Easy Kitchen Updates, Part 1: Beadboard Wallpaper

Over the next couple days, I want to share with you a couple pretty easy and inexpensive updates that we made to our kitchen this year.

First up....

1.) Beadboard Wallpaper

If you remember, I started by lining the back of a couple of our kitchen cupboards with decorative paper and removing the glass doors. This was a really random project and when I was done, I loved it but knew that meant some changes for the rest of the kitchen.

I contemplated what to do on the wall our cabinets are on for a long time. You see, when we moved into our house ten years ago the kitchen had a lovely hand-sponged (yes, sponged) grapevine board along the top of the walls. I actually did like it at first. It gave the kitchen a little country charm and some color since the rest of the kitchen was fairly neutral. But it was started feeling kind of outdated and I was ready for something fresh.

My other issue was all the wood. Don't get me wrong, I love wood. But we had oak cabinets, hardwood floors, large overhead beams. Sometimes it felt like a little much.

 

I knew I could never talk the Hubster into painting the cabinets. I approached the subject once by saying, "Have you ever thought about painting our kitchen cabinets." His immediate response was, "Noooo..."  I knew I didn't have a chance so I didn't pursue it. Sometimes it's worth being persistant in order for Hubster to catch the vision. But in this case, I knew not to waste my time.

So I decided instead to embrace the wood, but try to figure out a plan that would help it to not take over the room. I pinned many beautiful kitchens on Pinterest and I began to realize that I loved the look of plain white subway tile.

 

Here's one of my inspiration photos from Remodelaholic.

source: Remodelaholic

I love this look. And it was even with oak cabinets similar to mine. But tiling was something we had never tackled before. And I knew that tile would probably be a little out of our budget.

I started doing a little more inspirational research and found out about a paintable textured wall paper in a beadboard pattern from Lowes. I decided this would be a great alternative to subway tile. And since the wallpaper is only about $20 a roll (I used about 2 rolls), it was a much less expensive option that tile also. So we used it on the entire wall where the cabinets are and I couldn't be happier with it. 

First, Hubster primed the wall and painted over the border. Goodbye grapevine!

Now I said these updates were easy. Well I don't know if you would call wallpapering hard so much as stressful. Although I had watched and helped my Dad and Hubster wallpaper many times, I had never done it myself. My wall also had a window and cupboards to fit around. So, yes, it was a little stressful.

 

But this product was great and easy to use. It has a thicker, foam-like texture so you do have to be careful to not make an impression on it by leaning on it, with fingernails, etc., but it went up without problems. It is prepasted and you just have to wet it. It stuck very well and I didn't have any problems with corners or seams coming unglued. Hubster and I wound up tag-teaming this project. I did the lower section below the cabinets and he did above.



I'm really happy with how it turned out. It adds some character back to the kitchen that the border gave it, but in a more updated way. It also gives me a neutral canvas to accessorize with any color I want.

And the wallpaper is holding up really well, even around the sink. If there are ever any splatters, I can just wipe them off with a sponge.

Tomorrow I'm going to share about this little project. Stay tuned!

 

Today's Thankfulness....

* That my husband's work schedule allows him to be home in the mornings to see the kids off to school.

* For technology.....especially on the days that it works. :-)

* For the changing colors of leaves in my backyard.