Laundry Room Phase 1 Update!

This is another post from a few years ago, but the Laundry Room is basically exactly the same now as it was then.  I’ve shown you a few updates in this room before, but this will take you from Day 1 to now.  The room is still a hot mess, but workable.  This is probably the next full remodel on the list, especially because I think I’ve settled on butcher block for the counters in here.  I’m thinking this is a good February 2019 project.  Stay tuned!  ~Stacy

When we moved into our current house, the previous owners left it pretty filthy.  It was so gross.   There were cobwebs , the walls were dingy, the vents were caked in dust bunnies, and there were burnt out or missing light bulbs everywhere.  The worst room in the house?  The Laundry Room.  I didn’t even want to go in there without wearing a hazmat suit.

When we got the keys and could inspect the room without the previous owner’s belongings & machines in there, we discovered that there was potential mold.  Other issues?  The light fixture was hanging off the ceiling, the cabinets were dirty and very small, the sink doesn’t work very well & its really shallow.  This whole room was a disaster.

First thing was first, I had to clean it.  It was super gross.  I immediately went to Lowe’s and bought one of these to help dust every crevice.  Next, I cleaned everything: floors, ceilings, walls, every surface.  We ended up cutting out the base board where the suspected mold was, and we sprayed the remaining walls with bleach.  That seemed to clean up the mold.  We also replaced the wood door with a more modern white molded one.

With that out of the way, the Laundry Room was better, but it wasn’t going to be great without a remodel.  This room is big, but it doesn’t use the space very well.  The cabinets were small and there’s 4′ of space above them unused.

The fact that there was a sink in the laundry was a big selling point for me.  When I was a little girl, my mom used to lay me on top of the washing machine and wash my hair in the laundry room sink.  I loved it.  Also, sinks in the laundry room are totally practical.  We didn’t have one in our old house.

After about 3 weeks of doing laundry in there, I could not resist the urge to paint.  Painting the walls took care of the dirt on them.  I don’t normally prime walls, but I did in this case.  They were that gross.  I had enough leftover paint from the rest of the house to paint two coats in this room.

Next, we fixed the boob light fixture & replaced the light bulbs.  This room is a cave with a glass patio door at one end, and 3 solid walls.  It’s so much brighter with two bulbs in the ugly fixture!

Another thing I did was remove the blinds from the patio door, and paint the inside of the door Benjamin Moore Charcoal.  Don’t mind the giant tub sitting on the counter.  Doug is currently using my laundry room countertop as a brewery.

I used a Capiz Shell Cube lamp from West Elm (eons ago), along with two Hummingbird Prints that I picked up about a decade ago at the PotteryBarn Outlet.  Next to that is our NOAA Weather Radio.  I can’t show you all of this now because of the makeshift brewery, but I’ll add a pic to the post when that’s done.

The ironing table is hanging on the door right now, but I’d like to find a way to hang it from the wall so it doesn’t bang every time I open and close the door.  I picked up a Grey & White Chevron Cover from HomeGoods.

I also hung up an old peg hanger from Land of Nod to hold swimsuits and wet towels.  Two old rugs from Target finished the look and cozy up the space.

We added some Lack Floating Shelves from Ikea to store pool towels and cleaning supplies that we use every day.  The basket with the Chalkboard on the front is currently holding pool toys.

A couple years ago, I showed you how I built a wood shelf to cover the gaps behind the machines.

I also hung a rack on the wall for mops and brooms.  I stained a piece of scrap wood to match the shelf, and mounted the rack onto that to make it look a little more stylish.

This project only took a weekend and is definitely a Phase 1 makeover.  We have grand plans to take advantage of the tall ceilings, make a hiding place for the vacuum & mops, maybe have a window put in on the back wall.  I also want to add more storage for my cleaning supply stockpile, as well as upgrade the cabinets, countertop, floors, sink & faucet.

I was originally going to use whatever countertops we chose for the kitchen remodel in here, but I’ve decided on butcher block.  The guest bathroom remodel has solidified some of my choices for this room, so I’m probably going to repaint the walls white next year.  I’m also going to use the marble hexagon tile for the floors and white hand-made subway tile for the backsplash to match the bathroom.

We have the same sunken floor issue in the Laundry Room as we do in the bathroom.  What complicates this space is that the patio door has to be replaced.  It’s always something!

Here’s a recap of what’s to come:

• Raise & Retile Floor
• New Cabinets to the Ceiling
• Tile Backsplash
• New Patio Door
• White Paint
• Multiple Can Lights
• Wood Floating Shelf
• Farmhouse Sink
• Industrial Faucet
• Butcher Block Countertop
• Drying Racks
• Crown Molding
• Window to Creek

For now, I think we’ve accomplished the goal of cleaning up, prettying up, and adding a bit of functional storage.   What do you think?  I can’t wait until we can gut this space and customize it, as well as make it gorgeous, but for now, I think this will work.  Let us know what your must-haves for a dream laundry room are in the comments!  I’d love to hear them!

Check out all of the Stacy’s Savings Total Home Makeover posts here!