This time, Deb Nelson took on a laundry room and made it fabulous - on a dime!

DEB SAYS:

Paint:
I've said it many times, but this is a great example of how paint can change a space. I painted the entire room and all of the surfaces in it. There was a "faux" brick wall behind the washer and dryer. I painted this white and it immediately took that wall from looking drab and dingy to bright and light. The texture of the fake brick looked great, it looked just like real brick under there.

I used white melamine paint on the countertop. There was just a small amount of counter space so this worked great to brighten it up. A quart of melamine was $18. It is easy to use, but it is an oil-based paint and goes on best if you do several light coats. All melamine is oil-based, so get a separate brush and you will need a solvent to clean your brush. This is a really durable surface once painted and can be easily cleaned and wiped off. I love melamine on the counters, I have used it before at my own house and it looks great and stands the test of time very well for durability.

I used white, semi-gloss latex paint on the cabinet doors and the same white paint on the trim the door and on the shelving unit. All the white paint looked fresh and clean around the white washer and dryer.

I used the red paint the other walls to add a punch of colour. Now here is another great money saving tip - if you aren't extremely picky on the colour, you can buy "mis-tints". They are mixed slightly wrong, so you can buy them for a steal. The little quart of red paint for the wall was just $1.99 vs the regular price of $20 or more.

The "laundry center":
Then I built this great functional storage shelving unit. I used a $25 raw wood shelving unit that I painted white. I took some inexpensive lattice, had it cut to size and painted it white. This front piece was attached with hinges so it swings open and you can put your laundry bags in there.

I attached a piece of dowel, cut that to size and attached it across the whole shelving unit. This is a great place to hang things you can't put in the dryer, like shirts or blouses - and it saves money instead of using the dryer!

I also put in a clothesline I purchased at the dollar store and that came with clothespins too.

Then I used some dollar store accessories like the spray bottles and the bins to go on the unit too.

This whole unit is great for storage and I liked the accent of the white unit in front of the red wall.

Folding table:
The folding table was also an inexpensive project. I used an MDF top that is vinyl coated and had it cut to size to fit the space (this comes in large sizes/sheets at the hardware store and you can have it cut to size). I attached white vinyl tape to the unfinished sides. I used 2 sawhorse style legs for the base of the table. These legs came in white, were on sale for $15.00 each and they are extendable so you can raise the table up too. This is a great surface for folding, I love having an extra surface in the laundry room to work on, so if you have enough space, this is an affordable way to add in a table.

Fabrics:
I used assorted patterned fabrics in this space too. I love these inexpensive fabrics I found (at Ikea) and I love that they are double sided. I used the stripe pattern to make an ironing board cover and the basket lining.

Then I made a curtain with inexpensive linen fabric. By adding a little detail with a fabric pen (you can buy at a craft store) I can make it look like vintage fabric by adding this little red accent.

I also made a little curtain for the window that coordinates with the other fabric curtain on the doorway. These are hung up using little inexpensive dollar store curtain rods.

The last decorative touch was the rug on the floor. It was $9.99 and added a nice graphic touch to the room.

Other nice touches you can add to your own laundry room: a laminated copy of the washing symbols, speaker/radio/ipod, a plant, flowers, any pretty containers/baskets you have, etc.

 
 

BUDGET

Quart of red paint - $1.99
(mis-tint)
Quart of white melamine - $17.97
Quart of white for trim/cabinet - $14.97
Wooden shelving - $25.00
Lattice - $9.97
Dowel & hooks - $4.16
Dollar store accessories - $8.00
(clothes line, clothes pins, container, hangers, curtain rods, white basket, spray bottle)
4 yards of fabric - $39.96
(linen, stripe, check)
MDF - $16.97
Legs for table - $30.00
Hinges - $3.75
Fabric pen - $3.99
Green leaves- $10.00
Basket - $2.99
Rug - $9.99
TOTAL: $199.71

RESOURCES

Red "Mistint" Paint
Purchased from:
Rotblotts
Toronto, ON
www.rotblotts.com

Cloud White Latex Paint
White Cabinet & Countertop Melamine Paint (Oil Based)
Melamine Board
Lattice
Dowel
Hinges/Hooks
Purchased from:
Home Depot
Locations Across Canada
www.homedepot.ca

Natural Linen
Purchased from:
Designer Fabric Outlet
Toronto, ON
www.designerfabrics.ca

Red fabric pen
Purchased from:
Michael's Crafts
Mississauga, ON
www.michaels.com

'Vika Artur' Saw Horse Legs
'Sveje' Black & White Rug
Assorted 'Berit' Fabrics
'Gorm' Shelving Unit
Purchased from:
Ikea
Locations Across Canada
www.ikea.ca

White Storage Bin
Spray Bottles
Clothes Line
Clothes Pins
Curtain Rods
Purchased from:
Dollarama
Locations Across Canada
www.dollarama.com

Green Leaves
Purchased from:
Grower's Flower Market
Toronto, ON
416.920.2442

Woven Sea Grass Basket as laundry basket
Purchased from:
Value Village
Locations Across Canada
www.valuevillage.com

Vases/Jars/Wire basket
Detergent/Soaps/towels etc.
Small Radio
Plant
Homeowners Personal Items

Visit Deb online at:
www.debnelsondesign.com

Deborah Nelson's clothing provided by Freda's, hairstyling by Sugar n' Spice.