kelsey.mackall, Author at A Dabbled Dwelling

How to DIY a Home Gym Storage Peg Board

June 25, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

There is a room in my upstairs hall that until now has been ignored. I have sort of just been throwing extra decor and home goods in there and shutting the door. Out of sight out of mind… Finally, I decided that it was time to give that room a purpose. I’ve been in the market to start working out, but I really don’t want to pay for a gym membership. So, I figured, why not make that room a home gym? One thing about home gyms is that they require a lot of stuff! I wanted to create storage that stood out and was different. For all of the bands, jump ropes, and other strappy things I wanted to DIY a home gym storage peg board.

DIY A Storage Peg Board

I started with 3/4 plywood and cut it into an arch using my jigsaw. Next I used my 1 inch drill bit to drill holes in a grid pattern. I cut 1 inch dowels to size for the pegs, and thensanded everything including the inside edges of the holes and the pegs. Once it was all sanded I used Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain in Sunbleached followed by Western Oak. It was all sealed using Varathane’s Polyurethane coating and I gave the edges a more finished look using iron on edge banding. Then I moved it all upstairs and loaded it up. Easy peasy.

A drill is being used to create 1 inch holes in plywood.

Sanding block is used to sand arch with one inch holes

An arch with one inch holes is being sealed with polyurethane

Woman uses iron to apply edge banding to plywood arch

It’s a Great Storage Solution

This was seriously an easy and adorable storage project. It came together quickly and is super versatile and adjustable. The DIY peg board is the perfect addition to my home gym. It holds all of the necessary equipment and looks great doing it!

How To Finish DIY Arches by Using Flexible Trim

May 31, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

I recently tore out my wet bar because it never got used. My objective was that I would get more use out of that space being a wide hallway and butler pantry/wine bar area. I included cabinets, a wine fridge, and a wine rack, but one other thing I really wanted was arches. After we tore out the wet bar we built in DIY arches. That was easy compared to doing the finishing work on them.

Trial and Error to Finish the DIY Arches

On one side of the butler pantry/wine bar the arch will be finished with drywall. That is easy peasy. On the other side our living room has paneling that I would like to preserve. In order to do that I needed to do my best to match the trim on that arch to the paneling. At first I tried PVC trim, I figured that if I heated it up, I could get it to bend.

Woman heats PVC trim in an attempt to bend it

I was so wrong! Nothing I tried worked to get the PVC trim to bend the right way to finish off my arch without breaking. Relief cuts weren’t an option, and it would have been A LOT of relief cuts. After a lot of trial and error, and maybe a little swearing, I gave up on the PVC trim. I had heard about flexible trim, but hadn’t tried using it yet. Amazon to the rescue. I hopped on and ordered some flexible trim hoping to put this ordeal behind me.

Woman is frustrated with broken PVC trim

Finally the flexible trim came, but… they sent the wrong kind. At this point I wanted to bang my head on the wall. I informed Amazon and they shipped out the correct one, but I still had to wait for it. While I was waiting I used my time to match the other trim that I couldn’t use flexible trim for. Once the flexible trim came I was so ready to get going. It’s super easy to install, I just used my nail gun. I filled in gaps and cracks with caulk. After everything was all buttoned up I painted the arch to match the surrounding paneling.

Woman nails trim on a diy arch to match the paneling

DIY Arches Success!

This was a heck of a learning curve. Honestly, with all of the time I wasted trying the PVC I should have just started out with the flexible trim. It turned out so well, and I am very happy with the look of the arch in the paneling. I love a challenge and learning new things and this was a good way to do it.

Woman shows off a finished arch with an orange cat in the bottom corner

Update Floors Easily with Click and Lock LVP

May 31, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

Luxury. Vinyl. Plank. It’s all the rage and for good reason. There are so many reasons it’s awesome. LVP is more affordable, it’s easy to install, and it’s durable. You can update all of your floors easily with click and lock LVP. My primary bedroom still had the orange toned laminate from the old owners. It was finally time to update the floors to match the rest of the house.

Orange Floors No More!

I pulled up the old floors and got ready to lay the new ones. The new floors were ordered from DuraDecor in the color Bungalow Beige. I have installed these floors in the rest of my house and love them because they are SO EASY to install. Once the old floors were pulled up and the subfloor was cleaned up I got started installing. I began with the line from the hallway since the hallway already has new floors. These floors really are as easy as click and lock. I take the plank and click the tongue on one side into the groove on the other side of previous line, lay it flat, and use the mallet to get the plank locked into place. Then I continue step by step throughout the room.

Woman uses rubber mallet to click new flooring into place.

If I need to make a cut to resize the plank to fit a space, that is as easy as cut and snap. When I need to cut a plank I turn it around 180 degrees so the tongue and grooves are on opposite sides. This is because the groove that the tongue locks into is on one end of the plank. You have to rotate it to get the measurement correct on the end of the board that you need to use. Measure and use a straight line to cut. After you cut, snap the plank to get your correct length. With all of the cuts done and all of the planks locked into place the whole thing goes quickly.

Easy to Install Click and Lock LVP

LVP is so durable, it’s also warmer and a little easier on the feet and back than tile and wood. It is simple to install and is just as simple to maintain. My kids have spilled so many things on the LVP in our house and it all cleans right up. Even paint!