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We recently transformed this office nook in the corner of our living room. I built a custom hutch and paired it with a vintage desk to give this small space the perfect balance of function and form.

>>> Find out more about this Office Nook Makeover with Custom Hutch <<<

At the time of the hutch project, I decided to take on an additional DIY to transform the walls in this little space to give our wood tongue-and-groove paneled walls, a smoother drywall-like finish.

This change to the walls turned out to be the game changer for this small space transformation and a project that I eventually extended to our entire living and hallway. Read on to find out why and how I decided to change our walls ↓ !

Why I chose to change our walls:

The walls in our living room and hallway all have vertical tongue-and-groove panels, also known as car siding.

I have never loved the look of the paneled walls in our home due to the constant cracking of the paint in each seem. However, over the years the paneled walls have remained while we prioritized other home projects.

Fast forward to this year and the start of the hutch project, and it became increasingly clear that it was time to make a change to our walls.

The big reason for the change was due to our general design style and preferences. My husband and I both love classic style interiors, and have been slowly working to add some classic charm to our home.

Recently, I have been wanting to add picture frame molding in our living room and hallway, but the vertical lines of the cottage style tongue-and-groove paneling just doesn’t work with the classic style picture frame molding.

Additionally, most of the panel seams were cracking despite attempts to fill them, which to me just made the walls look messy and dated.

Finally, though the house had been repainted, we had kept the original color, Edwardian Lace by Behr, which was selected by the previous home owners.

The wall color did not pair well with the puddy color I wanted for the hutch (and potentially the kitchen cabinets) and I was ready to bring a fresher look to these spaces with a brighter wall color.

Simply put, it was time to make a change and since ripping everything out and drywalling all of these spaces just wasn’t an option at the time, I decided to figure out an alternative.

How I changed our walls:

I gave our paneled walls a smooth, drywall-like look using layers of joint compound.

First, I dipped my joint knife into the joint compound and applied a generous amount to the knife. I then pasted the product onto the wall, focusing on pushing the product into each seam.

As I pushed the product in, I would then scrap off the excess product with the knife, and apply it to the next section. I repeated this process until I finished a full seam top to bottom, then moved on to the next one.

I knew going into the project that I would have to do three separate applications of the joint compound to give the best odds against cracking.

I allowed 24 hours between applications to ensure the compound was dry.

Once the third layer was dry, I used a sanding block to smooth the wall. This step was crucial so I really took my time here. I carefully examining the wall from different angles to ensure I achieved as smooth of a surface as possible.

When the sanding was done, I wiped the walls down with a slightly damp cloth to remove all the dust.

Finally, I applied two coats of Simply White by Benjamin Moore in an Eggshell finish, allowing the paint to dry for 24 hours between applications.

The result...

Materials Used:

Joint knife
Joint compound
Sanding block
Slightly damp cloth
Simply White by Benjamin Moore in Eggshell finish

Honest thoughts on this project:

Overall, the process of this DIY was quite simple, but the execution proved to be a big undertaking due to the size of the spaces in our home that had the tongue-and-groove paneling.

So, would I do this project again…absolutely! In the end I couldn’t be happier with how our walls turned out. This DIY has truly transformed these spaces, giving us more freedom to add some of the classic architectural features we love.

One month follow up:

At the time I am writing this blog, it has been a little over one month since I finished all the walls in both of these spaces. So far, we have only had about 5 seams show signs of cracking.

I covered these sections with another layer of joint compound, allowed the product to dry, then sanded and painted the area where I had applied the additional layer of joint compound.

Since this fix, the cracking has disappeared.

I am so excited to add the molding accents and style the walls in these spaces…

>>> Full hallway makeover coming soon! <<<

Ready to start transforming your space? Check out more DIY transformations here.

From styling tips to antique sourcing tips to shoppable style guides, we’ve got everything you need on the blog.

Looking for a little inspiration? Check out my personal design portfolio to see room transformations I’ve worked on and find out more about how I can help you on your next project.

Style Your Space.

I believe that creating beautiful spaces starts with curating beautiful pieces. If you’re looking to add some vintage accents to your space, check out the online shop for our curated collection of classic pieces:

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