Dining room remodel before and after of our 1960’s small home. We show you how you can achieve a modern farmhouse look (or any look) in your dining area while still sticking to a budget.
Remodeling a dining room can be a big challenge! From deciding how to plan your budget, to picking paint colors, and buying flooring, we show you money saving hacks and tips on a dining room remodel that will give you a dining room before and after to be proud of.
This post is all about our dining room before and after!
Dining Room Before
When we first bought the home it was definitely outdated. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper and brown wood paneling. The carpets were peeling off of the floor and were begging to be removed. We knew right away that this room needed a major remodel.
How to start your dining room remodel: Demolition
The first order of business was removing the wallpaper, flooring and cleaning up the sheetrock. The easiest part of the demolition was removing the carpets. To remove the carpets we simply found the edges where it was starting to lift and carefully rolled up the rug. Be careful if you decide to remove your own carpet because there are tack strips that can be pointy!
Once the carpets were out, we focused our attention on removing the wallpaper. Wallpaper removal is not a joke. We thought it would be easy and come off in sheets and that was not the case at all. So here is what we learned worked the best.
TIP: DURING DEMOLITION JUST SPEND THE MONEY AND GET A CONTAINER FOR JUNK REMOVAL IT IS WORTH EVERY DOLLAR
BEST WAYS TO REMOVE WALLPAPER
- Steamer
- Vinegar Solution
- Chemical solution
Wallpaper Steamer
We bought this wallpaper steamer that was suggested online to remove the wallpaper and the glue. What we learned is that it did loosen a majority of the wallpaper and its glue, however it did not remove everything 100% and was very messy. The water got EVERYWHERE!
The product itself was great and affordable. We love that it was chemical free and inexpensive but it just did not work well on the wallpaper we had. This is a great tool to have in your home and can serve for multiple purposes like removing glue from flooring!
Vinegar Solution
Another method to remove wallpaper that we tried was with vinegar. We bought this vinegar solution from Lowes and mixed half warm water and half vinegar.
Make sure to allow the mixture to soak into the wall before removing the paper.
This method did work, but like the steamer it just wasn’t strong enough. It left a lot of residue and the smell from the vinegar was very strong. We liked this method because there were no harsh chemical involved and we could reuse the vinegar to clean other parts of the dining room during the demolition process.
Chemical Solutions
Products like this one were the most effective in removing the wallpaper. The downside to this spray is that it can be on the pricier side and have some harsh ingredients that the others didn’t.
The cons of the clinging gel were that it stuck to any glue and removed the remainder of the wallpaper faster and easier. If we could do the remodel again we would have just started off with a product like this and could have save time and money.
TIP: Buy a wall scorer and scraper to help remove the wallpaper along with your spray or water solutions. Also, make sure to let whatever product or water that you are using soak in to help loosen glue.
BUY A WALL PAPER SCORING TOOL HERE.
Dining Room Flooring:
Once the wallpaper was gone and the carpet was removed, we focused the attention on our flooring. The dining room is a high traffic area so it is important to choose durable flooring. Since we have an open concept dining room the flows into the kitchen, we decided to go with tile.
Now that the tile was down, it was time for painting. We painted the walls Benjamin Moore’s Shoreline. It is the perfect light gray with neutral undertones. This color makes the room feel open and airy.
CHOOSING A LIGHT FIXTURE FOR YOUR DINING ROOM REMODEL
One of the last steps in our dining room remodel before and after was installing a new light fixture. There was a fan in the dining room originally and we switched it out for a statement chandelier.
A dining room always features a statement light fixture. Light fixtures are a key element in the dining room! When choosing your lighting, consider the size of the chandelier in relation to your tables size.
I love my dining room light! It is easy to clean and really draws your eye to the center of the room.
DINING ROOM ACCENT WALL
The last step in our dining room remodel before and after was adding the finishing touches to the walls!
Dining room accent walls will elevate the room and draw attention to the wall. If you have an open floor plan, this can help define the dining room space from the other areas.
Wainscoting is a great feature to add to the wall as well as wood paneling. You can buy pre made panels from Home Depot and Lowes that are easy to use!
BEST WAINSCOTING FOR YOUR DINING ROOM:
DINING ROOM REMODEL AFTER
THE DINING ROOM DECOR
BEST FARMHOUSE STYLE DINING ROOM SET:
We love this set because it has a touch of farmhouse but is overall traditional. It is versatile and can be customized by switching out the chairs and seating. The price is reasonable and the table is in great condition so far!
The most important factor to consider when selecting dining room curtains is the length of the curtains. To make your home feel luxurious and larger than it really is, make sure your curtains are just kissing the floor. You don’t want the curtains in your dining room to be too short or too long where they look sloppy.
DINING ROOM DECOR IDEAS
BEST STORES TO SHOP FOR DINING ROOM DECOR:
- Home Sense
- Home Goods
- Target
As far as decorating, I wanted to keep the decorations simple, clean, and bright. I got rid of the vertical blinds and used double rod curtains as my window treatment. I added a mirror to help make the room brighter. Lastly, I constantly buy fresh floral arrangements to put in the vases which helps give the room life.
This post is all about our dining room remodel before and after.
SIMILAR POSTS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
- 10 Dining Room Decor Ideas to Consider for Your Small Home
- 7 Farmhouse Bedroom Ideas We Love!
- Quick Guide: Laundry Room Remodel
