Bad to the Bone Beadboard!

Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters in Texas.
May God give you the strength you need to get through this difficult time.
We are all in this together.
Blessings...
~daisy

Welcome back to our home.
We are today featuring a project that is thus far my favorite.
Slowly, we are adding our personal touch
to each and every space.
Each month, we have a list of small tasks to complete.
This month we worked on our office space.

The previous owners used this room exclusively as an eating space.
We knew that it would have to serve double-duty for our purposes.
The picture on the left is how it looked when we first toured the house.
The other photo is shortly after we closed on the house,
before we actually did any work of our own.

We currently use this as an eat-in spot

as well as our office.

Our dining will be done at the island in the kitchen

once we get our new counter tops.

We've never needed a designated dining room,

so we can use the spaces to suit our needs.

Eventually, we hope to have two work areas,

one on each long wall.

One side will house the computer and file cabinets,

while the flip side will have a multi-purpose table.

I'm hoping to be able to do my sewing here,

as the light is amenable to any kind of handiwork.

 

We first painted the walls to match the living room color.

The pastel turquoise shade really opens up the space. 

The next step in our transformation was to add beadboard.

We picked up panels and the appropriate molding at the big box store.

After researching several ways to install the wainscoting,

we decided on panels versus individual boards.

We are SO grateful to all those YouTubers out there!

 

We bought the panels that measured 32" H X 24" W.

We decided to leave the panels at 32 inches,

so that they would sit above the existing window.

The only trimming needed was the width,

which was cut with a jigsaw. 

A circular saw would probably be more efficient,

but we used what we had.

After cutting to size, Liquid Nails was added to the back.

 

The panels were also nailed into the walls for extra security.

The gap remaining to the left of this first piece will accommodate the finish molding. 

We took our time, and the molding went up without much drama.
We left the baseboards in place,
although it is recommended that they be removed before putting in the first piece.
We saved that step and fortunately, the boards look pretty doggone straight.
Big K cut around the electric boxes by measuring from the adjoining panel.

 The beadboard installation itself took only a few hours.
The molding we used on the top and outside corners
were not the ones recommended, 
(hmm, there seems to be a theme here),
but they worked out just fine.
We wanted a clean, streamlined look.

 This little nook by the garage door was a bit tricky.
Big K figured out how best to lay out the panels 
so that we didn't waste any of it.
(A few leftover pieces will be used 
for a craft project I have in mind.)
With a bit of forethought, the job was easy to complete.
With the molding in place,
Big K filled in along the top molding with caulking,
as well as in the inside corners.
The whole kit-and-kaboodle will be painted white,
as it comes primed, but not painted.
We'll get that done this week.

Overall, I'm so pleased.
I've adored beadboard for as long as I can remember,
and it's a thrill to see it come to life in our new home.
I still need to make some cafe curtains for the space,
and I'm working on the set-up for our tables.
Sister brought me two rustic pieces of wood 
that I am thinking will fit the space nicely.
I also want to add some original photography
to the walls (think black and white). 
Having our files organized is something I'm looking forward to tackling.
I live for organizing projects.

The goal was to have this room done by the end of August.
I may not make that deadline,
but I can live with that,
as long as the end result matches the vibe I want to create.
We'll get there,
one step at a time.

Have you been working on any home improvement projects?

New Home Series:
The New Homestead
Moving Toward Bliss
Organized Downsizing
Fan-TASTIC
A Fresh Look
Under the Spell of IKEA
Closet Project