Manolo for the HomeBefore/After: The mini-mudroom edition | Manolo for the Home






Before/After: The mini-mudroom edition

By Christa Terry

I could have bought an old, old, old home fraught with problems. When The Beard and I were house shopping, we saw one place we absolutely loved — it had three full floors with lots of rooms on each, high ceilings, wood floors, huge windows, and plenty of old school curb appeal. It also had a foundation so warped that the house itself was starting to lean to the left. Not good. We could afford the asking price, but not the necessary renovations.

So instead of buying an old, old, old home fraught with problems, we bought a fairly new cottage (circa 1950 or so) fraught with…well, ugliness. For example, we’ve been exploring the lovely wood shingles underneath the horrid off-yellow siding in preparation for the day we’ll tear it all off and paint. Then there is the vinyl flooring in the kitchen — it doesn’t quite reach the baseboards, leaving gaps where dust and dirt congregate.

The front door is actually quite new but, as it turns out, we are side door people. Growing up, I always wondered why some families used the front door exclusively while others gravitated toward the side door. We were driven to become the latter sort by practical concerns. Screen doors in the mud room effectively keep indoor cats from escaping, while it’s much easier for them to slip out the front. Plus, it’s nice to be sheltered when holding groceries in one hand while turning a key with the other during a rainstorm. It’s a place for dirty shoes, somewhere to stash a muddy trowel when one is too lazy to walk to the shed, and yet another way to let fresh spring breezes in.

The only problem? Said mud room was ugly, ugly, ugly.

Why do people let things get so old and ugly?So much wasted space!Not just white…bright!


That blue thing in the left photo was a peg board so curved with age that it bowed out, taking up a great deal of space. The entire interior had been painted either hastily or shoddily (my guess is shoddily), and as a result, the paint was chipping and peeling everywhere. Insects had set up shop in corners and the ceiling was a bare flat piece of rather unpleasant looking wood.

The Beard is always a little wary when I suggest ripping something down or repainting in an entirely different color. I’m more adventurous than he when it comes to renovation and redecoration! But when I make my case clearly, he usually goes along with whatever crazy scheme I’ve hatched. In this case, I wanted to rip down the peg board to see what was underneath — plenty of unused space, shallow shelves, and lovely vertical planks! — and rip off the ugly strip of siding opposite the peg board to check out the shingles below — they’re great!

This project was EASY and reinforced my belief that almost anything can be improved by a fresh coat of paint. Before I could paint, however, I had to scrape, and before I could scrape, I had to rip down a bunch of planks that had been nailed into various surfaces for mysterious purposes. That also meant filling all sorts of holes with wood filler. Hey, my mother painted houses for a living when I was a wee one, so I’m all about doing these things right.

The end result of my efforts can be seen on the photo on the right. All in all, this project was also CHEAP. I already had the paint. The hardware cost me about $30 total, and I have plenty of hooks left over. I’m pretty happy with it even though there’s still plenty to do, like ripping up the vinyl flooring and replacing it with tile and replacing the existing door with a Dutch door.

The main thing my little cottage has taught me is that I should never discount simple solutions to irritating problems. If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to spruce up a space that isn’t exactly worthy of appearing in House Beautiful, you can’t beat a coat or two of paint and some new hardware.









4 Responses to “Before/After: The mini-mudroom edition”




  1. Nastia Says:

    Wow I totally thought you had replaced all that wood not just painted it, it looks great!




  2. Jennie Says:

    It’s freaking amazing to me that people can muck up a space with bad paint and nailed in crap. You made that hole gorgeous with just a bit of paint and a LOT of labor. I think it’s the lot o’ labor part that many people won’t do. Congrats to you and The Beard on having enough vision to make something beautiful out of a neglected mess!




  3. Eilish Says:

    Oooh, very nice! What a nice little mudroom, I’m jealous. I’m also relieved I’m not the only person under 80 who appreciates the value and brilliance of a dutch door. I so totally want one for our back door. Incidentally, we are also side door people. So much so that we have a large dog crate completely blocking the front door on the inside!




  4. Never teh Bride Says:

    Nastia: It’s just paint! And thanks!

    Jennie: I’m constantly amazed at how shoddily work was done on my house and how badly the previous owners maintained it. My poor little cottage…it needs love! We’re all about the labor, though, being that we don’t have the money to bring in a contractor for minor repairs and renovations. Plus, I’m a dedicated DIYer!

    Eilish: Side door solidarity!!!!












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