Tag: laundry

Our Basement Laundry Room Makeover

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s. Thank you for making this renovation possible!

The laundry room in our Victorian is in the basement, and the space has its limitations. The ceiling height down there is low, there are pipes running overhead and along the back wall, the sole tiny window overlooks storage space beneath a porch, and the walls are a mix of drywall and stone foundation. None of those things have changed, but the laundry room is far better after its makeover!

The home had been split into apartments before we lived here, and the previous owners had a coin-operated washer and dryer that didn’t convey with the sale. We were thankful to have a relatively finished laundry room compared to the rest of the basement, but there was definitely room for improvement. We didn’t do anything when we first moved in besides add a washer and dryer.

I kept the same footprint and layout for the renovation. Tiling over previously painted concrete floors proved more challenging than expected, but I’m so glad I went for it. The hot water tank was replaced a few years ago with a more efficient (for a house heated by radiators) indirect water heater. I added new cabinets, replaced the old basement fridge, upgraded to the Samsung FlexWash washer and FlexDry dryer that can each do two loads at once, and replaced the gross plastic tub with a beautiful and functional cast iron sink.

The Design

The laundry room was pale gray when we moved in, and I repainted it beige. BOLD CHOICE, RIGHT? Honestly, it’s a great color for the room. The drop-ceiling is low and stayed white. I chose white floor tile to brighten the room, plus classic white cabinets. Ceiling, floor, and cabinet colors: done. On to the appliances!

A second fridge in the basement has been useful and the replacement options were between black, white, and stainless steel. I chose white for the new fridge to blend in and match the cabinets but was undecided on the washer and dryer, which are available in black or white.

I didn’t want an all-white space. That works well in a room with beautiful natural light and interesting architectural details, but when done in the wrong space, it can look either dull or sterile. My laundry room needed some contrast.

I painted all of the doors on the second and third floors black, and I liked the idea of continuing that downstairs. I had initially thought I would choose laminate counters with a marble or soapstone look, but ended up going with wooden countertops inspired by elements elsewhere in our house. With those two pieces of the design puzzle decided upon, I thought black would be the best choice for the washer and dryer set.

Why beige for the wall color? The lack of natural light ruled out white. I already had the contrast I needed and wasn’t interested in any more dark colors. I like a grayed-out blue and strongly considered it, but only if I would be painting the cabinets to match and I liked those in their factory finish. Do I love wallpaper and bold colors on walls and cabinetry? Absolutely, but not for this project. A light neutral would keep the overall space feeling open and visually calm. The pipes and different wall textures were all being painted in the same matte finish, and Canvas Tan from HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams’ at Lowe’s is a warm beige that doesn’t read too pink, brown, or yellow. It’s just right.

• Canvas Tan Paint, HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams • Whirlpool Top-Freezer Refrigerator • Stock White Cabinets • Octagon and Dot Tile • Samsung FlexWash • Samsung FlexDry

Tiling!

So easy breezy with that exclamation mark. Tiling! This first step in the renovation took the longest. The floor needed a whole lot of work before even getting to the satisfying step of adhering tile. We had to scarify the concrete (rough it up and get all of the paint off) with an angle grinder. I also chose to lay Ditra as an underlay to hopefully ensure a long-lasting tile job, free of cracks.

Octagon and dot tile is inexpensive and period-appropriate for older homes. I like the contrast of dark grout for a black and white look, but true black is too harsh. The grout I chose is actually a mid-tone gray, but the small scale of the tile and busyness of its pattern give it the contrasting effect I was looking for.

Tiling up to the uneven stone foundation walls was tricky. We used our new angle grinder to even out the concrete as best we could, but it sloped and waved along that edge and I kind of just picked a line and went with it. I was nervous, because of course the trickiest spot to tile would be visible from the back door.

I used a scoring knife and tile nippers to cut individual tiles, making a smooth (somewhat arbitrary) line. I smoothed grout between the outer edge and the wall so the tile wouldn’t be sharp or raised, and later taped, caulked, and painted to finish.

• Octagon and Dot Tile • Sanded Grout (Light Pewter)
Posts with More Info: Removing paint from Concrete with an Angle Grinder • Laying Ditra to Prep for Tile • Tiling the Basement Laundry Room

Lighting

The sconces are super cute, and they’re affordable at $60 each! They can be installed facing up or down, and that schoolhouse-inspired shape is a charming detail. I kept the can lights that were already in the basement, but those can be harsh (and they’re uncomfortably close with the ceiling being so low). It’s nice to have lighting options and the new sconces give the room a softer glow.

• Huntley Sconces

The Sink

Ooh, that pretty sink! Ooh, that heavy sink. My husband and I got it into place with the assistance of a jack borrowed from the back of our minivan. We were concerned about dropping it into place and damaging it, the counter, or ourselves, but we made it. The faucet is so pretty I want to steal it for our kitchen, and the sink itself is 13″ deep. I clustered a few apothecary jars with a matching soap pump because why not? I like to pretend my things are old-timey. Fresh flowers are a nice touch but I’ll replace them with fakes after those die — they’re blocking the view of the washer and dryer hookups (shhh). The vintage ironstone platter was there as a backsplash for the old plastic tub and I thought it was only fair to bring it back post-renovation.

• Kohler Cast Iron Utility Sink • Brass Faucet

Cabinets

We had a plastic utility tub with no storage, and a treasure chest left behind by the previous owners. While the latter is pretty magical, it wasn’t terribly practical and the old tub was gross! I replaced both with cabinets and also added them along the opposite wall. They add a ton of closed storage and also give us a nice spot to fold laundry. White shaker-style cabinets are simple and classic, and they’re stocked in Lowe’s stores to bring home right away.

The cabinets came with finished sides and I bought the matching toe kicks, but I also added quarter round base shoe, tying it into the baseboards I installed in the room. Caulk covers any gaps, and paint makes everything cohesive. I’ve saved and repurposed hardware from other projects, but Lowe’s carries similar brass pulls and knobs.

• Stock White Cabinets • Brass Cup Pulls (Similar) • Brass Knobs (Similar)

Making the Counters

I got it into my head that I should have wooden counters to echo the materials and design choices used in other parts of our home. Great! How does one go about making a wooden counter when you’ve never done that sort of thing before? I detailed my experience in this post. With some plywood, some trim, a lot of elbow grease and some stain and sealant, I made perfectly adequate counters.

I don’t love them, I don’t hate them. Once everything was in place, they looked fine. If they ever bug me enough to make a change, I feel like I learned enough through the experience to make something far better next time (but I don’t actually anticipate changing them out).

Post with More Info: Making DIY Plywood Countertops

The Washer and Dryer

Each are two machines in one! The Samsung FlexWash and FlexDry function as a large capacity front-loading washer and dryer, but there’s also a smaller secondary washer and dryer on top. They can be run independently or at the same time, and they are making our laundry life easier!

The ability to do a second, smaller load has been so nice. I like to wash a few delicate things in there, or use them if the kids get especially messy or need some specific clothes quickly. The added dryer is especially handy because it doesn’t tumble the clothes; it’s great for things that need to lie flat to dry.

• Samsung FlexWash • Samsung FlexDry

Finished!

A crummy 125-year-old basement laundry room can be made better, and ours has been! I painted the exposed pipes to blend in, brightened a space that receives very little natural daylight with white tile, and kept the walls light and neutral to keep the shell low-contrast, punctuated by black here and there. Everything looks and functions nicely now, and you should see me bringing guests downstairs like the proud weirdo I am. “Have you seen our laundry room? Come check it out!”

Thank you to Lowe’s for sponsoring this project and supplying all of the tools and materials I needed. I’ve loved sharing every little bit of this project with all of you, both here and on Instagram. I’ve heard from so many of you that were inspired to take on your own laundry room or tiling projects after seeing me jump in (especially on IG Stories), which makes me so happy! I have a pretty solid DIY skill set, but still, I didn’t know how to do all of this from the start. I got in there, figured it out, made it work and come together, and I’m thrilled with the result. I hope you’ve enjoyed following along!

November 28, 2018
Laundry Room Mockups and Floor Plan

Imagine the cardboard box is a wooden counter. Imagine I’ve installed the sink and faucet, caulked the gaps along the foundation wall, and faced the toe kick. You can see it, yes?

I shared a preliminary design when I first started planning the laundry room. Now that it’s nearly complete, I wanted to share the floor plan and mockups in their own post. I stayed fairly true to the original vision.

I go back and forth between SketchUp and Photoshop when designing. Sometimes I think I should learn to render for SketchUp with Podium too, but should I really? (Anyone with experience there, is the learning curve steep?) I did learn how to make my renderings look like line drawings, and I’m like great. That’s one cool trick for now, let’s move on.

I can touch the ceiling easily (I have to pay attention when folding big things like bedding). It’s a weird old basement, not an ideal space, but the worst of it is in the corner by the gas meter. We have a secondary fridge downstairs and to the right of it, there are lots of pipes coming out of the wall, hooking up to the meter, and then running across the ceiling. It’s not the prettiest spot, but adding a cabinet instead of the antique treasure chest left behind from the previous owners is an improvement in storage. (Kind of a downgrade in terms of creepy magical items though.)

I’ve added more cabinets to the other side of the room and a pair of sconces above. There’s also an adjustable-height stool because I like to include a seat in the laundry room when possible. Sometimes we like to have a chat while one person is down there moving laundry from the washer to the dryer, or folding clothes. Or maybe there’s five minutes left in the washing cycle and I want to sit and scroll through Instagram? I don’t know. A seat comes in handy!

I could hang this abstract landscape painting above the counter and be done. But I got it into my head that I should paint my own thing because why not. Yay? Nay? It’s a laundry room. I may be overthinking the importance of its decor, but it makes me happy when it looks nice.

I’ll tell you what I was convinced I didn’t want, which is a sign that said “laundry” or “fluff ‘n’ fold” or “drop your pants” or whatever, until I saw this 8-foot vintage sign and I wanted it real bad. There are always exceptions.

I’ll share the counter-making process, and then it will be reveal time!

September 26, 2018
The Accidental Geyser

We washed a load of laundry last night! In our own house! Oh, function. How I’ve missed you.

The sink cabinet is in place, and the washer and dryer are up and running. I ran into a few problems along the way, but mostly things like needing a gas line that was 5′ instead of 4′ long. Easily fixable, just necessitating another trip for supplies. And I did have a water incident last night, but all is well now!

Here’s what happened. I finally had everything hooked up. Gas line to the dryer. Semi-rigid dryer duct all hooked up. Hot water to the washer, and cold water split to both the washer and steam dryer. The last piece of the working laundry room puzzle was the drain hose.

I replaced my washing machine with a Samsung FlexWash — a relatively new option on the market with a secondary washer. (Sounds useful, right? I’m pretty excited about it! Lowe’s is sponsoring the laundry room reveal, so they provided materials and appliances for this whole project.) There’s only one water inlet each for hot and cold and that installation was straightforward, but it has two separate drain hoses. They meet together at the end with a Y-shaped adapter, and that part goes into a standpipe drain. Ours is behind drywall with access through a washing machine outlet box.

I was about 12″ short, so I figured I would just hook up a universal washing machine hose extension and be good. Nope! I wasn’t thinking about the logistics until I read in the manual not to do it, but of course it makes sense. Water would flow into one hose, be pumped out, but then backflow into the other section if the adapter wasn’t right at the drain. OK, so plan B. Instead of one extension hose, I used two — in between the machine’s hoses and the connecting piece. There were no instruction and it wasn’t the easiest thing to figure out, but I bought reducing couplings and clamps and hoses and messed around until I got it. YAY! Ran a test cycle and thought all was well. Kind of loud while it was draining, but eh? I was watching the drain hoses and all of my connections, feeling pretty good about solving my problem and not seeing any leaks. Meanwhile, water was flooding into the cabinet two feet to my right! Wonderful.

I took out the old utility sink two months ago and never capped the plumbing. I turned off the water supply and left the remainder of the drain pipes alone, not thinking that it would be a problem. The utility sink and standpipe from the washer are connected behind the drywall where it’s out of sight, out of mind. So of course when the washer was draining, water flowed down the pipe and plenty came up and out of the old, uncapped utility sink drain! Secret cabinet geyser! I realized the problem pretty quickly, stopped the machine, and soaked up the water.

Back to the store before they closed. I bought a J-pipe, 12″ extension, and a cap suitable for high-pressure (something important to note, because not all PVC components are). This is a temporary fix because there will be a new sink in place soon enough, so I wrapped the pipe threads with plumber’s tape as opposed to using glue/cement before wrench-tightening the connections. I probably could have just used a cap alone, but I thought it would be best to raise the height to above where I assume the standpipe and sink drain meet behind the wall. I am not a plumbing professional! Take my solution with a big shoulder shrug and fingers crossed, but it worked! And somewhere around here I have a leak detector from when I went to visit Delta’s headquarters last year. I think the laundry room is a great place to set that thing up.

July 27, 2018
Laundry Room Progress

The tile is in and grouted! The cabinets, washer, and dryer all made their way downstairs today! There’s still so much to do! Oof.

Tiling the floor took far longer than I had anticipated, but having hot water again makes this whole project far more bearable. Those two weeks of working until I exhausted followed by a cold shower before bed were no fun. Every night I would dread cleaning up! I was so looking forward to having hot water again and then when I finally did, I tried to take a nice steamy shower and it felt gross and oppressive. I switched to tepid water instead and it was wonderful! I’ve been ruined.

I’ve been doing laundry at the laundromat and while I appreciate the efficiency, I’ll be glad to have a washer and dryer hooked up in the house again. I was thinking I could get to it tonight because I’m antsy to make progress, but I should probably paint the walls and install the sink cabinet first. The faucet is propped below to see how it looked (and to show you), but it will go between the wall and the dryer.

There are four cabinets to be leveled, shimmed, and secured to the wall. Once they’re in place, I’ll pick up baseboards to trim the room out and it will look far more finished. I’m not entirely sure what to do about the foundation wall, but I’ll figure it out when I get to it. I’m just pleased to be moving along at a good pace now that the floor is behind me!

I’m going to add laminate counters, but should I go light or dark? I suppose in between is an option too, but I was thinking faux-versions of either marble or soapstone would look nice. The walls will be similar in tone to the color they are now, and there are two doors I’m planning to paint black. What do you think?

July 17, 2018
Laying Ditra to Prep for Tile

Still prepping for tile! I underestimated the amount of work it would take to DIY this install.

I imagined it like this. Bring tile home, slap some premixed tile adhesive down, affix tiles, grout. Easy! Instead, after getting the tile home, I realized that we had to scarify the concrete (remove paint from the surface with an angle grinder). Repair cracks in the slab. Lay Ditra, not with premixed mastic, and waterproof with Kerdi-Band. We haven’t even gotten to the actual tiles or grout yet!

Schluter Ditra is an orange plasticky waffle-looking underlay for tile. I chose it for two reasons, both of which aren’t major problems, but I wanted some insurance for my tiling job. The first is that it’s waterproof. We have a dry basement (thankful for that, because it’s not always the case around here), but if there was ever a problem with water coming in, a burst pipe, or a leak, I wouldn’t want the water seeping through to the foundation. And the second reason I went with Ditra was to prevent the tile or grout lines from cracking. The cement had some minor cracks in it that have been repaired, but it seems likely that they could come back or new cracks could form. The underlay wouldn’t help with major shifts, but it is supposed to isolate small cracks and separate them from the tile above.

I don’t have a ton of tiling experience. When I decided to add Ditra, I watched a million installation videos and thought it looked quick and easy. It was not! Unrolling it and cutting to size: quick. I thought the whole installation would take two hours though (unrealistic expectation!?) and it took me two days. Mixing up the mortar to a “loose” consistency – somewhat watery but still able to hold a trowel notch – I didn’t feel entirely confident. I was hoping to use the premixed stuff to save myself some time and mess, but that’s not an option. I think I got it, but then did I use enough? Too much? I want to do a good job, and this whole thing had me second-guessing myself.

The Ditra is down, and the seams and perimeter sealed with Kerdi-Band (it’s recommended over a concrete slab and completes the waterproofing). I carried in box after box of tile and laid out a few rows for a dry fit, and I’m about to finally start getting them into place. I have tile snips, a snap cutter, and a wet saw; I’ll have to do a little experimenting to see what gives me the best results with sheets of mosaic tile.

I would recommend covering your skin when working with mortar and wearing clothes/shoes you don’t care about ruining. I wasn’t wearing gloves at first, and I got a fair amount of mortar on my hands while I was working. I washed my hands after about two hours and realized my skin was reacting pretty badly (the fingertips were pruny and dry at the same time). Apparently the alkali content affects people differently, but in high enough concentrations or for a long enough duration, it can not only dry out your hands but cause chemical burns as well. Rinsing your hands in vinegar neutralizes it, and a barrier cream (or vaseline in a pinch) is recommended. Luckily my hands are fine, though they were shiny and new on the palms since I had just given them an accidental alkaline chemical peel! Lesson learned and gloves are now being worn for all parts of this project.

Oh, and the expanded time frame of this DIY installation? We’ve been without a washer and dryer for a while now. That hurt, but it was manageable. Less fun has been the week without hot water. We’re going through a heat wave and you would think that maybe a cold shower wouldn’t be so bad? Nope. Terrible! I need that basement tile in and grouted so we can get our indirect water heater tank back in place.

p.s. Did you see the little black phonograph peeking out on the left side of the second photo above (next to the all-important Diet Coke for caffeine)? It’s cute and it works! You rest your phone in the slot and the sound is naturally amplified. I’m going to keep it in the laundry room when it’s done, and I’m thinking of picking up another to go in my closet.

July 2, 2018
Next Up is the Laundry Room
I’ve been doing a ton of work outside lately, but it’s time to move on to the interior again. Hey there, laundry room.

Wait, that’s from 2013 when we moved in. You want a more recent photo? It’s just as sad, but this time with a washer and dryer!

Look at me with that cute tin up there like it’s helping the decor.

We’ve made some changes to the house’s systems over the years. The commercial natural gas account was merged into the residential line and one meter was removed. We replaced the hot water tank with a newer, more efficient model. The previous owners had a coin-operated washer and dryer set (from the home’s days as a 3-flat) that did not convey with the sale, so we added the front-loaders when we moved in.

There’s no getting around the fact that this is the basement of a home that was built in 1891. The ceiling height is low. There are pipes that are best left exposed for easy access. It’s a functional space, but I’ve never attempted to make it lovely (ba dum bum), and it’s time!

A list of work to be done in skimmable bullet points…
- A drop ceiling is a good choice in this case and it’s staying, but some or all of the tiles will be replaced.
- Keeping the can lights in the ceiling, adding sconces.
- The pipes will be painted to blend in with the walls.
- I’ll be using the same octagon and dot tile that I added to the laundry room in our last house.
- The fridge in our kitchen is small and a secondary fridge in the basement has been useful. The one that came with the house is dying but it will be replaced by a new, similar model.
- A new washer and dryer set with added functionality! I’m VERY excited about this. TWO LOADS AT ONCE.
- Cabinets! Storage!
- The plastic utility tub is being replaced by a cabinet and deep utility sink, plus a pretty faucet.
- I’ll be sewing a curtain/shade for the single window.
- Laundry rooms need art, too!
All of that is pretty much set. I’ve already done all of the planning and I have 90% of my supplies. I’m ready (and eager!) to get started. I haven’t decided on the paint color for walls and cabinets yet though, or chosen the counters.
- I’m using stock cabinetry with simple white shaker doors, and I’ll add antique brass hardware.
- The cabinets would look great in white, but an almond/greige or green would work too. Walls will probably either be creamy white or green.
- Counters will likely be laminate. Something that looks like marble or soapstone? I feel like it’s kind of overkill to do the real thing in this space, but it’s not like I would need that much.
Here’s a quick look at the differences. Minor changes, and nothing that will hold up work right now.

Here’s what is giving me pause. How can I minimize our time without a washer and dryer hooked up? And can I tile under the water heater by propping it up? (I know the answer to that is probably no. I need to disconnect it.) I’ll be the one doing all of the labor, and I’m trying to time it for the least possible disruption in our lives.

Wish me luck!
May 16, 2018