Easy DIY Kitchen Soffit Makeover on a Budget

Hello everyone! I’m excited to share how we gave our kitchen soffit a quick and budget-friendly makeover using beadboard. It was a simple way to make the existing soffit look more finished without tearing it out or taking on a major kitchen renovation.

We added open kitchen shelves a while ago, and while I loved the shelves themselves, I wasn’t crazy about how they looked with the existing kitchen soffit. Removing the soffit completely would have meant taking on a much bigger renovation, so I decided to work with what we already had and find a budget-friendly way to make it look more intentional.

That’s where the beadboard came in.

BEFORE KITCHEN SOFFIT MAKEOVER

When we removed the upper kitchen cabinets, we were left with exposed, unpainted plywood and an unfinished corner. It had bothered me ever since we installed the open shelves and made the whole area feel incomplete.

Rather than removing the soffit entirely, I decided to cover it with beadboard and make it look like an intentional part of the kitchen instead.

RELATED POST: DO-IT-YOURSELF OPEN KITCHEN SHELVES

Using Beadboard to Give the Kitchen Soffit a Makeover

tools + material used

• 4×8 beadboard panel
• liquid nails
• nail gun
• wood filler – we used Bondo brand
• paintable silicone caulk
• circular saw – (table saw would be more appropriate)
• primer – Kilz2
• paint – Sherwin-Williams Infinity

Step 1: Cut the beadboard paneling

The beadboard paneling we used came in a 4×8-foot sheet with planks just under 2 inches wide.

We cut the beadboard so the planks would run vertically when facing the shelves. Since we were working with a limited selection of tools, we used a circular saw to make our cuts. A table saw would have made this part easier and allowed for more precise cuts, but the circular saw worked with what we had.

The trickiest part to cut was the corner part. We made a template using cardboard. It actually took three cuts to get the corner piece. We would try to alter each piece but kept messing up.

Full disclosure, we did have to buy a second panel of beadboard. We would have needed only one panel if we got it right on the first try. 

Step 2:  Attaching the beadboard panel.

To attach the beadboard to the kitchen soffit, we used liquid nails and an electric nail gun.

For the corner area, we added 2×4s to give us something sturdy to attach the beadboard to. After messing up that corner piece so many times, finally getting it into place felt like pure victory!

Step 3: Add trim

We chose PVC corner trim because it was the most budget-friendly option we found. For the area above the microwave, we used flat wood trim that was the closest match in size to the PVC corner trim.

Since we didn’t have a miter saw, we used a simple miter box that we found at a thrift store for only $3. It worked perfectly for making the angled cuts we needed.

Once all the trim pieces were cut to size, we attached them using an electric nail gun.

Step 4: Fill in nail holes and cut lines

After all the trim was installed, we used wood filler to fill the nail holes in both the beadboard and trim. We used Bondo wood filler, which took us a little while to get the hang of because it dries so quickly. Once we figured out how fast we needed to work, though, it became much easier to use.

I also applied paintable silicone caulk along the trim and seams to give everything a more finished look.

TIP: Use a nail set punch to push in any nails that may be sticking out a bit.

Step 5: Prime + paint

Once everything was dry, we sanded the filled areas smooth and primed the entire kitchen soffit with KILZ primer.

For the paint, we used HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Infinity paint in a satin finish, color-matched to Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. Chantilly Lace is one of my favorite whites. I know it can feel a little stark for some people, but I love that it’s a true, crisp white.

Since all the shelves were down, we also went ahead and painted these two walls.

Once all the painting was finished, I was so relieved to finally put everything back together. I always reach a point near the end of a project where I’m completely over it and just want my house back to normal. Does anyone else relate?

We put the shelves back up, gave everything a good clean, and put all the dishes away. And finally, here’s what our finished kitchen soffit looks like!

AFTER KITCHEN SOFFIT MAKEOVER

Kitchen Soffit Makeover Final thoughts

This project was definitely a learning experience for us, especially since we were still pretty new to DIY projects at the time. It was my first time using a nail gun, and honestly, we were winging quite a bit of it as we went!

I’m so glad we decided to tackle it, though. What surprised me most was how much this simple makeover changed the way I felt about the kitchen soffit. I went from merely tolerating it to actually liking the way it looks.

For a relatively inexpensive project, I’d call that a win.

The total time it took us to complete this project was about three weekends, or six days total. If we hadn’t messed up the corner piece and needed to buy another beadboard panel—and if we’d been a little more experienced and didn’t have to stop to feed our kids every 10 minutes 😜—I think we could have easily finished it in one weekend.

SAVE THIS FOR LATER!