DIY Laundry Room Makeover

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My laundry room project was not supposed to take long. In my mind it was going to take me about two weeks working on and off. Life had other plans and I wasn’t able to give it my full attention. But, it is now complete and looking better than it ever has. I hope you enjoy the fresh new look of my DIY laundry room makeover!

A full source list is included at the end of the post. There are some affiliate links used at no additional cost to you. For additional information, please visit my Disclosure.

Laundry Room Before

Let me show you what I started with. Five years ago I added wallpaper to our laundry room, built-in our washer and dryer, and had some additional storage built. You can check out that reveal here. The wallpaper was fun at the time, but I was ready to move on. I also needed to make a functional change. The hanging bar that was built with the house was so low you couldn’t hang anything on it without the item bunching up on the table. I was tired of having to hang items to dry in other locations so it was time to finally do something.

laundry room wallpaper

Laundry Room After

You guys!! I cannot fully express how happy I am with the changes in here! Proof that a little DIY and paint can go a long way.

modern farmhouse laundry room
laundry room peg rail

Beadboard + Shaker Peg Rail

Obviously the first thing you notice is that the wallpaper is removed. I shared how that went in this post. To bring interest to the walls I added beadboard along the bottom portion of the wall. We used beadboard in our garage mudroom so I liked repeating the material in here.

PAINT: The beadboard, cabinets, trim, and laundry room door were painted PPG’s Palomino Gray, which is the wall color throughout the rest of the house. The top of the walls and ceiling were painted PPG’s Gypsum, which is the trim and door color in the rest of the house. So, I just flipped the wall and trim colors used in the rest of the house for a different look in here that still ties in perfectly with our home.

DIY small laundry room
small laundry room makeover

For function, and because I just love the look, I added shaker pegs to the back wall. These simple pegs have been a game changer in the laundry room. They are PERFECT for hanging jeans up to air dry! You just hang them by two belt loops on either side of the waist. I also hang my purse up in here now which finally gets it off the kitchen counter.

beadboard and shaker peg rail

Wood Shelf + Hanging Rod

As I mentioned in the beginning, the hanging rod that was put in when they built our house was sooooo low that it wasn’t functional. I tore out the old shelf and built this wood shelf to sit much higher so I could add a rod at a height that was usable. Now shirts can air dry without bunching up on the counter.

To see how I built the shelf (and the behind the scenes of this entire project), check out my saved Instagram Laundry Room Highlights here.

The baskets up top are used to hold unmatched socks and kid’s clothing that needs to be donated.

DIY built in washer and dryer
traditional laundry room

Counter + Hidden Access

When I did the original DIY laundry room makeover five years ago I created this built in for our washer and dryer with a folding surface on top. It was the best decision ever! No more lost items behind the machines and it created a usable work surface. In order to hide but also have access to the water lines and other components at the back of the machines, I created a removable shelf as well as a removable back section of the countertop. You can see how it comes apart in the series of three photos below.

built-in washer and dryer

That was already in place. But, one of the changes I was eager to make to it was the stain on the wood countertop. The previous light color didn’t tie in with the rest of our house at all. I really regretted that decision. The old light stain was sanded down and I used Minwax’s Special Walnut which was a great match to our wood floors.

laundry room storage

Galvanized Sink + Storage

Opposite the washer and dryer is where our laundry room sink is and two tall cabinets we had built in five years ago. The sink is a regular laundry tub on a stand that I had a plumber add a drain basket to and plumbed it to the house. He thought I was crazy at first, but by the end of the project he loved it.

These cabinets are workhorses. The one on the left holds our trash and recycling bins at the bottom, pool towels, school paperwork and other misc items are at the top. They were painted the same color as the beadboard and received new polished nickel knobs that match the ones in our kitchen.

farmhouse laundry cabinets

The cabinets to the right of the sink sits directly behind the door to the laundry room. I had the shut the door and flip on the lights to get a photo of it so that’s why the lighting looks different. That cabinet was built with taller doors on the bottom to house items like our vacuum, mop, and other tall items. The top of the cabinet holds household cleaning products so they’re up high and out of reach from the kids.

galvanized wash basin sink
neutral beadboard

Rug, Art + Light

Every space benefits from having a vintage item in it. This small vintage rug was the perfect touch in here! Since this room also houses our trash can I didn’t want a large rug that could get messed up from drippy trips to the trash can. This one is just the right size for giving me cushion underfoot when I’m doing laundry.

Our laundry room previously had one of those florescent tube light boxes. The lights were always going out on us so we were eager to get that puppy outta there. I didn’t get a great photo of the new light fixture, but I’m in love. The price was great and I love the modern look against all the traditional elements in here.

The back wall needed some art so it didn’t feel so stark. I chose this black and white eucalyptus print and this barn landscape from Collection Prints and am head over heels in love with how they work together. The frames were ones I had around the house. The vintage gold one is so fun with the along the edge. The frame is supposed to be used vertically with the detail at the top, but I love using things differently than intended.

collection prints art

So, there you have it! My DIY laundry room makeover on the cheap. Here is a breakdown of all the costs for the changes I made.

Cost Breakdown

  • $39.96 – Beadboard (two sheets at $19.98/ea.)
  • $25.16 – Wood for trim
  • $16.47 – Wood shaker pegs (package of 10)
  • $33.18 – Wood for shelf
  • $6.26 – (Liquid Nails $3.48/ea.)
  • $61.16 – Paint
  • $0.00 – Stain (leftover from another project)
  • $0.00 – Polyurethane (leftover from another project)
  • $20.98 – Hanging rod
  • $6.98 – Hanging rod brackets
  • $60.06 – Cabinet hardware ($6.06/ea.)
  • $199.00 – Light (purchased for less, but can’t find my receipt)
  • $176.00 – Decor

Total $645.21

Sources

Shop The Look

Comments

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  1. Pamela Jones Avatar
    Pamela Jones

    Clean and functional. That low bar was never good for drying clothes. The pegs are a game changer for me. I hang nicer clothes and Jean’s up all the time with my wall hooks. Cant do laundry without them. You’re gonna love them the most.

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      It is SOOOO much more functional now! I’m giddy when pulling jeans out of the wash to hang them to dry on the shaker pegs 😀

  2. Carol Karl Avatar

    Your laundry was lovely before but you’ve now taken it to the next level. I love it!

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Aw, Carol! Thank you so much for your sweet comment!!

  3. Cassie Bustamante Avatar

    it’s just beautiful, shelley! love the added woodwork and that sink!

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      It’s so much more functional now too! Thank you, Cassie!

Meet Shelley

Hi, I’m Shelley! My belief is that with a little creativity and elbow grease, you can make your home look like a million bucks without spending it.

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