In a recent post we shared the start of our old laundry room turned mudroom project. With the beautiful gray tile floor in, we started in on the built-in bench, shelving, and board and batten detail.
Getting Started
Before you go materials shopping make sure you know the width, depth, height, etc. of the components of your project so that you buy the right things. Sometimes you get to the hardware store and they have scraps you can take advantage of because you only need so much of a piece of wood, for example.
Another tip: I recommend going to the hardware store with your other half. My lovely, but oftentimes less detail-oriented, husband wanted to buy a cheaper piece of wood at the hardware store for the bench because we were going to paint it. I knew looking at it that no amount of paint was going to make that particular type of board look smooth and feel comfortable, so I vetoed it in favor of a higher quality product. Now we have a nice, smooth boot bench without splinters.
Prep Steps
The first step we took upon arriving home with our wood was to sand, prime, and paint a first coat on all our pieces. This took quite awhile. If doing this project, give yourself plenty of time to sand all sides and ends, prime one side and let dry, prime the other side and let dry, then do the same with paint.
The Bench
The first item we tackled was the bench. I had drawn up a fairly simple concept. I’ll let you in on a secret: trim pieces are your best friend. The bench is made simply of 2×4 frame with a paint trim piece in front of it.
(Notice all the patch work on the wall? This house was not in great condition when we bought it so substantial prep work is always been needed before a new paint job. I also aimed to create a smooth wall so I could use it as the canvas for the board and batten. See more on that later.)
We took the same approach with the shelf, although with 1x2s for the frame. The key with the shelf was also a trim piece, just underneath and set back an inch to create a “thicker” looking, more finished front.
The Board and Batten
Finally, we created the board and batten in between the top of the bench and bottom of the shelf.
Using 1x4s my husband measured and cut the vertical boards first. The number of verticals you need depends on how many sections you want, as well as how much space you are working with. We laid out three and four sections. Both would have looked fine, but I opted for four in case we need one more section down the road for either another little or to hang extra items.
After nailing in the verticals we cut the cross pieces and nailed those in. Next we filled all the nail holes, caulked the lines, and let everything dry.
Finishing Touches
To finish the project I applied another coat of paint to the wood, two coats to the wall, then poly-ed everything to protect the paint from the daily wear and tear it would see.
On our third trip to the hardware store (!) I grabbed hooks for coats and jackets and we were done.
Love love love this space now. It is incredibly functional and provides much more room for this family when we come in from the day.
AHHHHHHHH.
Not Tomorrow 