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Monday, February 15, 2016

Mudroom Entryway - Maximizing a Small Space


Creating a kid friendly area for coats, backpacks and shoes was the top priority on my list when we built the house.  Unfortunately, my idea of keeping that area in the garage quickly went out the window come winter each year.  The kids were not very fond of putting on cold coats and cold shoes and I can't say I blame them.  So, the daily routine became unloading everything on the kitchen floor after school.


When we built the house, we originally planned on having a very large mudroom with lots of cabinet space and a bench with lots of storage space, etc.  Instead, we added a half bath in the corner of the laundry room which then took away all my storage space and what would typically be the "mudroom" area.  We still had a small area to the right of the garage door entry area that is 3 feet wide by 14" deep.  I couldn't carve out an area for shoes, but at least I can get the coats and backpacks in a designated area.  There is a small half bath on the other side of this wall where we added the coat area.



Starting Out

We did have a few obstacles to create this space.  First, my bead board was 1/4" thick and the top of the baseboard moulding was less than that.  The second issue was this wall had four light switches which we decided to leave as is.  It would have required an electrician to move them to a different location and we really didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of moving them.  The third issue was there were only three studs for this wall, one on each end and one in the middle.  I'll go through how we worked around these obstacles in more detail below.

We had a bag of leftover bead board from the DIY TV Built In project and didn't even use all of it for this project.  I prefer the wider Cape Cod style beadboard from Home Depot that comes in long 8 ft lengths that fit together tongue and groove.  I think it's easier to work with and make custom cuts, plus it fits under my chop saw for cutting.

The first thing we did was add a piece of trim a few inches higher than the baseboard moulding to create the illusion of higher baseboards.  We spaced this above the existing Baseboard with a 1 x 2 leftover scrap piece.  I actually love the look now and want to do this throughout the house ;).  I scoured Home Depot and bought all the materials at the same time to make sure my vertical pieces that I added on the far left and far right would not be thicker than this additional piece of moulding.

I wanted a coat rack below the light switches and a shallow shelf about 5 feet from the floor with the possibility of some more hooks.  We built the shelf out of a 1x8 pine board for the back and a 1x6 board for the top using a kreg jig.  We cut each board the exact width of the wall before putting it together.  Then we attached the shelf to the wall using drywall screws so the top of the shelf would be at 5 feet off the floor.



Overcoming our next obstacle was actually easier than expected.  As I stated above, the wall only had three studs, one on each end and one in the middle.  We used standard flat window/door casing with a slightly rounded edge for the vertical pieces we attached on the far left and far right side.  This door trim rested on top of the new baseboard trim we added and was the same depth as the horizontal piece we used for the lower coat rack.  Our horizontal piece for the coat rack was actually a piece of 5 1/4" baseboard trim with the fancier top.  We had to use the baseboard trim because it was the same depth as our vertical door trim we used.  If we would have used a 1 x 4 board, it would have stuck out beyond our door trim.  I wanted the coat rack for the kiddos under the light switches so we wouldn't be covering them with coats.  But, I didn't want to see the ends of the board from the side view.  So, we ripped the baseboard trim that would be used for the lower hook to cut off the fancy beveled top and notched out an area on each vertical just enough so we could catch the studs with the horizontal coat rack on the far left and far right.  We decided to put the lower coat rack 40" from the floor which is perfect for the kids.  We used the beveled piece we cut off the baseboard later.

Next we added a corbel on each end under the shelf.  We pre-drilled a hole in each corbel to attach to the bottom shelf and screwed the top of the shelf into each corbel.  I bought corbels at Home Depot for $10 each and we cut them to size prior to installation.  We added a piece of crown moulding under the shelf and between the corbels for a custom look.
 
Adding the bead board is always easy.  We cut to length using the chop saw and lined up where they would go prior to attaching to the wall.  We had to rip off the edge of the left and right side pieces with the table saw.  I glued the pieces to the wall using leftover adhesive I had bought when I added the DIY Ceiling Tin Backsplash in the kitchen.  The glue sets pretty fast so make sure you have everything lined up and measured before attaching to the wall.  We added the last few pieces of beadboard above the lower coat rack and added the leftover beveled piece on top of the beadboard just below where the top shelf sits.  It just adds a little extra character, but wasn't necessary.  I felt the shelf was still missing something, so we added some of the leftover trim we used near the baseboard and wrapped the top shelf with it.  It looks much prettier now :)


 

I went through and caulked and puttied everywhere there would be a gap or space between where the materials matched up and painted everything with a semi-gloss white paint that was leftover from a different project.  The paint already had a primer in it, but it still took three coats of paint.  Our light switch cover was now too big to cover the switches since we added the vertical trim piece, so we attempted to cut it with the chop saw.  That of course failed even though we cut an extra one laying around where we were successful.  Thankfully, they make nylon unbreakable covers for switches that are similar to PVC and we were able to cut that to size with the chop saw and add back in place.

We added three hooks to the lower rack.  We put one in the middle and spaced the others 10 1/4" from the center of the middle one.  This gave us 7 1/4" space between the end hooks and the corner of the wall/left side.  I decided to add two hooks onto the top shelf.  I could have added three, but then the light switches would have been covered and I knew it would be a never ending frustration of turning those lights on.  So, we added the two hooks on the top shelf and lined them up between the hooks on the lower shelf.  My plan is to find a cute hanging basket to hang there for small essentials like gloves.



This was actually a very easy DIY project.  We had a lot of materials laying around in the garage leftover from other projects, but it would have cost $130 had we bought all of the materials.

Materials List:
  • 1 x 6 x 6 common pine board (top of shelf - used 3ft) $7
  • 1 x 8 x 6 common pine board (back of shelf - used 3ft) $9
  • Primed Pine Base Cap Moulding (above baseboard trim and around shelf) $10
  • Primed Pine Base Moulding (lower coat rack - used 4ft) $10
  • 2 1/4 wide Pine Casing (verticals on left and right - used less than 4 ft on each side) $10
  • Primed Pine Crown Moulding (under top shelf - used less than 3 ft) $5.50
  • Cape Cod 14 sq. ft. Beadboard Plank Paneling (3-Pack - used two full boards) $20
  • 5 Coat Hooks $30
  • 2 Corbel Arch Brackets $20
  • Loctite PL375 Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive (1/2 tube)
  • Putty (Any putty will do, I prefer Durham's Water Putty.  It's $8 for a 4 lb container of a powder mix that you add water to.  You make a batch as needed.  I used 3 Tablespoons of the dry powder with 1 Tablespoon of water and had more than enough for this project.  It's dries very fast, can be sanded and is paintable)
  • Paintable Caulk

When we were building our house, we did a walk through of another house our builder was building and fell in love with the wall colors used.  Unfortunately, it's a custom color from Sherwin-Williams and there is no official name for the wall color.  We used this same color for our house and painted all interior walls with this color.  This is the picture of the tag on the top of the paint can if you would like to replicate. They can scan the bar code and color match from that.  The trim is just basic Bright White in Semi-Gloss.


45 comments:

  1. omg this genious!!! beautiful and practical.

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    1. thanks Silvia. Appreciate the feedback!

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    2. Absolutely Love this! It is beautiful! I have a space that I could do this in...it is in my entry way!

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  2. What color is the paint on your wall? I really like the whole scheme. Thanks!

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    1. Thank you for your comment. It is a custom color. However, I added a picture to the post with the bar code from the paint can. You can use that to color match at Sherwin-Williams where the paint was made.

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  3. I love this so much that I look at it ten times a day! Hubby has finally agreed to do this in the bedroom makeover we are working on that has a similar space by the door. Thank so much for sharing your magic!

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    1. Awe, thanks for the feedback! I would love to see some pics of your completed project. I have a feeling this might be your hubby's favorite Christmas yet ;)

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  4. This is amazing! I have a slightly smaller space I have been wanting to turn into something similar but have been unsure how to go about it. Your how to may be just want I needed to get my butt in gear!

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    1. I would love to see a completed project if you decide to tackle this!

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  5. just happened upon a picture of this wonderful project and had to come check it out. Love it! I've pinned it to two of my boards, one called Love That Trim. Your house and blog are both lovely and inspiring. Will be your newest follower and will be back often. Nice meeting you.

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  6. I Love It! I have a Coat/Shoe Rack that I bought but I like yours better. I saw a larger, similar one on another site but I LOVE that you made a Materials List AND a Price List-that is extremely helpful! Great Job!

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  7. Oh my gosh... I have two white, 35" shelves I built, standing on their ends in my laundry room/entry from the garage, waiting for the antique coat hooks we brought from our former 110-year-old home. I haven't hung them yet because we are in the process of putting up board & batten in our foyer/halfway, and I just wanted to finish that project first. I am so glad I had put this off! I never thought of incorporating the board & batten into the "mudroom" design, like you did with your side trim pieces. Genius! Your shelves look so pretty with the trim around the edges, which I'm going to copy. Thanks for the great ideas! This is my first time visiting your blog, & I'm so excited to go exploring!

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    1. I would love to see some pics of your completed mudroom :)

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  8. Now this is exactly what I want near the front door for the grandkids! They will know exactly where to find coats & backpacks as they go out to catch the bus!

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    1. This is one of my favorite parts of the house now :)

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  9. We modified this slightly and built it over the weekend. Thank you for your great description and details. We love it! I pinned a photo and gave your blog credit! It looks like it's always been in our house! Thanks again!!

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    1. Awesome! I would love to see a picture of your completed project. If you would like to email a pic, I can add it to the "toot that horn" section of my blog also.

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  10. Ugh! Gorgeous wish I could just buy this complete. I have NO skills for this lol...

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  11. I may do this at my front door. Thanks for the instructions. Great ideas!

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  12. What a fabulous solution for a small spot! I love it! I have used one picture from this post on my blog, with a link back to you. I am planning a mud room makeover, and I'm using this as part of my inspiration! If you do not want me to use your picture, please notify me and I will remove it. Thanks so much!

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  13. Replies
    1. I used hooks I found at Lowes. They are "Brainerd Venetian Bronze Screw Hooks", Item #590606, Model#163956. They were $5.97 each.

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    2. Thank you! I'm hoping to attempt this storage dream soon & want to make sure they can hold hats/jackets/pool towel, etc. thanks again! Love your blog

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    3. I load these up with heavy backpacks and multiple coats on the same hook and haven't had any problems yet :)

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  14. We are trying to recreate this. Can you please send me the dimensions for the corbels you purchased. Or forward me a link to them. Thanks

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    1. I bought them at Home Depot. They are 9-1/2 in x 9-1/2 in x 1-3/4 in, but we cut them down to the size we needed according to our shelf height and depth. They are by "Waddell" CR 310 Solid Basswood Arch Corbel. Model# 10001523, SKU# 991833

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    2. Thank you so much!

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  15. Saw your post and had the realization that I have the perfect little area to build this upstairs by my front door! Would love to share a picture of my completed project-I made mine taller and did six hooks and I'm thrilled with how it turned out! Do you have an email address I could send a pic to? Thanks for posting this! My living area is so much more functional because of it!

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    1. Awesome, can't wait to see pics. You can email them to erikalynndrs@gmail.com

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  16. I love this so much! My Dad and I are working on getting ready to add this to a space in my
    home. One question, did you paint this with a brush or spray?

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    1. I painted this with a good foam brush. I prefer the ones from Lowe's. The brand is "Wooster" and they come in multiple sizes. It gives a really nice smooth finish.

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  17. I love this so much I am looking for a 3’ spot to put one! Would also be nice in a bathroom for extra hanging & display.

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  18. The custom paint...is it a beige color...or more gold? Hard to tell on the computer screen.

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    1. Then I would love it. I think I will have them make me a small batch...just to be sure! Thanks for your reply!

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  19. Hi, do you think a beginner could tackle this project? This is pretty much what I’ve been wanting to do behind our front door! By beginner I mean real beginner - would be my first time using a power saw, etc.

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    1. Yep, I think this would be perfect for a beginner. It's all straight cuts, and besides, caulk is perfect for errors ;)

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  20. agreed - I ended up doing it! I sent a picture of the completed project to your gmail address listed above! Thanks again for the post - so helpful!

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  21. Looks fabulous! What did you use to notch out the small area in the vertical side strips to hold the second horizontal coat rack? I want to build this but have limited tools. Hoping I can have HD cut all my wood and I'm just putting things together. But I was worried about the notch bc I too just have the one stuff in center and two on sides. Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks

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    1. My apologies for the delay. I think the blog may have been hacked because all of my comment notifications were turned off and the comments were filled with spam directing people to other sites. We used a jig saw for the straight cuts and then used a hand chisel to cut out the notch between the straight cuts.

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