Hesitant Handyman Builds - Entry Wall Makeover
I’m going to take you back to one of the early projects I did in our house. When we first moved in, our entry wall was… well… blah. The entire house got a fresh coat of paint before we bought it, in a very bland beige. (In some cases this was a marked improvement – the master bedroom was a weird dark purple and light green, the front room was a deep hunter green, and the living room had a Cabernet accent wall. Absolutely no rhyme or reason to any of it. Also, the exterior of the house was a bizarre grey with a pinkish tint. But that’s a whole other story…) The prior owner also left a number of presents throughout the house in the form of drywall anchors, a smattering of them on our entry wall. Oh, and then there’s the door stopper. Our home was missing about half of the springs to the stoppers throughout the house, including the one that went with the garage door. As this would never do, instead of replacing the spring, the prior owner put a stopper at the handle level that looked as if one of their kids had managed to lodge a rubber ball halfway through the drywall. Not exactly the definition of “aesthetically pleasing.”
My wife saw a Pintrest post of a Shanty 2 Chic project that she liked and wanted to try to incorporate in this space, and I liked the idea, so I decided to adapt it for our space. You can see their post on how to build it here.
This was a pretty early but pretty major project for me. We went to Home Depot and loaded up on supplies, with some modifications to what the Shanty sisters did. Specifically, instead of going with the 1/2″ Oak plywood, I utilized 1/4″ Birch. I did it as a cost savings, and it worked fine, but if I were to do the project over I’d probably use the 1/2″ instead of the 1/4″–it presented some challenges because of how flimsy the 1/4″ felt when using it. Home Depot broke it down into various sized strips for me,
The plank wall
I utilized a variety of Varathane stains on the plywood to get the different colors I wanted. I used Golden Mahogany
I started out by marking where the studs were on the wall–these were where I wanted to make sure the boards were attached. I then worked row by row, cutting off segments of the same width of different colors and varying the width of the rows as I worked my way up.
Another thing I did slightly differently from Shanty 2 Chic’s project was utilizing a Electrical Outlet Box Extender
The shelf hooks
Once I got the faux planks on the wall, it was time to move on to tandhe shelf at the top. My process was pretty similar to the original project, however the corbels that Shanty 2 Chic used weren’t in my local Home Depot, and I didn’t want to wait on them, so I improvised and made my own using a 4×4 scrap and my Miter Saw
Basically, I cut 45 degree angles off of both sides of the 4×4 to make it look like a huge Monopoly house, then cut another 45 degree angle off of the front.
For hook hardware, we found some really nice hooks that my wife liked down at Hobby Lobby. We mounted the shelf to the studs using 3″ Spax Screws, so you know it’s unlikely to move. Ever. My wife put a few pieces of decor on top of the shelf and added some vinyl above the front doorway, and we wound up with this as our completed look:
Disclaimer: Most DIY projects involve risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. The Hesitant Handyman has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions provided on this content. The Hesitant Handyman will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.