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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 07:36 PM 02-05-2017
So I'm moving into our new space with a playroom totally devoted to the kiddos. In our previous arrangement our main area was my living room. I have NOTHING for the walls at this point, and they are white. I'm on a tight budget and contending with the craziest carpet scheme ever. Anyone have budget friendly ideas to make the space less sterile for the time being? The picture is of the room from the real estate listing. Just look at that carpet!

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Sumshine 08:41 PM 02-05-2017
I bought a BUNCH of posters from the dollar tree! They have ABCs, 123s, oposite words/pics, synonym words/pics, shapes, colors, life of a butterfly, life of a frog, and I got a big birthday one for all the kiddos! Each one had 2 in the pack so that was nice. Last time I was there about 2 weeks ago they still had them. It really makes a big difference in how my area looks! I also have a big preschool wall with our curriculum posters, a white board, etc along with a big corkboard to hold my son's and group art projects.
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Lil_Diddle 08:44 PM 02-05-2017
I've seen lots of diy sensory boards on Pinterest. http://pin.it/witt1Oz I actually have a Melissa and Doug one screwed to my wall and the kids love it and pay more attention to it now that it's on the wall. I also laminated 12x12 sheets of the children's families. One for each child. They love randomly going up to see photos of mom and dad. The kid's artwork, maybe a bulletin board. Just get some cork board.
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Josiegirl 02:06 AM 02-06-2017
I want that room!!! It's gorgeous
Are you handy with drawing/painting at all? I can picture murals on it.
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DaveA 04:10 AM 02-06-2017
First I would move the gun safe.

I don't have a ton of wall space. Every wall has either a large opening or a bay window. My walls are pretty simple- corkboard/ dry erase board for parent info, a vinyl wall sticker of a tree and parrots, a Fraggle Rock wall clock, and a poster. About the only thing that's "different" is I used my kids and 2 DCKs and made footprints going up the wall and handprints on the ceiling in one corner.

You have tons of space for floor level mirrors, chalkboard/ dry erase boards, and felt boards.
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Gemma 04:12 AM 02-06-2017
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
I want that room!!! It's gorgeous
Are you handy with drawing/painting at all? I can picture murals on it.
I was going to suggest that^^^
I have a mural and some wall decor stickers
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Gemma 04:14 AM 02-06-2017
Originally Posted by DaveA:
First I would move the gun safe.

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Pestle 05:31 AM 02-06-2017
Paint. I'm a big believer in reducing clutter, extreme visual contrast, and the spatter of primary colors that gets flung all over kids' spaces by well-meaning adults.

Are the walls flat or are they paneled? I can't tell. If not paneled, I'd put a line of painter's tape aligned to the window sills, put my wall paint below, and leave it white above or paint it a pale color. I'd make the color below to match the buff border on your carpet, or a grayed, paler shade of the accent color in your carpet--is it green or just dark gray?

After that, just hang a few framed art prints down at kid height and you're good!
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/educatio...arning-n223436
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Blackcat31 06:27 AM 02-06-2017
I vote for paint and giant wall stickers!

It's easy to separate corners or areas of a room by using different themes and types of wall stickers. You can find them at Home Depot, Menards, Amazon, Walmart, Target etc.....

Super cute, fun and easy to apply and remove/rearrange!

https://www.google.com/search?q=Wall...s+room&imgrc=_
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Lovisa 06:28 AM 02-06-2017
I have abc stickers going along the top of one wall. I use another wall to display some of the kids' crafts (I switch them out as we do different ones). I have my bulletin board with my license and other stuff I need displayed for licensing. And the other wall just has my diaper changing station hanging (basically a plastic thing with pockets that is typically used for shoes but I use it for diapers, wipes, etc).
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Blackcat31 06:32 AM 02-06-2017
If the fire place hearth is needing to be covered, Pinterest has some fantastic ideas on how to cover it super cute and easy to do!

https://www.google.com/search?q=fun+...UIBygC#imgrc=_
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Gemma 07:06 AM 02-06-2017
I painted a section with chalkboard paint, and one with magnetic paint, you really can't see it but the kids know where they can play magnets on the wall, kids enjoy both
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kidcrazednluvingit 11:08 AM 02-06-2017
How about the kids artwork for a quick fix? Let them paint with watercolors or tempura paints. You can make a cheap display with twine and clothes pins, or just tape them on the wall with blue painters tape and colored construction paper behind? ... cheap, cute, and good for their self esteem!
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Ariana 11:41 AM 02-06-2017
You can get cheap paint at most paint or home stores if you look in their discount bin. Some colours that were brought back go for 1/4 of the price! Or ask your neighbours and friends if they have any cans collecting dust. I just gave 2 cans of paint to a friend to paint her master bedroom because I did not like the colour (too pale for me).

I also love displaying kids artwork. Get some canvas at the dollar store and let the kids paint them and hang them. Or get a cork board or some frames and display them like that.
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CityGarden 11:49 AM 02-06-2017
I would certainly paint..... including one area of chalk board paint (they no longer have to be black), I also really love a space dedicated to the children's art and a space with family photos

Wall decals are nice I like the ones that are a map of the world.
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Sumshine 12:48 PM 02-06-2017
Originally Posted by Gemma:
I painted a section with chalkboard paint, and one with magnetic paint, you really can't see it but the kids know where they can play magnets on the wall, kids enjoy both
I didn't know they make magnetic paint! I have some cool fridge magnets that never get used because we are hardly upstairs where my kitchen is and I was thinking of buying/hanging a big baking sheet for them to use but magnetic paint would be so much cooler and probably look better as well!
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Pestle 01:13 PM 02-06-2017
I came up with another idea. Definitely paint, since stark white will create an eye-watering contrast with any art or wall stickers you put up, and since white is a glaring, sterile background that's not recommended for learning or working environments. You could create zones in the space by picking one warm and one cool pale neutral color. The back wall in this photo and the portion of the right-hand wall up to the hearth could be one color, and the remainder of the room the other color.
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debbiedoeszip 01:19 PM 02-06-2017
I have some seasonal decor that I picked up from Party City and Dollarama (so lots of snowmen, snowflakes, etc), and I have kid-friendly art that I bought from Value Village. The art work is funky pictures of animals and colourful folk art pieces. I don't have anything "educational" or anything related to movies/tv on the walls.
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 02:10 PM 02-06-2017
Thanks everyone for all the ideas!!! I definitely have noted a few things I'm going to try to run with.
Unfortunately we don't have dollar stores up here.

After spending all this morning in the room, and trying to take some pictures... that carpet. It's soooo busy, it kind of drove me a little nuts. I have several large area rugs that are solid or muted patterns that I'm using to try and cover some of it and create distinctive areas. But I think that the carpet will force me to keeping the walls nice and simple. I will be checking the "oops" bin at the Home Depot a little more frequently looking for so paint. And I totally have a can of chalkboard paint in the garage I forgot about.

...and yes, BC, the hearth is one of the projects on the list. I was actually leaning toward the pool noodle idea, because the edge isn't quite square (it has like a "rim" that sticks out). I was talking it over with dh and he suggested pipe insulation instead. Still have to do a little research.
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 02:11 PM 02-06-2017
BC, I just clicked over to that link you suggested, and it actually looks like the very first pictures is pipe insulation! DH may be onto something after all.
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Gemma 02:36 PM 02-06-2017
Originally Posted by Sumshine:
I didn't know they make magnetic paint! I have some cool fridge magnets that never get used because we are hardly upstairs where my kitchen is and I was thinking of buying/hanging a big baking sheet for them to use but magnetic paint would be so much cooler and probably look better as well!
That's a good idea! I got mine at Home Depot, it was sold in very little containers I forgot how many I had to buy to do the wall, but it was worth it ...it's nice that you can paint over with whatever color you want, just keep in mind that the more coats you apply, the more weight it will hold (heavy magnet)
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Pestle 07:24 AM 02-08-2017
Couple of different ways you could paint the walls to add a little interest without putting the focus on the walls. The darker color below will create less contrast between any pinned-up artwork you have and the wall it's on, which is good, while creating a horizon/skyline effect with the light color above, making the room feel airier. The second way adds subtle color and creates zones within the room.
Attached: playrm1.png (878.8 KB) playrm2.png (885.9 KB) 
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daycarediva 09:02 AM 02-08-2017
I would paint the walls, even an light beige, white is blinding.

I went with WAY TOO MUCH color in my room. New space is going to be VERY light tan walls and a mural on one wall, the rest are plain. Wood floors, wood trim, natural toys.

Out of curiosity, what's under that carpet? Could it be hardwoods? I would be way too tempted to peel up a corner and peek. We had the UGLIEST green carpet in our old home, and I lifted a corner- hardwoods in PERFECT shape (aside from the carpet tack strip around the edges).
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 09:59 AM 02-08-2017
Pestle... where did you go to do that?! I'd love to play with some things!

-Most likely not hardwood underneath. We're on the lower level, and I'm betting its concreted. The carpet is super padded, and there is laminate in the downstairs kitchen. So I'm pretty sure its just the concrete slab underneath.
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Pestle 11:21 AM 02-08-2017
The program is called Sumo Paint and it's free. It's not the most user-friendly on my tiny little Chromebook screen, since they have a lot of ads and I haven't figured out how to shrink the tool sidebar. I haven't used it on our big gaming PC with the gigantic monitor. I've only used it a couple of times, but I like that it has some of the same tools as Photoshop.

My playroom is concrete slab (former carport) covered with the Orange Vinyl Composite Tiles of Ick. Several of them are shattered and the pad from the original carpet decayed and fused to the tiles. (Matilda, anyone? "Fibers are fused to the head! Fibers are fused to the head!")

So we ripped up the tack strips, scrubbed the VCT, gave up cleaning the pad off of it, and threw the carpet tile down on top with no adhesive; so far it's been fine (10 months of daily use). I originally thought LVT (the newer, flexible vinyl tiles with high-resolution images beneath the wear layer) would be my end goal, but I'm so pleased with the carpet tile I may just stick with that when it comes time to replace. It's cushier than a resilient flooring and I don't allow any food in there, so no stains so far.
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daycarediva 10:15 AM 02-09-2017
Do you have a lumber liquidators? We just put the LVP in the basement of our current house (concrete, but finished space, and I wanted something super inexpensive since we are moving soon) they have it on sale right now for .59/sf! The 600sf workout room cost me a little over $300.
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 02:13 PM 02-09-2017
Unfortunately we don't have bargain stores of any kind (no Dollar General, Big Lots, Harbor Freight) NOTHING. Everything basically has to be shipped into the area and they just can't make them cost effective.


Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Do you have a lumber liquidators? We just put the LVP in the basement of our current house (concrete, but finished space, and I wanted something super inexpensive since we are moving soon) they have it on sale right now for .59/sf! The 600sf workout room cost me a little over $300.
The how big what?! Holy tamales!... you must have one of those houses you can lost in.
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Josiegirl 02:42 AM 02-10-2017
Originally Posted by TheMisplacedMidwestMom:
Unfortunately we don't have bargain stores of any kind (no Dollar General, Big Lots, Harbor Freight) NOTHING. Everything basically has to be shipped into the area and they just can't make them cost effective.




The how big what?! Holy tamales!... you must have one of those houses you can lost in.
I need a house like that. One you can tell the dcks to 'go hide' and you'll come find them.........yeh right.

I need to get some magnetic paint, what a cool idea!! Do they tint it the color you need?
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thrivingchildcarecom 09:57 AM 02-10-2017
That's a great space for kids. Nice and big. I like using wall decals like this one. Or maybe temporary chalkboard wallpaper like this one. I am planning to repaint one of my walls and use the chalkboard paper to create horizontal stripes that we can use to draw on.

Please repost an after picture with what you came up with.
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Baby Beluga 12:42 PM 02-10-2017
Unconventional, but what about painting the carpet? According to google it's possible with upholstery paint.
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Ariana 01:44 PM 02-11-2017
Originally Posted by Baby Beluga:
Unconventional, but what about painting the carpet? According to google it's possible with upholstery paint.
I have heard of this too. My grandma back in the day spray painted hers and it was perfect! It was just a spot where she dropped some bleach but still it wasn't tacky or anything. If they make stuff especially for that it might do the trick.

I also like the idea of peeling it back to see what is underneath. Even chipboard painted a solid white with area rugs would be nice! Or cheap laminate and do the work yourself wouldn't be too expensive. Look at your local buy and sell and ask around. We gave away nearly all of the old hardwood we ripped out in our new house! Some lady took it for her cottage
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 06:37 PM 02-11-2017
So this is the first wall I've done something with, please excuse the chaos. When I said limited budget, I meant it to the max. We are having some expensive issues elsewhere in the house that must be attended to (a whole different thread). I found a quart of paint left by the previous owners, hooked the projector up to the laptop and did this. So far I'm out $20 in brushes. I'm thinking of keeping a nature look throughout. Thinking of doing some simple silhouettes on the other walls, and am playing with exactly what to do. (More trees, animals, kids, etc....)
Down the road I will do something more elaborate, but this my $20 fix for the time being.
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CityGarden 09:25 PM 02-11-2017
What a great start!!!
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Josiegirl 02:42 AM 02-12-2017
I absolutely love it! Brings so many ideas to mind!
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Gemma 09:22 AM 02-12-2017
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
I absolutely love it! Brings so many ideas to mind!


Looks great already,but think of the possibilities!
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Ariana 11:42 AM 02-12-2017
That is wonderful!! So creative! Did you draw those free hand? I may have to steal this idea
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daycare 12:56 PM 02-12-2017
I didn't read all post. But I would go greens and natural light woods. Lots of plants and a very natural setting.
I love your space.
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 02:25 PM 02-12-2017
Originally Posted by Ariana:
That is wonderful!! So creative! Did you draw those free hand? I may have to steal this idea
Nope, I have zero artistic ability. I hooked the projector up and traced it on the wall.

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daycare 05:53 PM 02-12-2017
That looks awesome. I have a beige wall with white and brown trees just like that. Mine are wall stickers. What a smart idea.

I also have one grey wall with a huge beautiful white decal tree. I love it.
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daycare 05:55 PM 02-12-2017
Originally Posted by daycare:
That looks awesome. I have a beige wall with white and brown trees just like that. Mine are wall stickers. What a smart idea.

I also have one grey wall with a huge beautiful white decal tree. I love it.
What about a solid color rug(s) to separate spaces?
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daycare 06:03 PM 02-12-2017
This is my front entry. I don't know if you can see but I'm hiding a white cord on one of the trees. The cord is from a light.. I couldn't get a good picture, but the trees go all the way down the wall. I have small animals that emerge with the ABC, I got those at target.

I also have tons of plants in my childcare. They are not real
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daycare 02:33 PM 02-13-2017
Originally Posted by daycare:
This is my front entry. I don't know if you can see but I'm hiding a white cord on one of the trees. The cord is from a light.. I couldn't get a good picture, but the trees go all the way down the wall. I have small animals that emerge with the ABC, I got those at target.

I also have tons of plants in my childcare. They are not real
Can't wait to see until your done.
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TheMisplacedMidwestMom 02:29 PM 03-01-2017
For those that wanted an update... this is where it lies for now, and will probably be like this until I have the resources to do a complete revamp. I'm still afraid to to add too much as the carpet is visually exhausting, but I'm happy with how the trees broke up the sterile white walls. I also hung an old alphabet banner (that I already had) under the window as my DD3 is super into letters right now.

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AmyKidsCo 03:02 PM 03-01-2017
Originally Posted by Pestle:
Paint. I'm a big believer in reducing clutter, extreme visual contrast, and the spatter of primary colors that gets flung all over kids' spaces by well-meaning adults.

Are the walls flat or are they paneled? I can't tell. If not paneled, I'd put a line of painter's tape aligned to the window sills, put my wall paint below, and leave it white above or paint it a pale color. I'd make the color below to match the buff border on your carpet, or a grayed, paler shade of the accent color in your carpet--is it green or just dark gray?

After that, just hang a few framed art prints down at kid height and you're good!
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/educatio...arning-n223436
Ditto!

I don't have a lot of wall space so I just hang children's art on the wall with most space and my framed license/certificates on the wall near the door. I have a photo schedule on the cabinet at child level and laminated 8x10s of the children playing on walls, shelves, etc, at child level.

Edited to add that I love the idea of a chalkboard area. I'd also hang a giant unbreakable mirror.
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Baby Beluga 07:48 AM 03-02-2017
I love your trees!
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mommiebookworm 08:14 AM 03-02-2017
Looks good! I too like the trees.
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