Decorchick!

From Mediocre to Marvelous: A Beadboard Bar

I’ve been soooo excited to share this project with you all! It was SO easy, a quick project, and only $20 bucks! I love easy beadboard ideas, so let me introduce you to our new beadboard bar!

I have been wanting to put up beadboard under our kitchen bar for quite a while.  Originally I was just going to use the beadboard wallpaper, but we do sit at the bar, and little kids’ feet hit the wall, so the wallpaper wouldn’t have lasted long in a high traffic area like that.  So on a whim last week, I went to Home Depot and bought a big sheet of beadboard for $20.  Yes, of course I should be painting the whole house, but I still don’t know what I’m doing about that, so please don’t mind all the funky paint on the walls still. :)

Here is our kitchen bar before.

We have an electrical outlet there, and we don’t need one since there are 20 others within 2 feet, so I had my husband take it off and disconnect and cap the wires so we could just cover it up completely with the beadboard.

I had the sheet of beadboard cut at Home Depot to fit my measurements (you can see in the above picture the pieces cut on the side of the wall).  But that was really not necessary since we had to trim it when I got home since it didn’t fit exactly. :)  My husband used the table saw to trim a little off for me.

For the angled corner on bar, I bought these.

They were the thinnest pieces of wood I could find that would butt right up to each other at an angle, and would sit right on top of the baseboards without sticking out.  I nailed those up first.

Then I just nailed up the 2 beadboard panels (I did not apply any liquid nails in addition to that because I’m always worried about what that stuff does to your walls, if you ever want to remove)…

Then I caulked all of the gaps, and spackled the nail holes.

I think my 2 little pieces of wood on that angle worked out well!

And lastly, I painted everything a semi-gloss white (I always use our trim color which is Sherwin Williams Navajo White), and I was done!

Isn’t it great?? I just LOVE it!! Now for more pictures of the same thing because that’s just how we do it. :)

I did not add the beadboard to the side yet, but I think I will. For now I just painted it white to match.

So whatcha think? It totally changed our kitchen area and I LOOOOOOVE it!!  :)  When my stepson came over this past weekend, it was the first thing he noticed and said “Wow….that’s niiiice.”  Something about kids and them recognizing the little updates is priceless. :)

For a more finished look, I know that people remove their baseboards and trim before putting up beadboard, but that would have been a total pain and I like to cut corners.  Plus, caulking hides everything so I think it looks just fine with the BB sitting on top of the baseboards!  And I’d do it again just like this somewhere else in the house in a heartbeat. :)

This really was easy to do and I find beadboard very easy to work with.  So go and find a bare spot in your home and show it a little BB love. :)

Sharing this post at Thrifty Decor Chick, Shanty 2 Chic, Beth’s Tutorials and Tips Party, My Romantic Home, The Shabby Nest, Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff and The Shabby Chic Cottage.

xxoo,

Decorchick!

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Comments

  1. Tanya H. says

    My hallway and kitchen are set up the exact same way. I’ve been wondering about adding beadboard, but wasn’t sure how it would look with the wainscoting panels in the hallway. Yours looks great, so maybe I’ll try it! Thanks!

  7. Mindy @ Heart Maine Home says

    LOVE IT! It really makes that bar a great focal point. I’ve been dying to do this to our bar in the kitchen too, and I think I’ve convinced the hubby it’s a good idea. Hearing that it’s cheap and easy too makes me want to do it even more! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Lisa says

    It is perfect!……It just adds a little kick to your kitchen, great choice. I have it under my kitchen bar too and you will not be sorry you did this…Hey, I have a roll of beadboard wallpaper I’m getting ready to to using on a project….have you used it and do you have any tips?!

  11. Turley Times says

    It looks awesome! And $20…can’t beat that price. I think it’s so interesting there was an outlet on the bar area. I wonder why the builder put that there…maybe so there was an outlet for vacuuming? Or he had to in order to be compliant with building codes? I always wonder about stuff like that. We have an outlet on the floor in our living room. It’s in a weird place and we never use it. We asked the builder if he could just not put it there but he said he had to because there has to be an outlet every so many feet in order to be compliant. So strange! Anyhow, I love your transformation!

    Hannah

  14. Courtney says

    Wowzers. I love when just a little something makes a major difference. It really looks great and brightened up the area so much!!! Well done, girl.

  22. Ami w/AliLilly says

    That looks great!! I know just what you mean about the kids noticing things. It just means so much more that we actually grabbed their short lil attention spans for just a moment!

  26. Sara says

    LOVE IT! Looks awesome next to the gray too on the left. I’m pretty sure what you did with the outlet is illegal though or “not up to code” but maybe in your state it is. I think you need to put a plain white outlet cover on the outside of the beadboord (not one with outlets but just a flat plain white cover) so if anyone ever needed to find the outlet they could..

    • Decorchick! says

      I’m sure it’s not to code, but if we ever move we can take care of it then. It was marked so it can be easily found again. At least it isn’t a fire hazard. :)

  28. Diana says

    The beadboard looks great! I would have done the same thing you did, by just putting the beadboard on top of your baseboards. Consider this one a job well done.

  29. AnnieWang says

    It looks lovely! I actually prefer the counter with the baseboard; I feel like it looks more finished. Also, I think it looks fine with the side just painted, but that’s your preference. :)

  30. Laurel says

    Looks fab! I’ve been wanting to do that as well under my bar, but my only concern with a light color is scuffs from shoes and doggie dirt. (he loves to lay under our feet). Let us know if it gets dirty easily??

    • Decorchick! says

      Thanks Laurel! I’m sure some scuff marks will show up eventually, but since it’s a semi-gloss paint, it will wipe right off. :) I highly recommend Magic Erasers too…they really are magical!

  31. Vicki says

    That looks fabulous! I fell in love with beadboard when I was a child, standing in my grandmother’s old farmhouse (ca. 1918)…I remember staring at it, running my fingers over it…and have spent the rest of my life trying to figure out where to use it. I like this idea. :)

  36. Melody?? says

    love.it!
    I’ve been wanting to do this to our bar & now I can show the hubs your pics & say “do it”. I didn’t see where you mentioned the molding at the top. Is that just a chair rail or crown?
    Your explanation of the pieces you used on the angle also cleared up a few questions on my mind. I am wanting to find 3 or 4 corbels (would so ? some chippy white-painted wrought iron under there!) to add a little “sha-zaam”…

  38. Becki Foster says

    We added beadboard to our island several years ago and love it! Yours looks wonderful and I know you will be happy with it for a long time! Great job!

  39. Kim @ Sand & Sisal says

    Oh Em it looks great! You were talking about doing this at Blissdom weren’t you? I love it! I bet dirty footprints will be easier to wipe off now! I’ve been thinking of doing this to mine also…. just another thing to add to the list!.

  40. Jessica says

    Looks great! Good job! Saw you on Somewhat Simple, will be coming back for more! Thanks for sharing.

    ~Jess @ makingoverthemartins.blogspot.com

  42. Pam, Pike says

    I like it a lot! It makes the bar look very polished. I think it pulled the area together well. Good job!!!!

  43. Heidiopia says

    Awesome transformation! Should wipe clean really easily, too, when those little shoes or grubby toes leave marks. :) I love beadboard– we put it up in the kids’ bathroom and it’s been fabulous. Kudos!

  46. Helen Scott says

    It’s great! I think it’s easier for wiping off too since little hand and foot prints manage to show up everywhere lol.

  51. jen says

    #1–as long as it’s capped correctly, it doesn’t have to be plated on the outside.
    #2–it looks great. i have a similar bar issue in my house, but my question to you is this–if you use it with kids sitting there, aren’t you afraid it will get scuffed up and ugly?
    this is what has been holding me back from this exact project.

    • Decorchick! says

      Hey Jen, yes the kids do sit at the bar a lot, but if it does get dirty or scuffed up, it will wipe right up since I used a semi-gloss paint. Also, magic erasers are awesome and clean anything! DO IT. :)

  59. Robin says

    Gorgeous! I have been wanting to so something similar in my kitchen but have been putting it off since I hadn’t figured out how to do it. Thanks so much for all the fantastic tips.

  60. Mom in High Heels says

    That looks great. It does change the entire look of the kitchen. Your kitchen is far too clean though. I feel I must send Indy and James Bond over to remedy this for you. :)

  61. Tonya says

    Gorgeous! Such a simple & cheap makeover!! Love it!! Adds more white to your kitchen also which I know you are going for!! Great job!

  64. Barb says

    Adding bead board to my breakfast bar is on my to-do list, too. Your project looks fantastic! Makes me anxious to get mine done!
    -barb-

  65. lindsay says

    This is great. I’ve been wanting to do beadboard in our house for a while. I love the way it changes the whole look of the room!

  66. Chris says

    Uh-Ma-Zing! I’m so behind on blog reading–I’m glad you linked up so I could see it! It totally changes the whole room!

  69. valerie says

    It is super cute, but I did have one thought…..the electrical outlet was placed there to be in compliance with code. If you ever sell your house, I bet an inspector will notice! When we did our basement remodel, I was shocked at the number of outlets they were installing, but local code usually states there needs to be an outlet for ever 8 to 10 feet of linear wall space.

  70. Anonymous says

    Wow, that made such a difference. Gotta love a $20 project that turns out this good!

  79. Sue says

    I’m so glad to have seen this! We are getting ready to do the same thing. We are replacing our countertops and tearing out a low bar to make a higher one. Right now under the bar is the same wood as the cabinets and boring. We’ve been talking about beadboard and now I know how great it will look!

  81. Mandy says

    This looks AWESOME!
    I love the beadboard and I love that pretty chalk board in your kitchen!
    Great job, thanks for sharing!

  83. Laura Ingalls Gunn says

    What a great metamorphosis! Well done. I just can’t get enough beadboard. My laundry room is next.

    I am having a hilarious Linky party with prizes this Wednesday. Details are on my blog today.
    I hope you’ll join in on the fun.

  85. shannon says

    LOVE! Beadboard can make such a transformation. Fabulous job. Hope you will swing by my site and join the meet-up Monday party. All the best.

  86. cassie {hi sugarplum} says

    that looks so great!!! And a really good idea…we have a similar bar and the kids are always rubbing their feet all over the wall when sitting up there…this might need to go in!!!

  88. Stephanie@cre8tive says

    That $20 sure does look like $200! I did this same thing on my daughter’s island in her kitchen renovation, but I found at Home Depot a vinyl beadboard instead. I was a little leery of using plastic and still call myself a designer, {what would the Design Goddess think of me!} but I knew it would get kicked and bumped and thought the vinyl would hold up and clean up so much better, and it does! And since it is white all the way through if it gets scratched it doesn’t show. Love it. Look at the pictures and see if you think it looks like vinyl, I don’t, but maybe I am bias :)
    http://www.cre8tivedesignsinc.com/2010/11/kitchen-remodel/

  89. Liz Carter says

    It really looks beautiful and what a difference As I looked at the finished product it made me think of my own counter. After I tiled over the counter-top, I decided i wanted something different than tile on the edgesI (I had also done the back-splash). So I put decorative trim on the side of mine. This is an inexpensive, easy to do touch that REALLY makes it pop. Go to Lowes (I like their trim selection and prices better than Home Depot’s) and get two 8 foot pieces, miter the corners, nail, fill holes, caulk and paint. Work time: 30 min. WOW factor: The life of the kitchen!

  91. Kathryn says

    Thank you so much for the post! My husband and I are moving into a new house in late April – and I’ve had my eye on this exact idea for the bar area. AND now I have PROOF of how awesome this will look and how inexpensive it will be; as well as ease my husband’s fears of his growing to do list… I am a fine DIYer, if I do say so myself! Thanks for the inspiration.

  94. Holly Knott says

    It looks superb! Amazing what a little texture (i.e., the routed lines of the beadboard) will do to a formerly plain “wall” area, huh? We are in the process of adding beadboard to the back of some new Kraftmaid cabinets on a new peninsula in our kitchen and we are lovin’ it, too. Thanks for posting these pics – an inspiration!

  95. Jessica Reurich says

    WOW How amazing, it really ties the two rooms together so nicely!!! FANTASTIC JOB! and Congrats on the little Bubba!!!
    Much love in Him

  97. Jenn says

    It looks fantastic! I can’t wait to do this with mine too. Hubby and I are discussing how to do it because our bar does not end directly at the wall. We have a few inches out. But I can’t wait to get it done.

    I do have a question for you. I like your lamp, vase, and pics on the bar. How do you use the lamp plugged in there? Isn’t your sink right behind there? I’ve thought out putting a lamp on my bar too but am worried about the cord.

  98. Kelly Underwood says

    I used Beadboard wallpaper in my apartment on the back splash. I love the stuff. I think it was a very good call to use the actual Beadboard on the bar. My little ones beat up the bar with their feetsies too…that’s why I put a semi gloss paint over it. I needed it to be wipe-able! Great job.

  99. eileen says

    I WAS GOING TO DO THIS. I LOVE HOW IT LOOKS. dO YOU THINK THE BEADBOARD WOULD LOOK GOOD PAINTED BLACK?

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