DIY Small Dining Room Makeover

10 months ago we closed on our FIRST HOUSE (how has it been 10 months already!?) and since the day we closed, I have been renovating non-stop! That being said, today I am SO excited to be able to share my DIY small dining room makeover! This project was a HUGE undertaking and a total labor of love, and I cannot wait to show you the before and after. So, let’s get started!

DIY Small Dining Room Makeover

This post is sponsored by DAP Products and contains affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Want to see this project in action? Check it out on my YouTube channel (& make sure to subscribe)!

When we purchased this house, I was really worried that we would not have space for a formal dining space. The eat-in area of the kitchen was very closed in and there wasn’t much space to move around, let alone eat a meal! Here’s the before:

… and after a little bit more elbow grease and a lot of help from my friends at DAP Products. Here’s what it looks like now (magical, right?)!

 First thing we did, was come on in and demo the walls in between the living room, kitchen, and eat-in area. It’s so wild how much this opened up the space (you can find all the details on that demo project in my Kitchen Demo video on YouTube)!

Next up, I bribed my dad to help me demo the tile floor in the general kitchen area to make way for matching our floors to the original hardwood floors that were hidden under laminate!

Once the floors were fixed and the new drywall was up and running, it was time to work some magic by taping and filling the seams in the drywall using DAP Premium Lightweight Low Dust Joint Compound.  I absolutely love this stuff – when you apply it, it’s pink and when it’s dry, it’s white! This is so helpful for larger fills, because once it dries white, it’s time to sand!

Quick Tip: DAP’s recommendation for best results while using DAP Premium Lightweight Low Dust Joint Compound with DryDex Indicator is to wet-sand uneven areas with a damp sponge after the joint compound has dried!

I also patched any small indentations or imperfections with DAP’s DryDex Dry Time Indicator Spackling. I love using this spackling compound for smaller jobs and working on some other things while it dries! Best part is that it turns white when dry, so there are no guessing games for when it’s ready to be sanded and prepped for next steps!

Once the walls were patched, sanded, and painted, I then added trim to the doors and windows and sealed all of the gaps between the trim and the walls with Alex Flex Premium Molding & Trim Acrylic Latex Siliconized Sealant. This sealant helps give the trim an amazing polished look and is paint-ready in only 30 minutes, which makes it great for using on projects that you’re short on time for (and, let’s be real… I’m always short on time).

At this point, the home renovation process was FINALLY done and it was time to move onto some of the custom touches like adding the DIY Dining Room table that myself and DIY Danie made back in NOVEMBER of last year!

I also added a custom dining bench that my friend Chris from Cow Dog Craft Works helped me build in ONE DAY. 

And, then I called in a professional for the styling, my friend Charlotte from At Charlotte’s House to help me decorate my space!

… and, can we talk about how AMAZING it all looks with those custom additions thanks to my incredible friends!?

I went from being worried about not having a formal dining area to never wanting to leave this small dining room ever, ever again.

I am so happy with how this space turned out (even though it took me 10 months to complete)!

There is still a lot of work to be done, so I hope you’ll check back in with me soon! In the meantime, feel free to save this project for later!