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Laundry Room Makeover

ByStephanie Petrich

We had a perfectly functioning laundry room until we found a leak. And where we found water, we also found mold. While I was in the process of getting it cleaned up, I decided to do what any normal person would do and renovate the entire laundry room! I never regret changing a room to better fit my style. I love the way it brings me happiness whenever I look at it. If you’re wanting to change something up in your house, do it! It will always be worth it. Follow these steps for your very own laundry room makeover!

Supplies used:

First, fix the drywall

Since we had water leaking in our bathroom and it ruined the drywall behind the washer, we had to repair that first thing. It is always worth it to me to hire someone out to fix it. They are so fast and then I can move along to what I really want to do.

Next, Install cabinets

I built my own cabinets the first time I did this laundry room. They were fine but I was wanting the cabinets to go all the way across the length of the room. So I had my brother pick up some stock cabinets from Lowe’s and away we went! We took down the old cabinets that I built and installed the new ones.

Then, Paint!

The first time around with this laundry room, I did a pretty good job painting. But I knew that this time, I wanted it to be more durable and a little nicer finish. So I decided to take some sandpaper and lightly sand all of the cabinets before priming. It just helps the primer, and ultimately the paint, to stick better to the cabinets. When I was finished with that, I decided to use a 400/500 grit sandpaper to sand the cabinets just to get it super smooth. Make sure to use a clean cloth to wipe off all that dust!

I wanted to use the paint sprayer to get a smoother finish but it is so cold here in the winter that I needed some additional paint supplies. My mom and dad own a painting business so they have all of the supplies for me to borrow. I used a tent, some heaters, and a paint sprayer. My brother came and helped set everything up.

I love the finish that a paint sprayer gives but, man, it is a lot of work to prep the area. The overspray goes everywhere. I took the doors off of the cabinets and prepped the cupboards in the laundry room for paint. Meanwhile, in my garage, the doors to the cabinets were inside the tent and the area was taped and tented off so I could spray quickly. I have a video that shows this process below.

It’s not uncommon to get drips when you paint. You can fix the drips! Just get a really fine sand paper, 500 grit or more, and get it wet. Then you just sand the spot until you see the drip disappear. You shouldn’t need to touch it up after you’re done but you can add more paint if you feel the need.

Next, install cabinet hardware

After everything is painted, it is time to install the hardware. I opted for soft close hinges and they are so easy to install. If you already have hinges and you want to swap them out, you literally just put them in the same place as your other hinges. Your old hinges should have the number on them that shows how much overlay is needed. Mine was 1-1/4″ overlay so I ordered those soft close hinges. The video below explains how I did this.

After you install the hinges (if you want), then you can attach the cabinet pulls. It’s such a good idea to put handles on all of your cabinets. The oils in your hands will break down the paint much faster than if you were to use handles. They make a handy little cabinet template tool that shows you exactly where to drill for your handles. You just measure how long your handle is, and then use those holes on the template to mark it on the cabinet. There is a separate tool for drawers. After you mark it, you can drill a spot for the screw to go. Then you just attach the screw to the handle!

After that, Tile

Next step is to tile! The hardest part of tiling was picking out which tile I wanted! I went to a couple different stores and bought some samples to hold up to see which one I liked best. For this project, I am using Musselbound. It’s a double sided adhesive tiling mat. I like working with it. It’s easier for me to use than mortar but you could use that too. I put all the Musselbound up where I wanted the tile to go. Then I started laying my tile. I definitely recommend using a laser level. I did not use one and ended up ripping off some of the tile because it wasn’t level. But I fixed it and it’s great now.

Then, Grout

The next step is to grout the tile. You will need a grout float to do this but some people prefer to use their fingers and really smash in the grout well. I like to do small sections at a time because the grout dries fast and it’s easier to wipe off the excess when it’s still wet. I got a couple of questions about what to do where the tile meets the wall. In this case, I just used grout to fill the space in between the tile and the wall since it’s flush. But I know that when tile is exposed on an outer wall, you can buy these trim pieces that go on the wall before you tile that part.

There were some questions as well about using a sealer when you tile. I found some helpful information about that. I knew that since this area would not be seeing a lot of water, that I didn’t need to seal the tile. If you’re using tile in a bathroom or kitchen though, it would be worth it to seal it. Fortunately for me, the grout also has a tile sealer in it.

After that, trim out the window

When I built my house, the builder made all the window trims look so plain. I wish I would have had them just leave it finished with the drywall. So I decided to take off the boards they had on and frame out the window how I wanted. I feel that it makes the window look so much nicer. It’s amazing what a little wood and paint can do to transform the room. I have a whole blogpost here on how to add trim to your window!

Next, switch out the light

I don’t know how this style of light is still a thing in today’s world. It just looks so ugly. When I started redoing this room, I knew that I needed to switch out this light. I picked this light and I love how it turned out. Switching out lights is surprisingly easy to do and makes a big difference in a room. It’s so much brighter too!

Finally, wallpaper

I love how easily wallpaper can change the room. Removable wallpaper is genius! And when you decide to change the room, it can be easily removed. There are different types of removable wallpaper out there and they’re not all made the same. I’m working on a blogpost with some helpful tips for installing wallpaper!

I did install a shelf with hooks to hang laundry on, hang some new roman blinds, and put my washer and dryer shelf back on. Here’s a blogpost on how to make a shelf for your washer and dryer!

And that’s it! I absolutely loved doing this project. It definitely took some time beginning to finish but the end result was totally worth it. I love this room. Follow me for more home transformation projects @spetrichhome

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