The hallway, (if you can call it that), from our entry door to our kitchen, is a tight squeeze. It branches off to our laundry room which, although a dark dungeon, is still bigger than many laundry closets I’ve seen.
For that I am thankful. Otherwise, there would be no makeover to discuss.
But we still wanted to open things up. We technically had a head start on this reno because Jason had to remove one side of the wall to get the damn washer/dryer through the opening.
Before: The home stagers had the nerve to squeeze a café table in front of the back door.
Inspo laundry rooms:
Before we start, here are a couple of makeovers that get me excited about doing laundry in a refreshed space.
A Place of My Taste- Small Laundry Room Makeover
Spruce Creative Studio- A Little Laundry Room Makeover
Step 1: PREP
Preparation is key. We removed everything and covered the kitchen entry with plastic. When we installed the exterior door, we had to cut the casing a bit since the house isn’t quite square anymore. Sawdust was EVERYFRIGGINWHERE. Never again.
Step 2: STACK WASHER/DRYER
We bought the washer/dryer, including pedestals, off Facebook marketplace last year for $200 because the washer didn’t work. Jason replaced the spider arm assembly and now it runs like new.
They both chonky tho, and take up waaay too much floor space. Instead of replacing them with stackable units, we found an easy-to-install stacking kit online. A couple brackets, screws, and a little bit of brawn, and the dryer was securely situated on the washer.
Getting the pedestals off, so that they could stack, was a whole other story. We had to unscrew the drawers from the sliding brackets, and then crawl inside the cavity and turn the 4 ¾” bolts.
Step 3: DEMO
This was my favorite part. Jason’s recent hip surgery, and the fact that I was geared up in proper PPE, meant that I didn’t have to share the task of doing Demo and cutting. Check out how straight that drywall cut is. Ya girl has some skills with the skillsaw.
We removed the door casing, cut out the drywall and baseboard, and relocated the light switch.
Next Steps:
- We are leaving that stud in place until we reframe the opening.
- Replace drywall.
- Add cabinets and shelves.
- Paint and make purdy.
Notice that replacing the flooring is not on our list. I don’t know what kind of tile this is, but it absorbs dirt and soaks up liquid. A droplet of water will leave a stain. Not exactly what I want in an entry and kitchen tile. Granted, the tile is slip-resistant, but the texture is gritty like a porous slate composite.
We were originally going to scrub down and apply a concrete sealer to the tile so that it would be easier to keep clean, but now that we’ve started tearing it up, we might as well take it all out. Although tilework is a project I’m particularly nervous about tackling.
For this laundry room makeover, we’re thinking open shelving above and a simple base cabinet below. Jason is particularly excited about installing a butcher block top. I’m just happy to no longer have to play twister with Screech’s cat box.
We’re both thrilled with all the light this has brought into the kitchen so far. This part of the process only took about 3 hours.
Stacking the washer and dryer was a GAME CHANGER and made it much easier to move clothes between machines. I might actually keep up with laundry now.
We’ll continue chipping away at it and sharing updates.
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