The DIY Projects

DIY in Our New Home...😐😂😩😱

First of all, home projects are a giant pain in the butt! Second of all, home projects when you have been married for less than a year are absolutely insane! However, thanks to Pinterest, my husband and I decided to take on the project of turning our very barren hallway into a focal point of the entryway. In the end, we are so happy with how it turned out!

The Process

This whole thing started with a series of really great DIY pictures posted on Pinterest followed by a series of me holding up my phone to my husband saying, "Hey...look at this...", which was followed by a "Yea I like that...let's do it."  

My husband is the "doer" in our house. He never leaves projects undone. In fact, it absolutely drives him crazy to leave things undone. So when we decided on this project we began by figuring out exactly what we wanted this to look like in the end. Make sure you figure out how much your decor will cost since this is what will tie your entire project together in the end. 

In a nutshell, we didn't have any specific plans to go by. Just a lot of looking at pictures and how other people did this in their projects!

1. Get Your Measurements

Measure the entire length of your hallway as well as how high up the wall you want your board and batten to go. We wanted to place coat hooks on the wall so we wanted to make sure the kids could reach them!

2. Materials

• We used 1"x4" boards for everything except for the top. The top running board is a 1"x6" board with a 1"x2" board for the top ledge. 
• Paintable caulking
• Level
• Trim Nails and hammer
• Wood filler
• Sander and 120 grit sandpaper
• Paint and brushes
• Liquid Nails: Extreme Heavy Duty Adhesive & Caulking Gun

3.  Step by Step

• Measure your space and then measure again
• A tip we learned AFTER the fact...have Lowes or Home Depot cut the wood FOR YOU! Makes life so much easier and saves you money on the purchase of a saw and blade.
• Glue and level each board before you nail it to the wall.
• We did the bottom cord first, middle boards, then the top
• Then caulk ALL connections! Wood to wood and wood to the wall.
• Fill any holes with your wood filler
• Sand over everything and clean thoroughly
• PAINT!
• Decorate!

The Proof