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DIY

Planking the Peninsula

March 5, 2013
In addition to painting our base cabinets this weekend, we also took 20 minutes to update the back of the peninsula.  (Note: The new countertops will have a waterfall edge so that is why the side of the peninsula is not painted.) A couple people noticed that the peninsula didn't used to be planked like this:

No, in fact, it looked like this (a lot do!):

Because this is actually two pieces of cabinetry, they "joined" them together with a small piece of trim. And since we are getting rid of the countertop overhang (there just isn't enough room for barstools and a dining room table and chairs.  There just isn't.) we knew that this area would be more noticeable.  So we took of that little piece of trim and set it aside to use in just a minute.

Then, Chris removed the quarter round while simultaneously trying to watch Greta while she twirled for the 100th time.

5 minutes later, he installed this beadboard we picked up at Home Depot for $20.  The "planks" are a little thicker than traditional beadboard, so when installed horizontally--it looks the part.  Plus, $20! And Home Depot cut it to size for us!  A few finish nails and you're gold. Keep in mind, if you're like us, you most likely have an appliance in the middle of your island of peninsula (for us, the dishwasher) so you really, really don't want to shoot a nail right there.  Keep to the sides and use Liquid Nails in the middle if you need to.

Chris attached the small piece of trim that used to be in the middle on the far right where the planks meet the wall.  While we liked the look of the white paneling, we decided to paint it navy to match the rest of our base cabinets.

It was such a simple upgrade that took less than 20 minutes and $20 to achieve.  Who doesn't like those projects?!

Psst.  We finally got all of the cabinet hardware on after a few hitches.  Can't wait to show you that (and share all of those silly details/stories) tomorrow!

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  1. Love your kitchen!! Can you tell me if the grain still shows when you painted your cabinets? You mentioned you didn't sand. Thanks! :)

  2. Love your kitchen!! Can you tell me if the grain still shows when you painted your cabinets? You mentioned you didn't sand. Thanks! :)

  3. I'm very excited to see how this turns out. Not my personal style but I'm excited to see the counter tops and back splash. How is the paint on your upper cabinets holding up? How long do you wait to reassemble after painting?

    1. The paint on the uppers are going pretty good. I did have to touch up a few areas--but I am thinking it is due to not having hardware, ya know? The upper cabinets (with the Advance paint) we waited 5 days before reassembling. The base cabinets (with Aura) we just waited overnight. No problems at all.

  4. I really like that you're removing the countertop overhang to give more space to the dining room. I don't know why builders make adjoining eating areas so squished sometimes.

  5. It looks awesome!!! I am loving this kitchen progression. I would love to be able to paint our cabinets but they are just mdf/particle board with laminate fronts and I don't think painting the laminate would hold up for the long haul :( I am living vicariously through you!!

  6. I love the bead board! We have a peninsula too but we've decided to do a chalk board for the little one. I cringe at the mess it will make but it will be so much fun for her! I can't wait to see how this all turns out. I lurve navy!

  7. Loving it! Is there room for you to hang your window treatments higher then they are? I have faked large windows in my house by hanging the treatments up high and they overhang the top of the window just a tad so you think the window is larger then it is. It gives a room such height! Cheap and free upgrade.

  8. Gorgeous! I love how the navy brings out the detail of the planks! I noticed it yesterday but thought that I just hadn't seen it before when it was white...now it makes sense! :)

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