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Little Brick Cottage Back Entry Re-Do

Several years ago, when I first started to blog, I showed you this project I was working on. It was a very charming 1800’s little brick cottage that really needed a redo! When we purchased this house, this is what the back entry looked like:

before

It was ‘yucky’ at best, and it had some real issue. There was no natural light in the space, there was a door closing the kitchen off from the entry, yet the landing from outside was completely opened to the basement and felt dangerously close to the first basement step.

removed half wall

The first thing we did was to remove that half wall, temporarily making it even more dangerous LOL. But that was necessary to put in the full wall and door to fix it.

full wall next to old stairs

Then we built a full wall right next to the existing steps coming from the kitchen.

wall studded out with door

Here you can see the full wall studded out with a door frame that will house the new basement door.

half step for basement

To fix the scary drop off on the landing to the basement, we added to the landing so that it would fill the entire area when the basement door is shut, no falling or tripping over the edge. To make that first step wider and safer, we built an angled step that makes the turn nicely. Problem solved!

Once the sheetrock was installed, taped, mudded and all the beadboard (HERE is is link to the real wood beadboard we installed) and trim up, I could paint. Here are my go-to supplies for painting:

paint supplies

Well, more like my go-to supplies getting ready to paint. I always caulk first!

caulk tip

Cut a tiny angle on the end of the caulk tube nozzle, then it will run along the corners easily.

crack

See that shadow of a crack between the door trim and wall? Caulk will take care of that and make the job look so much better.

lay the caulk down

Run a bead of caulk along that crack. Don’t worry if you mess up, you can clean it up, if you do it right away. Don’t let it dry though, or you’ll need to cut it out.

finger tool

Some people us a rag, but I have found the best thing to get the caulk smooth is my finger, (gloved finger). Right after I run a length of caulk about 5-10 feet, I immediately go behind it with my finger and smooth it, wiping the excess on my rags.

Caulking before you paint makes a world of difference to how the finished job looks!

  • Vinyl Gloves: I go through boxes of vinyl gloves, frequently changing them as they fill up with caulk on the outside, and/or dripping with sweat on the inside. It’s horrible to have to keep on a pair of gloves that are filled with sweat. They slip around on your hand.
  • Rags in a Box: These rags in a box are terrific too. They are tougher than regular paper towels. The way they dispense from the box is perfect for grabbing them as you go along.
  • Caulk: I love this particular fast dry caulk. Caulking the seams and joints of woodwork gives a finished look as it fills those shadow lines and cracks before painting. To successfully use this caulk read further for the tips.
new basement steps door

This is what the basement doorway looks like now, all painted:

Now, all completed, the new wall and door completely separate the basement from finished living space, and makes the entry feel much safer and looks a lot cuter.

From the kitchen the back door sheds natural light in.

new back entry

From the kitchen, it’s so cute and welcoming, I purposely continued the same elements and colors into the back entry from the kitchen to visually enlarge the space.

Nothing speaks the language of farmhouse like beadboard, right? Love it! For this back entry, as well as other places in this little brick cottage, I used THIS real wood beadboard. It’s durable and not expensive. Even the installation is cheaper because it comes in 4 x 8 sheets, so it goes up quick, saving labor costs!

beadboard in back entry

Most of the elements from the kitchen to the back entry are the same, except the floors are different.

In the kitchen, we found this original oak plank floor, but the entry floor is partly original and partly new, as we needed to rebuild these steps, the old ones were really rickety, so the treads are new, as well as that added piece by the basement door. It got finished with a darker grey paint as the walls.

numbered hooks by back entry

Even though I needed to keep this space neutral, because I was preparing for someone else to live in it, I found these super cute numbered hooks. Perfect for this vintage farmhouse little brick cottage back entry!

Here are 2 really cute other options of numbered hooks: THESE HOOKS incorporate rustic barn wood and metal. THESE HOOKS are cute colors and on a single bar making installation super easy.

Did you know I now offer e-decorating? I can help you with your decorating needs via email, without having to step foot in your home. If you’re interested in more information, visit my e-decorating site: Frame and Frills. I’d love to help you with your project!

Here are more posts featuring this little brick cottage renovation:

front entry sdtips
 living room before and after SDTips
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Little Brick Cottage Dining Room Before and After
front bedroom reno before SDTips
Bedroom Redo Before SDTips
simpledecoratingtips.com little brick cottage bathroom before and after
little brick cottage back entry SDTips
DIY canning jar lights SDTips
Mixing Hardware Styles SDTips
SIMPLEDECORATINGTIPS.com Antique Brick Cottage Farmhouse Style Kitchen Before and After

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to follow and share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, Bloglovin, YouTube and Instagram! I appreciate you reading along.

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Welcome to Simple Decorating Tips! I’m Liz, the author, and I’m so glad you’re here!

My goal is to encourage you with DIY tips, techniques and tutorials so you feel empowered to join in the fun! Along with this DIY blog, I have a DIY shop, Frame and Frills!
Frame and Frills is in Wisconsin. I stock amazing DIY products! Fusion Mineral Paints, ReDesign Transfers, Decoupage, Waxes, loads of DIY Goodies, re-done Furniture and more! Even if you're not close to where the shop is in Wisconsin, good news... I ship nationwide, (USA) daily! Check out the link here and let's get your DIY on!
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Welcome to Simple Decorating Tips! I'm Liz, the author, and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to encourage you with DIY tips, techniques and tutorials so you feel empowered to join in the fun! Along with this DIY blog, I have a DIY shop, Frame and Frills!
Frame and Frills is in Wisconsin. I stock amazing DIY products! Fusion Mineral Paints, ReDesign Transfers, Decoupage, Waxes, loads of DIY Goodies, re-done Furniture and more! Even if you're not close to where the shop is in Wisconsin, good news... I ship nationwide, (USA) daily! Check out the link here and let's get your DIY on!


Disclosure Policy: According to FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that some of the content of this blog may be a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

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Sharing is great! Please feel free to share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest and Flipboard and Houzz and YouTube the more the merrier! I appreciate you stopping by. But please remember that all photos, images, text and content are owned by SimpleDecoratingTips.com. So anything you share, please be sure it always links back to my original post it came from. Please do not remove watermarks, crop or edit anything without written permission from me first.

Disclosure Policy: According to the FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that this blog is a source of income and may occasionally incorporate endorsements or testimonials and shopping links. It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself. This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

Disclosure Policy According to Federal Trade Commission guidelines, I want you to be aware that this blog is a source of income and may occasionally incorporate endorsements or testimonials. It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself. This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. My truthful opinion will be what I state, no matter if I'm getting paid or not. Accuracy and truth are the priority for me on this blog's information, no matter if it's about a product or anything else. Not every product or service or store etc. may be mentioned in each and every post as an affiliate. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post.

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