One Room Challenge Spring 2022 Week 6 - The Laundry Room

It’s finally starting to look like I’m doing something productive instead of destructive, and I’m here for it! That being said - my main goal this week was to get the runner on the stairs, and that didn’t happen - but it’s not really my fault. While I ordered one continuous piece for the actual runner, I ordered multiple smaller runs for the carpet padding (because it was cheaper) - and only one arrived. Which I didn’t realize until I went to install it on Tuesday. Oops. So that project is on hold until the rest of it gets here (which should be today actually).

Not enough carpet padding… :(

I finally broke out the spray painter this week and used it to prime and paint both the cabinet that will be hung above the dryer and the Ikea project. Unfortunately, my husband was out of town all week, and while I’m pretty talented, I’m not talented enough to hang a cabinet solo - so that project also got delayed until next week.

HOWEVER - I was able to fully finish the IKEA shoe storage project and get that area put together - and I absolutely love how it came together.

First, I primed each of the pieces with Zinnser BIN primer, which is a great option for painting laminate projects that doesn’t require sanding. Then, after that had dried completely, I painted it in Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams, which is a great soft black color. I decided to leave the base off of the piece both to give it a more modern/built in look and also because with the soffit on the floor, the feet didn’t reach the floor (so I would have had to create new legs). This cabinet is supposed to be mounted to the wall, so I only had to modify it a bit to make sure it was anchored into studs instead of drywall. Finally, I added a new top to the piece with a 1x6 piece stained in the same color I am using for the open shelves. I love how the wood warms up the black and white of the space and coordinates with the mirror I also grabbed from IKEA. I’m still debating adding leather pulls across the openings - but that can be done at a later point.

I also cut, stained, and installed the shelves above the washer - which means we have storage again! I will need to trim these shelves down a bit when we install the cabinet, but that is easily done. I was a bit nervous about trimming off too much, which is why I waited. This is an extremely easy project that I feel confident anyone could do. I literally popped a pizza in the oven for 20 minutes, went downstairs and installed the brackets by myself and was snapping this photo when the timer went off. Obviously, I recognize that I have done this a few more times, but if you’re nervous about installing shelves - don’t be! I would recommend using a stud finder and level - and if you have some help it will go even faster.

I do get asked about these brackets a lot (I’ve used them on previous projects as well) - you can grab them here! I just make the shelves out of a piece of wood and stain to my desired shade (this one is Walnut by Miniwax). I like to used a gel stain - it ‘s easier to apply and control in my opinion. Make sure to use a polyurethane sealer to protect the finish - I like quick drying options and used a matte finish like this one.

This week will include hanging the cabinet, installing door trim, finish painting the window, and (fingers crossed) installing the stair runner. I’m leaving the last week for polishing and sealing the floors, and finishing up any outstanding tasks.

If you want to check out some of the other ORC projects, head on over to the blog here and take a look!