Pantry Reno Phase 2: Demo & Drywall Repair

If you missed Phase 1: Inspiration Gathering, you can read it here!

Before

Y'all, I'm embarrassed to even share this picture! It looks like a hoarder's house. To be honest, I could barely walk in. Our house has no closets downstairs, so this ends up being a catch-all. Not anymore!

Cluttered pantry with shelves holding baskets, food boxes, and jars. A freezer is surrounded by Halloween decor and miscellaneous items. Dim lighting. — Right before it got cleaned out!

It took two days to clear this out, and I ended up with 3 trash bags full, plus a bin of things to donate.

Narrow storage room with white walls, wire shelves, a small white freezer, and exposed wall sections. Neutral, simple atmosphere. — After clearing everything out.

Next up is the final demo and repairs. The wire shelves will be removed, and the bottom foot of the drywall needs to be patched and mudded. If you're new, our house flooded in a thunderstorm, and this is the last room that the drywall needed to be repaired in.

You can find all the drywall repair tools here . Or click the photo above!

Drywall Repair

Drywall repair is a project that I normally DREAD. But I did a few things differently this time, which made all the difference. The first is using a trough for your mud. This allows you can clean off the drywall putty knife more easily and create clean lines in your drywall.

Tools Needed:

Joint Compound (I mix mine with a couple of tablespoons of water in the mud pan)
Drywall Putty Knife
Mud pan
Paper Drywall Tape

Drywall Repair:

Cut a straight, clean line on the damaged wall. This will make it easier to cut the patches. Cut patches of drywall and drill them into the studs using drywall screws.
Using a putty knife and a trough, spread about 1/8 inch thick of drywall mud over the seam.
Lightly press paper drywall tape into the mud, pressing it in every foot or so.
Press the end of the tape down to hold it taut with one hand, then use the other to press the drywall tape into the mud.
Going vertically, feather the top and bottom of the mud until it is smooth.
Wait 24 hours, then sand the mud until smooth (some mud dries in less time, check your container!) I usually use a 220-grit sandpaper.
Add another layer of mud and smooth vertically again. You'll want to extend the mud a little higher and lower. Repeat this as many times as needed until the lines disappear.

Once this was done, I primed the new drywall and mud, and we got to work installing baseboards, quarter round, and chair rail.

Installing Baseboards and Chair Rail

Kyle and I installed baseboards, quarter round, and a chair rail to match the "shelves" (can I call it a shelf when it is about 3 inches deep?) that were along the other two walls.

Man in casual clothes aligns a white board on a wall using a laser level, in a room with taped lines and a tiled floor.

Person wearing goggles laying baseboard on tile floor in small white room. Blue tape on walls, paint specks on floor, focused mood.

Wallpaper

All the wallpapering tools can be found here (or you can click the photo below!) A wallpaper tutorial will be incoming, so make sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!