Laundry Room Facelift in a Weekend

My new laundry room after a few coats of paint and a little TLC

BEFORE PHOTO

After tackling a lot of very large and more expensive projects when we first moved in I wanted to keep updating but had a limited budget. I had some leftover paint from other projects and thought I should take on our laundry room. This is a room barely anyone sees but is a highly utilized space for me and my family on a daily basis. It made me sad and lacked personality. Also, the mismatched cabinets were more than I could handle.

Since I could not replace the cabinets I would have to try and save them. These cabinet doors were laminate so all I did was wipe them down and gave them a light sand. After that I applied 2 coats of primer. This helps cover up the color as well as provide a nice sticky surface for the more expensive paint to stick to and stay put for years. Another trick I use when applying primer is to not wait too long before applying the first coat of actual paint. As a finishing touch I replaced the old worn brass handles with updated black matte.

The white paint I have used throughout the house is Sherwin Williams Snowbound. For cabinets, trim and closet doors (high touch surfaces that could chip easily) I recommend a semi-gloss sheen, trim enamel if possible. It's slightly more expensive but worth the durability in the long run.

While I waited for the cabinet doors to dry I trimmed out the inside of exterior laundry room door and painted that the same color white as the cabinets to provide some cohesion to the room. Plus this door had about 50 years of abuse and needed some serious TLC.

 From here I trimmed out the rest of the room and started to patch up all dents and dings with spackle and sanded down any uneven spots. I also decided to paint any and all pipes that got in my way as I made my way around the room.

When it was finally time to paint I applied one coat of primer as a base coat. The flooring and trim was (still is) straight out of the 70's but my budget didn't allow for me to tackle the floors just yet so instead I decided to paint the trim along with the walls. I will get to the floors another day. 

The paint color I had extra from another home project was Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey.

The final touch was to re-attach the cabinet doors as well as add a little art to make me happier when I am doing laundry.

When I have a few more dollars to spare I will upgrade the flooring and add some white beadboard to the back wall. In the meantime, my laundry room no longer makes me feel sad.

All in all this project cost me around $40 (including the fun art) since I already owned the white paint and took me 2 weekends to complete.