Spring 2016 ORC Dining Room Makeover {Week Two: Creating A Focal Wall}

The DIY tornado has landed around here, with power tools, building materials, and plastic tarp serving as the current dining room decor.  Thanks to the One Room Challenge, our dining room makeover is moving right along!  We are definitely in the messy and chaotic stage of the process.
wainscoting paneling moldings mid century farmhouse dining room interior design decorating

We were away on vacation this past week, so I've been playing a little catch up in the room.  BUT before we left, my hubby and I had ripped apart the dining area in preparation for the room's main design feature: a focal wall.  There is one "real" wall in the space, and it is only 11 feet long.  The plan is to clad the wall with wainscoting and wallpaper to give the room some architectural dimension and design interest.  The focal wall will also help define the area as its own space (since it is not a separate room).

CAD INTERIORS dining room makeover one room challenge diy wainscoting mid century farmhouse dining room interior design decorating

Since our walls are slightly textured, we first covered the entire wall with 3+ sheets of "luan" plywood paneling.  The paneled base provides a flat, smooth finish for the wainscoting.  The wallpaper should also adhere better to the non-textured surface.  Taking this extra step, however, proved to be quite the process since our house comes complete with uneven walls. #oldhousequirks

CAD INTERIORS dining room makeover one room challenge diy wainscoting mid century farmhouse dining room interior design decorating

We spackled, filled, and sanded all the nail holes and seams.  The paneling has also been primed (and painted since the above photo was taken).

CAD INTERIORS dining room makeover one room challenge diy home improvement

My hubby also added base shoe molding to cover the minor gap between the baseboard and hardwood floor.

CAD INTERIORS dining room makeover one room challenge diy wainscoting process mid century farmhouse dining room interior design decorating

Next step in the makeover will be installing the chair rail and trim molding then more nail filling, sanding, etc.  The light fixture is also scheduled to arrive next week, so I'm hoping my hubby will be able to install it shortly thereafter.

Did you miss week one?!  You can catch up by clicking on the image below:

orc dining room interior design decorating makeover mid century farmhouse

Follow me on Instagram @cadinteriors for sneak peeks and updates!


Sharing with: Thoughts of Home

12 comments :

  1. Super pretty molding and glad to see the challenge is going well so far. :)

    Is that your final choice of wallpaper? Ultra dramatic!

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    1. Yes it is! It was a very bold design choice, but the room really needs some oomph. :)

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  2. Are textured walls some kind of old trend? It would be a real hassle to have to fix every time you have a hole to fill, or in your case, being able to wallpaper or apply molding.

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    1. Hi Lori! I'm not sure, but I know that textured walls help camouflage wall imperfections. I really don't mind (or notice) them since our walls are only very slightly textured - but heavily textured or "cottage cheese" I don't like. Plastered walls are a pain to patch, but drywall (most of our walls) isn't a problem. You can apply board and batten or shiplap on any surface, but to get a "true" wainscoting finish, the surface should be smooth. Thank you so much for following along and taking the time to leave a comment. :)

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  3. Don't you love filling nail holes? Its the one thing I always forget about carpentry work and then I'm cursing that I didn't pay a carpenter more to do it for me! I'm in the process of filling and sanding on some shiplap in our house before the painters arrive tomorrow :(. I love the idea of the wallpaper on that wall- will look fantastic!

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    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence on the wallpaper! Can't wait to see my husband's face once I put it up. Ha! My fingers haven't fallen off from filling holes yet, thank goodness. I have a real appreciation for carpentry work. :) Oooh, can't wait to see the shiplap!

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  4. Can't wait to see that wallpaper go up, it's going to be amazing!

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    1. Thanks Maggie! Yeah, the wallpaper choice is definitely the boldest design element in the room. I hope it works out! :)

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  5. Carol I adore the direction that your room is headed towards! You did SO much better than I did in my room this week.

    I would love for you to share this post at Thoughts of Home on Thursday. I think our readers would really enjoy it!

    Good luck in the upcoming week!

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    1. Thank you, Laura! There are so many ORC participants, so it helps when people like you stop by and leave a comment to let me know about their room. :) I'll be heading over to your blog! And thanks for letting me know about the link up. I had no idea!

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  6. I love your design plan and can't wait to see next week's update!
    The shoe moulding was a great idea and solution.

    Thank you for sharing this at Thoughts of Home on Thursday.

    Laura
    White Spray Paint
    TOHOT

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    1. Thank you, Laura! The shoe molding was such a simple solution that I feel beefed up the look of the baseboards. Pretty and functional! :)

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