Our laundry room is finally complete (minus the flooring!) and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It's much more functional than before and I actually ENJOY spending time in there now. If I didn't have two toddlers running around and an ever-growing pregnant belly, this project could've been completed in a weekend and is totally do-able for beginners!
Tools Used:
Finishes
Building the shelves
I started by building the shelves. I wanted space for laundry bins as well as our vacuum and a hanging rod for clothes to dry. I came up with a design and measured it out to fit our space (depending on the space in your own laundry room this can be modified of course). I used 2x4s to first build the base.
Then 3/4" blonde wood for the shelves themselves. I used my Kreg pocket hole jig to drill holes on the outside of the shelves so they won't be visible.
Wall Treatment
After building the shelves I moved onto the wall treatment. I loved the idea of having beadboard to go along with the beadboard in our adjacent mudroom and also wanted lots of hooks to hang drying clothes. This was my first time installing beadboard and it was surprisingly simple!
I started by eyeing how high I wanted it to go. This is personal preference but I like it close to 2/3 or 3/4 of the way up the wall. I also accounted for the 1x6 that would go on top. I attached it with my nail gun, and one thing to be careful of is to look for pipes since you're in the laundry room! If you're installing it behind the washer/dryer units you may want to attach it to the wall with an all-purpose glue and then use your nail gun a few places where you KNOW there isn't a pipe behind the wall.
Washer/Dryer Platform
I decided to build a platform for our washer/dryer units because in doing that, I would hide all the random outlets that were placed too high and I wouldn't have to either move them or cut the brick around them! My husband and I are both tall, so keep this in mind if you have top loaders- it may make them too high to work well for your family! I used a simple frame made with 2x6s and then added plywood on top. I wrapped our existing baseboards around and was really happy with the result!
Limewashed Brick
I've been dying to add brick in our home and lime wash it for so long and thought the laundry room would be a great, safe place to start! I bought a TON of brick tiles a few months ago when I found them on clearance and decided to use some for the wall behind the sink/washer/dryer.
Why use a limewash versus just painting the brick white?
With a lime wash the product is absorbed by the bricks, it's 'thicker' and gives a nice, soft, "fluffy" look! Paint just sits on the surface of the brick and can chip over time. I often get asked if you can lime wash exterior brick and the answer is yes! You even have about 5 days before it's cured so if you don't like it you can remove it within that time, but it's a great option for exterior brick!
I first removed the existing tile- it was much simpler than I thought and all I needed was a hammer and chisel. You want to be careful not to damage the wall too much, even though you'll be covering it back up again. I also removed all the caulk and lightly sanded it down so it was smooth.
Next I attached the brick, starting at the bottom, with all-purpose adhesive. I let the bricks dry as I moved up the wall and didn't do it all at once to make sure the bricks on the bottom were secure enough to support the bricks above it. For the bricks that needed to be cut vertically, I just used a brick chisel and hammered down which was simple and easy! Once I got to the top I needed to cut a few bricks lengthwise, and opted to buy a tile saw. It was under $100 and because I would eventually need one for the flooring job I plan on doing, I figured it was worth it to buy. And it DEFINITELY was. It was quick and easy and made a perfect cut!
Painting the cabinets
Lastly, I painted the cabinets. I honestly did this the quickest way I could, and if you're painting your kitchen cabinets I would recommend doing a little more prep work and using a paint sprayer for the smoothest application possible. I used the same paint in 'Perfect Greige' and just applied with a brush, sanding with a 220 grit sanding sponge in between coats (but NOT after the final coat!). This is my favorite paint for cabinets/trim but you need to give it at least 48-72 hours to cure.
And that's the laundry room for now! I still plan on replacing the existing flooring with the brick I bought, but will wait until after my pregnancy and newborn stages are over!
