Before we built our home over 14 years ago (pre Pinterest days), I saved Better Homes and Gardens and Country Living Magazine pictures for years and put them in a manilla folder. I envisioned all the farmhouse vibes, including hardwood floors, white cabinets, a farmhouse sink…you get the picture. What I envisioned and what we could afford were two completely different things! We had a very tight budget, so we went with laminate floors, oak cabinets and a stainless steel sink. Basically, we had a beautiful shell, with a slightly above builder grade interior.
I have always loved our home, but felt like it needed a little more character and some more “custom” accents. So, 14 years later…I decided it was time to start making our home the “dream” home I always wanted. In order to do this, we needed to make some updates without breaking the bank. The laundry room was first on my list. I’ll share the before pictures and you’ll see why. The laundry/mud room had great bones…it just needed a little character! I’ll also share how I made drastic changes to our laundry room for less than $500!
The Before
Our laundry/mud room is probably our most used room in the house and the one I have always liked the least. It also takes the most abuse.It is where we drop our shoes, coats, bags, dirty laundry and where we ALWAYS come in and out of the house.
One of the things I disliked the most about this room was the cabinet/folding station above the washer and dryer. Our builders measured the space above the washer and dryer incorrectly, therefore our countertop didn’t fit right. Because of this, the outlet was in the wrong spot so instead of patching the hole it left by moving it, they just covered it with the counter. When I took the counter top off, there was a giant hole in the drywall. Nice! The counter was always too tall to hang clothes above it and very awkward to fold clothes on. It was just never functional.
My favorite thing in this room were the cubbies, but I hated the golden oak. It made the room so dark and gloomy. Like I said above…good bones, it just needed a bit of sprucing!
Adding Character
Since this is a room we (or I should say “I”) use a lot, I wanted it to be functional and aesthetically pleasing.A really simple and affordable way to add character to any room is to add board and batten. I love board and batten walls and think they make a new house seem “old” and more custom. With just a few boards and a little knowledge of power tools you can quickly and inexpensively add interest to your room! Use the how-to below to see how to add faux board and batten to your projects! The reason I use the word faux, is I didn’t add any backing board. In true board and batten, most people will add backing board first to give a more sleek, finished look. This is especially so for textured walls. I only used the horizontal and vertical trim boards to create this look.
Faux Board and Batten
A really simple and affordable way to add character to any room is to add board and batten. With just a few boards and a little knowledge of power tools you can quickly and inexpensively add interest to your room!
Materials
- Boards (select pine or poplar)
- Wood Putty
- Paintable Caulk
- Sand Paper
- Paint
- Brad or Finish Nails (at least 2 inches)
Tools
- Miter Saw
- Brad Nailer of Finish Nailer
- Air Compressor
- Level
- Stud Finder
- Tape Measure
Instructions
1. Gather your materials and tools (use lists above).
2. Measure your room or wall to determine how many boards you will need. Determine the height of the top trim board if you aren't covering the full height of the wall. A good rule of thumb is to divide your wall height into thirds. Example: if your wall is 8 ft (96 inches), divide 96 by 3 and that will give you an idea of the different heights you should consider. If you're doing an accent wall don't forget to frame the wall by adding boards in your corners. Try to evenly space your vertical boards on your wall.
3. Pick your board size (i.e. 1x2 or 1x3) and length. You can make it very easy and choose 3 or 4 ft long boards for your vertical boards and you may not need to make any additional cuts. Don't forget your top trim board! Choosing your board width is personal preference, but you should consider the size of your room and the look you are going for.
4. Once you have your boards, you can start assembling your wall. I start with the top horizontal trim board. Measure for the height you want the top trim board and make pencil marks across the wall at that height. It's a good idea to also find the studs in the wall by using a handheld stud finder. Make a mark at each stud, as well. Put the board in place (you may need an extra set of hands) and make sure the board is level. Once the board is level and you have marked the studs, nail the trim board to the wall. If you are doing the whole room, repeat this on all walls.
5. Once you have your top trim board, you will start adding vertical boards. If you are doing an accent wall, it would look best to evenly space your boards across the wall. Common spacing is anywhere from 12-20 inches. You can use studs as a guage as well, but your spacing may not be even depending on the stud placement within your walls. If you aren't using studs, be sure to place your nails at alternating angles so the board won't pull off the wall easily. Start with your boards on each corner of the wall, creating a frame and work your way in. Measure from the bottom of the top trim to the top of the bottom trim to make your vertical board cuts. When placing the boards on the wall, be sure to level the boards before nailing!
6. Now that all your boards are up, go through and putty all the nail holes. Let dry and sand off excess putty. Wipe down the walls and fill in any gaps with paintable caulk. This will make everything look seamless and professional. Be sure to wipe off any excess caulk. Once the caulk is dry, you can paint!
7. Set back and enjoy your hard work! You have just added character and interest to your space and you did it all yourself!
Notes
Check your trim before starting. If you have rounded trim you may need to remove and replace your trim with a 1x3 or 1x4 board.
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Painting Oak Cabinets
Like I said above, to save money in our budget, we went with custom made oak cabinets instead of painted. They were about half the price! But, I’ve always regretted not spending the extra money and getting what we wanted in the beginning….but again…that little word “budget”.
We recently decided to have the kitchen cabinets professionally painted and we also had them quote the cubbies in our laundry room. To save some money, I thought I could tackle this project myself. I did a little research and found that the best products to use to paint over varnished oak is Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer and Emerald Interior Paint. They are both a little more pricey as far as paint and primer go, but well worth it when painting over varnished oak. I used TSP cleaner first, then took a hand sander over all the wood. Just basically roughing up the varnish, I didn’t comply strip the piece. That is where the extreme bond primer comes into play. It covers the wood and allows the paint to stick to the primer. I put one coat of primer, did a light sanding and then put on a second coat of primer. Be sure to remove all the dust and lint before primer and painting! I then put two coats of Sherwin Williams Emerald paint in Sensible Hue. I used Satin, but wish I had used Semi Gloss. It really depends on the look you prefer and how much use and abuse your piece will take for which sheen you should use. I think with all the traffic and dirt that we have in our laundry/mud room, Semi gloss would have been easier to clean. I think painting the oak in this room brightened up the entire space. I LOVE the way it turned out!
Folding Station
This project will require a blog post all on its own, but I’ll give you a quick rundown. Our old counter top or folding station didn’t fit over the washer and dryer well at all. There were huge gaps, lots of places for things to fall between the cracks and the height wasn’t ideal to comfortably fold clothes. I took the old counter top and base out and decided to make a new one. I used 3/4 inch plywood to make the top and sides. I measured the space beforehand so I would know how big the boards would need to be. Lowes will cut the boards to size for you! I would highly recommend using this service if you can. It saved me from having to rip the boards down myself.
Once I had the boards cut to size, I made an outside and middle leg (this leg went between the washer and dryer) using L brackets. I put a 2×4 brace on the right side wall to give the top a place to rest. I then set the cabinet in place and trimmed the entire cabinet out in 1×2 furring strips. One day, I’ll make a blog post all about this cabinet. It was fun to make and I actually enjoy folding clothes now!
The Finished Product
Once the cabinet was done, I had a little scrap plywood so I made a shelf with a rod to be able to hang clothes up to dry or press (I’ll share this one day too…so easy!). I painted the open cabinet above our utility sink and the inset ironing board cabinet as well. Everything turned out so well and we finished this entire space in a weekend and for less than $500! The most expensive materials were the plywood boards and the paint. Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do projects like this yourself! With just a little knowledge of how to use simple power tools and a little elbow grease, you can completely transform your space! Best part of this project was the pride I felt knowing I did it myself! You can do it too!
looks so inviting.