put a sofa with its back to the gym. Phew!
Costs involved in this project: Fabric: $52 Hardware: $20 2 Canvases: $100 So, all in, this project ended up around $170 for 2 large room dividers. And, we have some bonus material left over! Maybe we’ll have some throw cushions in our future…
Where do you get the canvases you start with???
I found these at Michaels Craft Store… wait for a sale! They often put canvases on for 50% off!
This is something new than the other DIY room divider. Thank you for sharing the step by step process as well as the materials used!
I think your adjustable connectors are called turnbuckles. Why do I know this? Furniture – I love when they are used in table bases.
I was thinking that one might trim the cost a bit and use something other than the artist canvas. My mother has some old window screens that are lengthy and rectangular. Since they are lightweight, I might try attaching to ceiling with fishing cord or something similar.
Hi – Found a picture of your cool room divider on pinterest but I don’t see any pictures here.. I would love to include your project in a round-up of room divider tutorials. Let me know if you can update the post with pictures and I’ll include it, thanks!
I really love this simple solution that you came up with, and I love the fabric. I’ve been looking for yellow fabric like that for so long. Can you tell us where you found it?
Thanks! This is from Fabricland (and end-of-the-bolt store), meaning stock is very affordable, but is always changing. So when I see something I like, I buy it! Unfortunately, the bolt didn’t have a proper tag on it, so I can’t even give you the designer’s name to find this exact fabric yourself. But I have been looking around on the internet a bit, hoping to discover the designer.
Another GREAT source for fabric, if you don’t mind waiting for shipping is Quilt Home. They have a wide selection of designers and there is truly something for everyone there. My last order arrived well before I expected it to (nice bonus). And the folks at Quilt Home even gave me a phone call about the smallest of small imperfection in the fabric (we’re talking smaller than a pea size imperfection) to see if I was okay with it. Which I was, which resulted in a small discount for me. Fantastic site, highly recommend it!
What a great idea, and that fabric is so awesome! :)
good idea! they turned out great!
Fantastic idea!
Those are such a great idea! I love the fabric also