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June 9th, 2016

Mudroom

☔Makeover

When we bought our house in Kingston 2 years ago, we took on a lot of renovation projects to completely update this beautiful home. We turned our laundry room into a much needed mudroom last year (therefore I don't have pictures of the step-by-step, but there is a sketch at the bottom of this post). The size of our laundry room is 10.5' x 6.5' which is a perfect size to do a fun mudroom "for the kids" with their own individual cubbies.

 

The white cabinets in the laundry area are prefab (pre-fabricated) cabinets which were purchased from the big box store. Much cheaper than custom and just as beautiful. They were on sale $200 CAD each set. For a great finish get the matching crown moulding too. The average width of a washer & dryer is 27". We used the same measurement for the width of our upper cabinets. Measuring the space in between the two would be the size of our lower cabinets (give or take an inch for flexibility on each end of the wall). Allow 1/2" on the end of each machine when doing your measurements. 

 

First Step - Find the studs on your wall (to figure out where you'll be screwing your cabinets to), using a stud finder. Screw through the back of the cabinet two 3" screws, one at the top and one at the bottom, to your stud to fasten the cabinet to the wall. 

 

Step 2 - For the countertop - Decide where you want to place your sink. Measure the inside diameter (base) and make a mark of your sink on your countertop leaving enough so that the lip of the sink has enough extra counter-top to rest on. Using a drill, drill a hole in the center of your circle. Using a jig saw start from the center hole you drilled & use your jig saw to cut out the sink portion. Double check where you want your countertop to be first and then use silicone caulking to glue the countertop to the cabinet.

 

We purchased a laminate countertop that has a marble looking finish. It's more durable and less expensive but still looks great!

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The backsplash is however marble that we found for a great deal. It was on clearance at the big box store. 

Tip - Always check the clearance section when shopping for a small amount of tile, such as a backsplash. You can usually find some great tile at great prices if there's only a small quantity left or it's discontinued.

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We did this mudroom last year and I didn't know I'd be writing about it, so I don't have pictures of the step by step. I only have a rough sketch my husband drew up.

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Mudroom Cubbies Sketch

If you'd like any additional information or if there's something I might have forgotten to mention, please feel free to comment or message me.

The Cubbies:

 

What you'll need: 2" & 3" construction screws, 1 1/4" thick table/counter top wood (for bench seats), 3 sheets of 4'x8'x3/4" wood, 1 piece of 1"x2"x8' strapping, pine wood panels/prefab wainscoting panel, brown stain, white paint, finishing trim & casing.

 

Tools:    Drill, measuring tape, level, table saw, carpenters glue, chalk line, screwdriver.

 

 Step 1 -  Build a large box custom to fit the upper end of your wall unit. Use 2 large pieces of wood for top & bottom & 3-6 smaller panels for ends & dividers. Use carpenter glue & screws to assemble box.

 

To hang the box  to the wall -   Locate all your studs across the wall and mark (your studs should be 16" apart in your house). Use 3 pieces of 1"x2"x16" strapping to use as brackets. Fasten the strapping to the studs on the wall by screwing w/ your 3" screws and then attach your upper shelf to the brackets by screwing 2" screws through the strapping into the top of your shelf.  

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For the bottom section:

Cut 3 equal sized pieces for your seats (we used a 1 1/2" thick table-top wood that we stained chocolate brown). Measure the height you want your bench seats to be & make a mark (ours were 19" from the floor). Cut 3 pieces of strapping and secure them to the back wall using drill & 3" screws (17 1/2" above the floor... these are supports for the bench to rest on). Cut 4 equal size slats/boards which you will use as dividers. In order to create arm rests for each cubby make sure to cut your dividers longer then 19" bench mark seat (ours are 24"). Using a level put it against the outside of the slat and draw a straight line on the back wall from the top all the way to the floor. 

 

Place your first board so that it is perfectly aligned w/ your mark on the back wall and use 2" screws to fasten to the wall. Set the 1 st bench piece on your strapping and screw the 1 st slat into the edge of the bench. Place a spacer (which is a piece of scrap wood which is the same length as your seat) on the floor up against your first slat (the piece you've already fastened to the wall & bench). Set the 2nd bench piece on the next strapping. Place your 2nd slat against the spacer & bench-top using 2" screws to fasten to the seat and the floor. Move the spacer to the 2nd slat and repeat for the 3rd and 4th slats. Measure & cut pieces of trim to match the exposed wood of your unit using a mitre saw. For the angled pieces use a 45° angled cut. Attach trim to your unit using 1" brad nails & brad nail gun.

Strapping

 

For the wainscoting - Use tongue & groove pine paneling. I didn't like the prefab panels because I found they didn't have enough depth to them so we went this route. To simplify things you can use prefab wainscoting panels. Cut to desired length (ours was 44") and attach pieces together creating one large panel. Fasten to the wall using 1" brad nails and brad nail gun. Finish w/ trim (our cubbies & our trim pieces were each 27" wide/across). 

For the flooring we went with vinyl planks that look like hardwood. We chose this type of flooring because it 's more durable in a high traffic mud & water area. It's water and scuff resistant... won't warp or scratch... and it looks great too!

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