Removing the wall and wrapping up the contractor’s work was thrilling, but we still have plenty to do before the space feels finished. Unless your idea of a beautiful dining room is raw studs and exposed plaster:
Speaking of the contractor, several neighbors asked for Steve’s contact info after seeing the work. We only share tradespeople we’ve personally hired and liked, so if you need serious structural work—knocking down walls, building additions, etc.—he’s a licensed Class A contractor (not a handyman). Email: [email protected].
Back to the opening: we kept the protective plastic up because drywall was next, and sanding drywall generates dust. We’re not drywall pros (it was my least favorite part of our bathroom renovation), but this job was small and straightforward enough to tackle ourselves: a short span across the top of the new doorway on the dining room side to conceal the exposed header, plus a few pieces around the half-wall.
The kitchen side of the half-wall will be covered with paneling, so we kept the demolition scraps. I measured, marked, and cut pieces with a jigsaw—quick and easy.
It was so simple I placed the cabinet in front of the half-wall before finishing the back. Steve suggested fitting the cabinet beforehand so I could see and access the studs more easily for accurate screw placement. Note: there will be a 12″ counter overhang behind the peninsula with stools tucked under, so from this angle you won’t see much of the half-wall when it’s completed. We’ll also top the half-wall with a chunky wooden ledge for function and balance.
Already starting to look more finished, right?
Okay, not quite.
I had been avoiding the next task: transporting drywall. A full 4×8 sheet won’t fit in our Altima, and renting a truck for $19 felt excessive for $14 worth of drywall. Steve suggested cutting drywall to size before bringing it home, so I set up in the Lowe’s parking lot with a tape measure, chalk line, razor blade, straight edge, and a towel to protect the car—45 minutes later the pieces were ready to load.
The dining room needed two layers of drywall in that spot, so I cut two of each size to match. I managed to fit half-wall pieces in the trunk and the longer header pieces down the middle of the car, along with a door jamb kit for a later phase.
I unloaded and began screwing the pre-cut pieces into place. Sherry held one edge while I installed a few “holding” screws, then hopped down to snap photos.
Then we hit a snag: despite careful measurements (we even photographed our tape measure next to existing drywall and the store’s sheets), my doubled-up drywall was just slightly thicker than the existing doubled-up wall. Even a tiny mismatch would show when mudded and lit, so I removed one panel and shimmed the studs instead.
I used wood shims and, being short on furring strips, stacked a few paint stir sticks screwed together to achieve the needed thickness. Those improvised shims proved dense enough, and the wood-and-steel header is solid, so everything held firmly. The excess will be concealed by trim later.
I repeated the shimming method for the big half-wall panel, taking care to get things flush before screwing. Our stash of paint stir sticks—accumulated from many paint jobs—came in handy.
The end cap on the half-wall didn’t need to match existing thickness, so a single drywall piece attached directly to the wood frame. We used metal drywall corner strips to create a sharp edge where the drywall meets the paneling—an improvised but effective solution that looks promising once primed and painted.
With the drywall hung (aside from that thickness hiccup), the next step was mudding. Sherry handled mudding and finishing since she has the steadier hand for smoothing, taping, and sanding. She worked through several coats in most spots to achieve a seamless finish, and opted to caulk a tight crack near the crown molding rather than mudding into that narrow gap.
We were pleasantly surprised by how well the corner pieces and mud blended with the wood paneling on the kitchen side. It’ll look even cleaner once primed and painted, and the corner protection will keep that junction durable and straight.
So, it’s definitely more finished than it was this morning, though still far from final.
The opening looks a bit odd at the moment because:
- there’s no trim to visually tie it to nearby doorways;
- baseboards stop at the half-wall and aren’t finished on either side;
- we haven’t installed the wooden ledge on top of the half-wall, which will add function and balance;
- the peninsula, stools, and countertop that will define the space aren’t in place yet;
- many surfaces still need primer and paint, so everything appears rough.
That out-of-context feeling will resolve as we add trim, baseboards, the ledge, primer, paint, and the peninsula behind the half-wall. For anyone wondering why we chose a half-wall over a fully open pass-through with a floating peninsula, our reasons were:
- we didn’t want the peninsula to look like an afterthought dropped into a doorway;
- a half-wall helps ground and support the peninsula so it reads as intentional and sturdy;
- we already have built-in base cabinets in the dining room, so extra cabinetry would be redundant;
- placing more built-ins close to the existing built-ins would be visually overwhelming;
- a half-wall prevents an awkward threshold of cork flooring between peninsula cabinets and the dining room floor.
Next on the list: installing the door jamb, adding the wooden ledge atop the half-wall, finishing trim and baseboards, then priming and painting. After that, assembling the peninsula and installing the countertop will finally start to make the space read as complete. The kitchen is still waiting on its countertops and appliances, but each step brings us closer to a finished, functional room.
Sherry also contributed to a lively conversation about trends over on Centsational Girl, if you’re interested in different design perspectives.