The entry way is the very first thing a guest see’s when entering your home. So I wanted to really incorporate our overall interior design to this small space. We didn’t have a designated mudroom so I decided to create one. I didn’t want to lose functionality though, so I made sure every inch of that wall would be useful to our regular lives. So if you want to learn how to turn your small entryway into a custom mudroom, keep reading!

Materials:

8 Cabinet Knobs, I used Hammercraft 1-1/8 in. (28mm) Black Round Cabinet Knob from Home Depot

8ft 1×2 Select Wood Planks, I used about 30 planks for my wall

Lack Wall Shelf(43 ¼ x 10 ¼)  from Ikea

Wood screws, Wood Glue, Wood Putty

Tools:

Nail Gun

Miter Saw ( If you need to extend the wood)

Drill for Shelf

 

Step 1.  Apply 3 to 4 supporting braces to your wall. I put one at the very top, the middle, and two at the  bottom and you will see why in a little. This is what you will be nailing the planks to. Wood glue them to the wall for more hold then nail them in.

Step 2. This is a great time to measure where you would like to place the floating shelf. Once you have figured it out go ahead and screw the metal rod (that was included with the shelf) to the wall. It shouldn’t interfere with he planks if the spacing is done right.

Step 3. Before you start to nail the planks, screw your cabinet knobs into 8 planks. Decide how high or low you want each knob and make sure when you go to nail them they are right side up. Spacing of each knobs are also something to consider, I skipped every other plank. Do not do this step last because you won’t have enough room to screw them in after each plank is nailed in.

Step 4. Start at the very end of the wall and line the plank against the corner aligned with the ceiling. I started at the far left to use my wall as guide to level the planks. To get an even space between each plank I placed another plank in between each one as a spacer. Do not mistakenly nail that one into the wall.  (I hope that makes sense) Start by applying wood glue to the very top of the plank, the middle, and bottom. Align with the braces and nail it to the top brace, middle brace, and first bottom brace. Repeat for each one.

 If your wall is as tall as mine you will have noticed the 8ft planks do not reach the ground. No worries, that is why I purchased extra planks. Once we are done reaching the other end of the wall we will begin cutting the remainder foot for each plank. This is where that second bottom brace and wood putty comes in.

Step 5.  Once you’ve reached the end of the wall if you have an opening like I do the spacing between the braces and planks will be visible. So I just nailed another plank sideways to to the last plank to hide that. Now if you look from the side you can’t see the spacing.

If you do not need to extend your boards to reach the bottom you can go ahead to step 7. If you do need to extend the boards continue to step 6

Step 6. Now to get a seamless extended plank that will reach the bottom, measure the distance from the end of the plank to the floor or base. I measured to the base. This is also where I placed the second bottom brace.  I needed an extra foot per each plank. So I used a miter saw and cut 1 foot boards from the extra 8ft foot planks I purchased. Repeat step 2 and nail them to the very bottom brace. There will be a small visible gap between each plank, apply wood putty, let dry, and sand down. You won’t even notice it when you are done.  You can also use the putty to hide the nail holes.

Step 7. Since we already screwed the metal rod for the shelf in step 2, now you can just slide the shelf into the rods. Make sure the shelf is pushed right up against the planks. This will give it a tight hold. And you are all done. Decorate and style to your liking!*

*I didn’t prime or paint the planks because select wood is already primed and sanded down for easy projects. I also like the natural wood color. But I always have that option in the future since I know those steps are already done. But feel free to do so for your home.