Before we remodeled our main bathroom, it had pink on nearly every surface. Even the walls were covered in a metallic pink floral wallpaper.
Before the wallpaper removal began, we planned to have 18 inches of white trim at the top of the walls, a shelf below and lilac paint covering most of the walls. We thought the paper would be easy to remove becuase it was peeling. With our trim plan in mind, we began tearing down the wall paper.
It turned out to be far more difficult than we initially thought. After hours of scraping, peeling and subsequently damaging the sheet rock, we had removed about 18 inches from the ceiling down. And that was on one wall! Time for plan B; we opted to install sheets of beadboard to cover up the remaining wallpaper. A few more hours of scraping and we had the top 18 inches of wallpaper removed from the entire bathroom.
Once we had the paper removed from the areas we knew would be visible, we cut our sheets of bead board from 4 foot by 8 foot down to 76 inches, leaving them four feet wide. Ben used an air nailer to secure the sheets to the wall, going in to the studs. Then, we covered the bottom of the bead board with baseboard, hiding the unevenly cut ends and gap between the panel and floor.
To build the shelf to display and store items, Ben cut a sheet of 3/4 inch thick MDF into 3.5 inch, 3 inch, and 1.25 inch wide pieces. Then, Ben nailed the 3.5 inch cut piece to the wall 77 inches from the floor, checking to keep it level. He added shims in areas because this piece was partially covering up the bead board panels.
Once the trim was secured, the 1.25 inch pieces were added to provide additional support for the shelf. Keep the tops of the trim flush with one another. Cut the trim pieces at a 45 degree angle when approaching doors or other vertical trim. Finally, the 3 inch shelf was installed on top of the trim pieces.
Then, of course, fill, sand, prime and paint. This can be modified to any height. If a shelf is added, be sure the height works for the use of the space. You don’t want to bump into it.
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Hi Amanda,
Your trim work is beautiful! One question about the color. I see from your postings you have painted your trim Behr Vermont Cream. I went to check out the color at Home Depot and see it is a yellowish cream. How did you chose this color? Do you find the cream goes better with your wall paint colors? I’m starting to repaint our entire house, and wonder what your thoughts are on using a creamey color over a stark white color for the trim. Thanks so much!!
Hi Erin,
Thanks so much for your kind words. Vermont Cream does have a slight yellow undertone, but it’s definitely not overpoweringly yellow. I like that it’s slightly warmer than stark whites. I find the stark whites can look grey or blue in some lights and the warmer undertones look better with the rest of our paint colors, so I prefer it. Hope it helps!
Amanda
Thanks for posting the trim details! I am in the process of installing board and batten trim in our dining room and I was unsure of how to install the shelf and what to do with the corners. So simple and brilliant! Thanks!!!
Okay, I love this–along with all the other trim/bead board/batten wood work in your home. When you say bead board sheets, what do you mean? Is this something a DIY store sells? I’ve never seen them or heard of them before…can you elaborate? Thank you!!!
Hi Evelania,
Yep, you can get 4 foot by 8 foot sheets with beadboard pattern at Homt Depot or Lowe’s. Hope that helps!
Amanda
Looks good. All the work that you have done is called bounding with you wife. We are bounding doing floor tile. A word to the wise don’t start laying carpet at 2 a.m.
that trim is gorgeous! Nice work!
Gorgeous!!! Wow! That is a really great solution for a totally yucky problem. We have stripped our fair share of wallpaper and the older it is, the more disgusting and difficult! Thanks for linking up to my house party!
I’m interested in trying this is my bathroom, but it is a full bath. Do you have any problems with steam messing up the bead board?
Thanks,
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Our bathroom is also a full bath and we haven’t had any problems with the steam and bead board. We do have an exhaust fan and the gloss paint helps seal and protect the bead board, so I would recommend the fan and gloss paint. Four years later it still looks great!
Thanks!
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
Have you ever posted a tutorial of sorts on exactly how to finish the white beadboard/paneling you have throughout your house? I would love to do something similar in my home but I’m clueless about the specifics behind “fill, sand, prime & paint.” What kind of paint, how many coats, how many coats of primer, how often do you sand, etc. If you’ve detailed that somewhere here, please point me in the right direction!
I just discovered your site yesterday and am thoroughly enjoying discovering every room (especially the before & afters.) You have a beautiful home!
Thanks,
Eleanor
Hi Eleanor,
Sadly, I don’t have a tutorial post on the trim because we’ve never added it to a room since starting this blog, so I don’t have great progress pictures. To get specific, you can use any brand of paint you prefer. Ben really likes Glidden and I would suggest a satin finish. It’s easy to clean up without too much of a sheen. We use one coat of primer and two to three coats of paint depending on how good your coverage looks. After installing the trim, use a wood filler to fill any nail holes or joints and let it dry thoroughly (usually 24 hours) before sanding. Try the Dap brand spackle. Use a fine grit sand paper (something like 120) to start with. If it’s not taking off enough quickly, try a coarser paper, but don’t go too crazy. I really like fine sanding sponges. You know you’re done sanding when it’s smooth to the touch. But fill everything, let it dry, thoroughly sand it, give it a coat of primer, and then several coats of paint. Does that help? If you still have questions, I’m happy to help. 🙂
Good luck!
Amanda