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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Decorating a Nap Room CHEAPLY
SilverSabre25 06:11 AM 08-18-2011
I have a separate room I use for napping everyone. Right now it looks awful: clean, but dull, boring, stark. I don't have much money; whatever I change has to be cheap and there's not a whole lot to work with. The bottom half of the walls is a dark wood paneling, the top half is white textured paint. The top half of one wall is a window; another wall is mostly taken up with a large closet. The floor is a messy looking "wood" tile that is very old.

I feel like the naproom is part of what is losing interviews for me... there's just...nothing...in there.

What do you think I could do--cheaply--to decorate this room? What sort of a theme would work well for a nap room?
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CheekyChick 06:21 AM 08-18-2011
Paint. That is the cheapest way to change the feel of the room. Maybe a very calming, blue?

Oops. Themes: Clouds, teddy bears, stars, duckies?
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Cat Herder 06:32 AM 08-18-2011
I'd go with vinyl clings.

www.wallsneedlove.com

Easy up, easy down. Low labor, CHEAP.

Simple is good.
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SimpleMom 06:38 AM 08-18-2011
Paint it. You can go to a dollar store and find cute wall decor. Take pictures of kiddos or kid friendly stuff and frame them to hang on the wall. Hang pictures with fishing wire from the ceiling.

You can find curtains and wall decor such at a second hand store....just wash and clean well
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Holladee 08:12 AM 08-18-2011
I just briefly checked out wallsneedlove.com and they have some cloud decals that would look good on a blue wall. There was a word decal that said "Dream" that you could do as well.

I know large rugs are spendy, but it would really help the floor. Or maybe a cheap carpet remnant if the space isn't very big?
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MommyMuffin 09:12 AM 08-18-2011
Sometimes I find cute pictures at the thrift stores. I am in love with the foam mats, not the letter ones, just the plain big ones. They hide imperfections on the floor and feel good on the feet.
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TBird 09:20 AM 08-18-2011
Yup...paint, clings, thrift shop. Post pics!
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MamaJ 09:29 AM 08-18-2011
well, I think a nap room SHOULD be boring, lol. I'd paint a fresh color of paint...maybe two shades...a darker shade on the bottom and a lighter shade on top? I've seen people do the same color (blue or yellow), just different shades.

Is it possible to put carpet in there? If it were my child, i'd much rather them nap in room that is carpeted (esp if on a nap mat), than tile or hard surface floor. Carpet is just much warmer and cozy. If you can't afford installed carpet, look for a large carpet remnant and have someone finish/bind the edges for you. many carpet stores have extra scraps in the back and should be willing to do that.

you could make some paper/card board cut-outs of stars and moons, paint them or have the kids help color them as a craft one day...and then hang them from the ceiling by fishing line or something...either spread them out or put them all in one corner or in the center of the room.
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SilverSabre25 09:35 AM 08-18-2011
Originally Posted by Holladee:
I just briefly checked out wallsneedlove.com and they have some cloud decals that would look good on a blue wall. There was a word decal that said "Dream" that you could do as well.

I know large rugs are spendy, but it would really help the floor. Or maybe a cheap carpet remnant if the space isn't very big?
OH I like the clouds! Thanks!

I'm thinking a nice blue wall with the clouds and the "Dream", and maybe the stars to put on the ceiling...

I also decided to move a couch that is taking up space in the playroom, into the nap room. That will help make it look more, um, like the room has a point. And give me somewhere to sit while waiting for kiddos to fall asleep.

I really like that site, thanks for sharing it Cat!
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SilverSabre25 09:39 AM 08-18-2011
Originally Posted by MamaJ:
well, I think a nap room SHOULD be boring, lol. I'd paint a fresh color of paint...maybe two shades...a darker shade on the bottom and a lighter shade on top? I've seen people do the same color (blue or yellow), just different shades.

Is it possible to put carpet in there? If it were my child, i'd much rather them nap in room that is carpeted (esp if on a nap mat), than tile or hard surface floor. Carpet is just much warmer and cozy. If you can't afford installed carpet, look for a large carpet remnant and have someone finish/bind the edges for you. many carpet stores have extra scraps in the back and should be willing to do that.

you could make some paper/card board cut-outs of stars and moons, paint them or have the kids help color them as a craft one day...and then hang them from the ceiling by fishing line or something...either spread them out or put them all in one corner or in the center of the room.
Boring, yes, but not stark and ugly and like they're actually in a storage room or something. Boring, but in a kid-friendly way, lol.

I would like to put carpet back in there someday, but it's not in the cards right now. They sleep on cots, so they're about 4 inches off the floor.

I like your star idea...that's cute. I might do that.
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Sunshine44 10:28 AM 08-18-2011
I was going to say nap rooms should be boring also. I understand wanting to give it a little something, but I wouldn't over do it. It says you have textured walls? Those are not good with wall clings so I'd stear clear of the clings.
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SilverSabre25 10:33 AM 08-18-2011
Just talked to my sister and she offered to paint clouds and lettering and stuff on the walls for me!!

Sunshine, I was starting to think that about the clings and the texture. I really, really hate the darn texture. The old owners textured like, half the walls in the house. It's a moot point now though because my awesome sister can do them for me.
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youretooloud 10:43 AM 08-18-2011
Definitely paint!

Then, find some books with cute pictures or buy a second of books you already love. Then you can make a mat and frame out of colored tag board, then hang them on the walls.

Paint the room blue, then paint a moon in the corner, and hang some slightly sheer curtains over the window. But, make them thick enough to block out the light.

Do you have an Ikea nearby? You could decorate a whole room with Ikea stuff.
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mismatchedsocks 10:48 AM 08-18-2011
I found some cute fabric and framed it. Its so cute. I refuse to spend hundreds on pictures for wall, and posters seem bright, wanted something calm. Got a cheap frame, some fabric and stapled it to the backing. Looks nice. Then i stenciled words on the walls, and painted it a light green. I have bright white curtains I got from target, which hold the light out, since it is thick fabric. Its "boring" but cute. Good luck. Can you take before and after pics?! I love them!
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youretooloud 10:54 AM 08-18-2011
Also, join Pinterest and look up kid's rooms. You'll get inspired.
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justgettingstarted 12:01 PM 08-18-2011
I'm just getting started and am in the exact same situation. I will also have a separate napping room and have been thinking of how to decorate and am on a very tight budget. I would definitely suggest painting. My walls are already a soft blue so I was going to cut some sponges into different sized stars and use some old yellow paint we have in the garage to stamp stars along the tops of the walls, maybe some clouds too. I was thinking of finding a stencil to paint "sweet dreams" on the wall. As for the floor, if you want something more permanent you could do peel and stick vinyl tiles right over the floor you've got (we got these at Lowes for our bathroom and they were cheap and easy to install) or you could get an inexpensive kids rug. I saw some at target for $30. You could also do some new curtains (if you can sew make them yourself and save some $).

I agree that you shouldn't way over do it because it might be too stimulating for the kids at naptime but fresh new paint and decor sells!
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Tags:decor, nap - supplies, walls
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