Removing that section of the wall and the contractor felt like a big step, but there’s still a lot to do before the opening feels finished. Unless you think an exposed construction zone makes a beautiful dining room.
Local readers have asked for the contractor’s contact, and since we were very happy with his work we’ll share: Steve is a licensed Class A contractor (not a handyman), so he handles major structural work like removing walls or building additions. His email is [email protected].
We left the protective plastic up because drywall installation was next and that process can be dusty, especially when sanding. We’re no drywall experts—this was my least favorite part of our bathroom renovation two years ago—but this job felt simple enough to tackle ourselves. We only needed a span across the top of the doorway on the dining room side to cover the exposed header, plus a few sections around the half-wall.
The kitchen side of the half-wall will be finished with paneling, which is why we saved the demolition scraps. I measured, marked, and cut pieces with a jigsaw. It was quick and straightforward.
Steve suggested putting the cabinet in place before finishing the drywall to make stud locations easier to see for accurate drilling. Note: there will be a 12″ counter overhang behind the peninsula with stools tucked under it, so the half-wall won’t be very visible from that angle. We’ll also top the half-wall with a chunky wooden ledge for function and balance.
Getting the drywall home was the tricky part. A full 4′ x 8′ sheet won’t fit in our Altima, and renting a truck for cheap sheets felt wasteful. Following Steve’s tip, I cut drywall to size at the store. I set up in the Lowe’s parking lot with measuring tape, a chalk line, a razor blade, a straight edge, and a towel to protect the car. After about 45 minutes I had all the pieces I needed.
I managed to fit the half-wall pieces in the trunk and slid the longer pieces through the car to cover the new doorway header. Once home it was nice to move right into hanging the drywall since it was already cut to size. Sherry held an edge while I put in a few holding screws so she could hop down and take photos.
My careful measurements hit a small snag: the doubled-up drywall I bought was a fraction thicker than the existing doubled-up drywall. Even a slight difference would show as a slope when light hit it. To correct that I removed one panel and shimmed the new drywall so it would sit flush with the old wall. We didn’t have many shims or furring strips, so we improvised with paint stir sticks screwed together. They turned out dense enough to do the job, and the wood-and-steel header provided a solid backing. Any visible shim edges at the bottom will be covered by trim.
I repeated that process for the larger panel on the half-wall, taking care to get everything as flat as possible before fastening. For the small end cap that’s on a new plane I used a single sheet of drywall directly into the wood frame. To create sharper edges where paneling meets drywall I used metal drywall corner strips. They’re not intended specifically for that joint, but the combination of corner trim and drywall mud created a clean look.
With the drywall hung, the next step was mudding. Sherry handled this because she has the best touch for smoothing seams. She taped, applied drywall mud, smoothed, let it dry, sanded, and repeated the process—usually three rounds in most spots—to achieve a seamless transition. One narrow crack near the crown molding didn’t get taped; she decided to caulk it instead of forcing mud into a tight joint.
The corner trim around the half-wall turned out better than I expected. The corner bead and drywall compound blended well with the wood paneling, and once primed and painted the whole area will look clean and durable. I didn’t get a photo from every angle yet, but the result is promising.
So yes, the opening looks more finished than it did this morning, but it’s not done. It still feels a bit out of context because:
- There’s no trim yet to tie it to the other doorways.
- Baseboards end at the half-wall and aren’t complete on either side.
- We haven’t added the wooden ledge on the half-wall that will provide balance and function.
- The peninsula and counter behind the half-wall aren’t installed, so the space lacks the final purpose that will make the half-wall make sense.
- Many surfaces still need priming and paint, which makes everything look rough at the moment.
For anyone wondering why we chose a half-wall instead of a fully open pass-through with a floating peninsula, our reasons were practical: we didn’t want the peninsula to look like an afterthought; we wanted it to feel grounded and supported; the dining-room built-ins already provide storage so extra cabinetry would clutter the space; placing another built-in near the existing ones would be overkill; and a half-wall gives a cleaner, more seamless threshold between floors without an awkward strip of cork flooring.
Next up: installing the door jamb, building the ledge on the half-wall, and installing trim and baseboards. After primer and paint, the opening will start to look finished—especially when we install the peninsula behind it. The kitchen still needs its countertop, but for now that feels like a smaller detail compared with getting the structure and finishes right.
Sherry also shared her thoughts recently on design trends over on a friend’s site—an interesting discussion with lots of different takes.