Before and After: 9 ways to freshen up any laundry
Do you dream of your laundry becoming the most fabulous and ultra-functional work zone? With the addition of a long countertop, new storage and a splash of colour – courtesy of a soft blue acrylic splashback – you can totally transform your laundry.
1. While store-bought shelving is useful, you can create custom shelves using plywood that you stain and varnish. To make a shelf bracket, cut a triangle shape and a square mounting plate from ply. Use PVA and screws to attach plate to triangle. Repeat to make desired quantity. Cut ply shelves, to suit. Screw plates to wall then position shelves. Top tip? Measure up store-bought shelving to help determine size and scale.
2. Across one wall, mount a series of ‘hooks’ made from ply and dowel. To do this, cut ply discs using a drill fitted with hole saws of various diameters. Prime and paint one face of each disc. Let dry. Cut a 30–50mm length of thick dowel for each disc. Drill a centred hole through length of dowel (the hole saw will have drilled a hole in each disc). To fit hooks, drive a screw through each disc (painted side out) and dowel into wall studs or masonry wall plugs.
3. Make a clothes-sorting station with a simple ply box. Cut half-circle hand-pulls at the front and mount the box on castor wheels. Apply stain and varnish to the outside. Screw cup hooks to the inside top edge to hold laundry bags.
4. Make the most of overhead space by installing a long rail, from room end to end. It’s just the trick if you dry certain garments on hangers, for extra drying space on drizzly days, or to iron and hang as you go!
5. To rejuvenate timber window frames, lightly sand frames and wipe away dust. Apply undercoat using a paintbrush. Once dry, apply topcoat. Let dry. If using dark-coloured topcoat, buy tinted undercoat for better topcoat performance.
6. Removing old fixtures on the walls, ceiling and floor? Turn power and water off at the main source. If planning to remove or change position of water supply, hot water service or electricity points, call a professional.
7. You’ll need to repair walls, including filling small holes, before painting. Just sand the dry filler smooth and wash walls with sugar soap solution. Let dry.
8. Clear the space of appliances and other unwanted fittings, such as an old laundry tub. If not reusing the same tub or appliances, sell online. If unusable, arrange for recycling.
9. To repaint walls, apply undercoat to clean, dry surfaces. Once undercoat is dry, apply 2–3 coats of specially formulated wet-area paint, here in bright white. Let dry after each coat.
