Back Hallway Shiplap Update

When we last saw the back hallway (AKA boot room) it looked pretty good. Lots of hooks, new floor, fun gallery art.

But the issues were many: I wanted a wood element to warm up the space. The new shelf was the wrong color ... but really it was the walls that were the wrong. They were just "off" the blue cabinet color. 

So, obviously something had to be done. And with Leah off to college, I needed a 1-weekend doable DIY project that I could focus on. 

Off to Lowes for $200 worth of shiplap and new pine boards for the hook rails. 

Demo started! All the rails came down easily. The wall to the right of the garage door (on the left side of this photo) needed to go white, so I primed that a few times to cover over the erroneous blue. 

Shiplap install time! Went up pretty quickly once I started chopping. I wish those half pieces/cuts were on the bottom of the wall, instead of the top, but I'll know better for next time! 

I put three coats of the ("SW: Denim") blue paint to go on smooth and cover all the holes. It's a satin finish, which I thought would have a little more of a sheen, but the almost-matte is kinda cool. And so far, no scuffs.  

I love that final look. It coordinates with the kitchen so well. And the updated gallery photos follow the color scheme a little better. And did you notice the wood hook rail? Just that added warmth to the little boot room. 

Now, to pick a color for that shelf! 

Here's some extra credit ... Let's take a quick trip down Back Hallway memory lane:  

Move in - 2021

First year with wallpaper!

Trying to make that closet work for us!

Added butcher block and bead board to the closet.
Painted the floor black! Early 2023

In 2023, we asked our contractor to come back and update the floor in the back hallway, bathroom and laundry room. And remove that closet. It was less than 5 days of work and the impact was huge for us. See the details in this post.  

Mid-Renovation 2023

You can dig through all the back hallway project posts here. 

Storytime:

So I'm chatting with some of Dave's married-in cousins at Thanksgiving (two women my age or a few years younger) and they were loving my shiplap project in the back hallway. But they have questions. How did I get all the board the right size? Did Home Depot cut them for me? How did I measure so well. And I didn't understand their questions at first, until it occurred to me. They assumed I didn't have power tools. "Oh no, I have a chop saw, circular saw, nail gun, etc." I assured them. And they were floored, like it didn't occur to them that I'd have tools. Like how? It was funny but also kinda eye-opening, do women not own tools. Then, OF COURSE, they asked if Dave helps at all (like it's 1953), and no, he doesn't. He stays well away of home projects. But he sometimes comes to the Lowes with me to shop around.

This was THIS Thanksgiving. With women in their upper 30s, low 40s. What?