DIY Blog - A Dabbled Dwelling

How I Built a DIY Storage Console for My Home Gym

June 28, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

Does anyone else have a catch-all/junk room? My catch-all room was eating away at me, I desperately needed to change it. I decided that I wanted a multi-functional room, a guest room on one side and a home gym on the other. Home gyms notoriously come with a lot of stuff to store. I built an arched peg board for all of the equipment that can hang, but I still needed more storage. So, I decided to build a DIY storage console.

A DIY Storage Console to Store ALL the Stuff

Making a storage console is actually super easy. I used 1×12 poplar from Weaber Lumber and first built, a box. Pocket screws attached from the underside, and wood glue on the ends kept the hardware hidden, leaving a sleek look on the outside of the box. I again used pocket screws and wood glue to build and attach a middle support and shelves. Since I wanted a thicker counter-like surface on top I cut a 1×12 to the same size as the top and attached it with wood glue and finishing nails. I ripped the poplar down to 1 inch strips and cut mitered ends to create a frame for the counter top and the fronts of the shelves and attached them with finishing nails and glue. These strips give the whole thing a more finished and subsantial look.

Woman is putting a second sheet of poplar on top of storage console

Woman uses table saw to rip polar board down

A strip is being attached to the front edges of a console

I attached these feet and gave everything a pre-stain sand. When sanding I like to start with a coarser grit and finish it with a finer grit to get the best finish possible. After sanding the shelf was stained with Varathane Premium Fast Dry Stain in Sunbleached followed by Western Oak. Then it got a coat of Varathane’s Polyurethane sealer. For the top of the console I wanted a durable, counter like finish. To achieve that I used Rustoleum’s Counter Top Coating in Black.

a woman is applying stain to a storage console

a woman is applying the counter top coating to the top of a storage console

Super Cute Gym Storage

I moved the console upstairs and placed it against the wall. Then I set the peg board I made on top. The two pieces together are a unique and super attractive storage solution. I love the way this console turned out. It holds all of my gym equipment and it looks great while doing so!

DIY storage console and peg board for home gym storage

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.