Cheap Laundry Room Closet Makeover
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Today I am sharing a $325 laundry room closet makeover and how DIY laundry shelves saved the day! If you are short on time and don’t want to break the bank, see our small changes and clever organization ideas that will help you transform dull cluttered shelves into an organized masterpiece.
Our laundry closet is part of our first floor half bathroom so space is limited. We decided to switch to side by side washer and dryer units and build a laundry table with two additional wood shelves above – utilizing the space above the washer and dryer.
Laundry Appliances: We did buy a new washer and dryer as our stackable units both stopped working within a week of each. I factored out the cost of the appliances when I say this is a cheap makeover.
Minus the cost of the new appliances, this makeover is affordable and completely doable by anyone and the idea of adding your own DIY wooden shelves and folding laundry table is fairly inexpensive.
For the cost of wood and a little DIY know how, you can “get this look” in a weekend (well maybe 2 weekends). See how we made our wooden laundry shelves by clicking through this post, “diy floating laundry shelves tutorial.”
Laundry Room Makeover
Here is the closet laundry room before we remodeled the closet.
How Can I Make My Old Laundry Room Look Good?
1.Remove or replace laundry closet doors
For our small laundry room on a budget, we removed the bifold laundry closet doors in an effort to create a more open laundry room look.
If you are partial to laundry doors, try bifold barn doors that slide on a track like these.
Small Laundry Room Door Idea
A sliding barn door for a laundry closet, especially if the closet is in a bathroom, is also a great way to save space and create a designer trendy look. Click through these posts, sliding barn door installation without removing door trim tutorial, our double sliding barn door tutorial or our bathroom sliding barn door option for more ideas.
2. Remove old shelving and fill and patch holes
As you can see below, we removed our old wire shelving and brackets, filled the holes and primed the walls.
Here is another shot of the laundry room before.
If you decide to remove your laundry room closet doors, you will need to remove the hardware, patch the holes and paint the trim.
3. Paint the walls – laundry room colors
We painted the walls Sherwin Williams Sea Salt color which is a light green color (sometimes looks more gray depending on natural light.)
I almost picked the color Dewy, which is another green paint color but decided to go with sea salt.
I am partial to a light laundry room paint color to ensure the space feels larger and brighter. See my latest review of sea salt and blue green paint colors for more paint color ideas.
I searched google and pinterest for laundry room closet ideas that were either small or in a closet and I found many ideas with stackable washer and dryers but not many with side by side appliances.
Tip: If you are trying to make your laundry room look bigger, a stackable may be a better alternative, especially if you want some room to walk around but for me, I really wanted a laundry folding table so the side by side washer and dryer was the perfect solution.
If you have a stackable washer and dryer, click through this post, “our basement laundry room makeover” for more creative ideas.
4. Install Laundry Room Closet Shelving
My dad and I built wooden shelves for the laundry closet in an afternoon from plywood and pine.
You can see that full tutorial by clicking through to this post, how to make wooden laundry shelving.
These DIY wooden shelves can be used in any closet so be sure to check it out!
Laundry room shelves above a washer and dryer are a game changer when it comes to not only organization but creating a laundry space that is pretty!
5. DIY Laundry Room Table
Having a laundry table folding station directly in the laundry closet has helped me tremendously. I despise laundry and I will admit it, I am awful at keeping up with it. However, the clothes are now getting folded and not dumped in a pile on the couch. You can see how we made our laundry table by clicking through this post, DIY wooden shelves.
This is a true DIY laundry room makeover as adding shelving and painting is a fairly simple process. If you are not able to make your own wooden shelves, you can purchase inexpensive shelving like this wire shelving and install it yourself.
We opted for a plywood countertop but a butcher block countertop would also be nice.
Laundry Room Decor
I found so many laundry room decor ideas my head was spinning! I ultimately decided to use baskets and bins to keep the laundry room shelves organized.
- I purchased a few hyacinth (these in natural) baskets
- these wire baskets from the Container Store for storage
- This set of 3 wicker baskets as well will work for smaller items
- A glass jar like this one works great for clothes pins
- Collapsable laundry baskets are also perfect to store on the side of the washer
- white lazy susan to to keep bottles organized
- Wall mounted grocery bag holder
You can shop our entire laundry room here on our Amazon Storefront!
Like I said earlier, removing the laundry closet doors, gave us more room inside for the new washer and dryer.
The laundry doors, when opened, “took up 5 inches inside the closet” which we needed in order to put the washer and dryer side-by-side.
So guess what, we just got rid of the doors!
The top plastic decorative bins hold batteries and lightbulbs as well as a few other random items that we don’t use often.
The white lazy susan is one of my favorite finds. It holds the detergent and dryer sheets along with a few other spot cleaners. I love that it spins!
Our laundry room countertop / folding table totally changed how I do laundry making me more productive and organized.
If you are looking for storage for paper towels, these hyacinth baskets hold six roles perfectly. I couldn’t believe it when I found these, it’s like they were made for paper towel storage.
Small Laundry Room Makeover
Not a bad looking laundry closet right? You too can create a budget laundry closet with DIY floating shelves and create a functional and pretty laundry room.
Laundry closet ideas
Our laundry closet would have more room if we decided to go with a stackable washer and dryer but I wanted a folding table so we opted for the side by side washer and dryer. The laundry shelves were very inexpensive to make and with a little sanding and paint, boring old wood can shape up quite nicely!
The wire basket is hung with picture hook nails. Just tap the tiny nail into the wall and leave a little bit of the nail protruding from the wall. The sign below sums up my view on laundry 100%.
Pink duct tape from a previous project was the solution to cover the existing electrical box.
This is probably the greatest invention on the planet. A grocery bag holder (see it here). I have always wanted one of these but never got around to buying one.
Laundry Room Signs
This little framed dog saying is near and dear to my heart. My grandmother (my mom’s mom) had this in her bathroom when I was a kid and before she died, she gave it to me. Now it lives in our bathroom/laundry room.
I found the cute laundry room signs for the wall in Home Goods.
This vintage inspired laundry sign was only $5 at Home Goods on clearance.
If you are looking for a cute laundry sign, I thought this sign (drop your pants!) and this sign (I’ll do it later!) were so cute!
We were sad when our old washer and dryer stopped working. There is never a good time to invest in a new washer and dryer but it was the perfect opportunity to renovate the space and create a functional and stylish laundry room to fold clothes.
It’s not the biggest laundry room that’s for sure but every square inch is now utilized and organized. The total budget for this makeover, minus the new washer and dryer, was under $325. That includes all the wood for the laundry shelves and laundry room folding table, baskets, storage boxes and other laundry accessories.
Meet Jessica
What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.
I love it! I really love the sign, I need that!
Marie
Thank you Marie. You find the sign at Home Goods!
Jessica, Looks fabulous! Love the shelving and the wire basket with the sign. The paper towel holder is a great idea. I would get one but we never seem to have more than 1 or 2 paper towel rolls at a time. They disappear as soon as they come in the house! Such a nice touch with your Grandmother’s framed dog saying.
Your comment made me bust out laughing Nancy about the paper towels! It happens here also…..I just happened to go shopping before I took these pics so they were nice and full! ha. Hope all is well!
Love the color – very fresh and clean looking space. We are in the process of updating our laundry room as well… Can’t wait for it to be done.
Best
Chernee
Good luck on your re-do! Fun!
Nice space out of very little room! Very nice!
Thank you Susan. I actually like this little space now 🙂
Looks great! I love the thick shelves and color on the walls.
Lucky you that you have such a great space to fold laundry! Maybe it’ll make it more bearable. 🙂
Betsy
haha I hope so Betsy 🙂
I love, love your laundry makeover!
Also – when I clicked on the link to Tidy Mom, it took me to an ‘adult’ advertising site!
Yeah… Me too!
I know Denise, I fixed the link . UGH. I got the wrong extension. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Beautiful job! I love the wire basket on the wall and the shelves are perfection!
Thank you Anne! Hope all is well 🙂
Your laundry room makeover looks great! Like the signs. Just thought you might want to know that the ‘tidy mom’ link goes to a porn site….at least it did for me, when I clicked on it.
I love what you did with the space Jess! I thought I would love my front loaders on the pedestal/drawers – because of the extra storage, and it makes the machines at a height so I don’t have to bend over —but it makes it harder for me to fold on top AND I can’t reach the shelves over them.
Love the color you chose too!
Thank you Cheryl! I almost ordered the pedestals b/c I love the look of them but then decided I wanted a folding station and you are right, they are way to high to fold on when using pedestals. Hmmmm, maybe Steve can remove them and make you a folding table 🙂 hehehehehehehe
It looks beautiful! LOVE<3 it!
Thank you Susan!
Wow! What an amazing reveal! I love your new laundry space! I can’t get enough of that sign! I’m in total agreement!
Thank you Sara, the sign is a hit! haha
So nice! Everyone should have a beautiful laundry room to distract us from the burden of actually having to do the laundry. I am in love with the sign! Cracks me up! Gorgeous Jess!
I love the sign also! Thank you 🙂
It’s fresh, beautiful and amazingly gorgeous. You know, for a room we have to work so hard in 😉 Love the Dewy wall color. So pretty and happy. I’m sure you just grin when you go in there now. Love it!!
Thank you Shannon! I do like laundry kind of right now ……I hope it lasts 🙂 ha
I am not going to lie, I have been blog stalking since you started this makeover, in extreme anticipation of the final result. And in true Jessica fashion, you rocked it! Loving every last details, those beautiful baskets and built in shelves paired with the soothing colors… sigh… So good! Way to knock it out of the park!
Jen you just made me bust out laughing! You crack me up 🙂 Thanks for your sweet words and glad you like it! Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue with regards to laundry! haha
It looks lovely and does LOOK larger…the light airy colors and storage make such a difference. And of course all the small details make it beautiful…wonderful job you all did. And your mom may want those baskets but so do I LOL!
hugz,
Suzanne
Wow – it’s absolutely stunning, and beautifully styled! Love that “when I said I do” sign. Hahaha!
Thank you Kelly! The I DO is my fave 🙂
I love your new washroom.. those shelves,,omg, great job. The room looks completely different. Love that “I do” sign and the little puppy photo.. so cute.
Thank you Debbie. I swear I replied to your comment but I can’t seem to see it anymore :(. Thanks again!
I saw the clothes pins, are they decorative, or do you use them? Where do you put clothes to dry. My space is about the same size, but I can’t figure where to put our clothes that can’t go in the dryer!!
Great job Jessica, LOVE this – the laundry room looks amazing!
Thanks so much Wendy!
L.O.V.E – so perfect, functional and pretty – well done girl!
Thanks Laura 🙂
Love the wire baskets!! Where are they from?!
Thank you, the wire baskets are from the Container Store
Love your laundry detergent holder! Where did you find it?
The Container Store
I’d love to know more details on how you installed your folding station shelf. I’m wanting to do the same, but have some concerns about supporting that large of a shelf.
You can see how we installed the DIY shelves here, https://www.fourgenerationsoneroof.com/2013/11/diy-floating-shelves-laundry-room.html
Love this. Going to try in my laundry.
you know, I think I am the only woman I know of that likes to do laundry. I even like to iron, omg do I sound crazy, Lol
your redo looks good.
I live in an apartment and we do not have the best washers and dryers, so it makes it a pain. But a Laundromat we use has front loaders and it makes good with getting our clothes clean. But like I said I think im the only one I know that like doing laundry. 😉
Where did I miss the link on how you made the folding table and floating shelves?
I have a question for you. I see a container with a blue liquid in it. Do you make your own fabric softener? If so, could you send me the recipe?
Is it hard with 4 generations in the same house?
Lisa
The blue liquid is not homemade. It’s store bought 🙂 Living with four generations is super fun (most of the time) but we do have our challenges just like every other family. The key to making it work , for us, is being respectful of each others privacy. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, this looks great! I just told my husband that I have a new project for him.
Do you know how much weight the floating shelves can hold? Thx!
How did you make the countertop? It all looks so nice! Gets me excited to do mine!
Hi, we used plywood to make the countertop surface. Good luck with your project 😉
Hello, LOVE your laundry room makeover. We are going to do the same thing to our laundry space. I had a quick question. What color and type of paint did you use on the plywood and shelving. I love the look and color. Also curious did you use paint brush or spray gun to paint.
Thanks so much…I can’t wait to get started with this project. Off to Lowes I go to get the wood. 🙂
Hi, thanks so much! I used interior emerald satin extra white paint / Sherwin-Williams semi/gloss (has a built in primer). You may also want to add a coat of BIN or Zinser 123 primer before painting white. I brushed the paint on 🙂
I know this is an older post, but where did you get your shelves or did you make them?
We made them!
I am getting ready to re-do our laundry closet. I was curious how the paint has held up over time? Especially on the folding counter.
The paint has held up great!
Hi Jessica, Love your laundry space. I am in the beginning planning phase of my small laundry room makeover and came across your post on Pinterest. Glad I did. Do you remember the brand/name of the paint used on the walls? Since my space is small I want a light and fresh color. This seems perfect. Looking forward to your reply.
GREAT make-over job!!! OMG so lovely!!! We’re planning on doing something very similar with our laundry room. Your images and ideas are an inspiration to keep me going! Thanks for posting! (found you on Pinterest)
Thank you and good luck on your project 🙂
What size of the hyacinth baskets fit the paper towels? We buy in bulk and I am in desperate need of something like this!
Thanks:) love your laundry remodel!
Our baskets are 17″ x 12″ 😉
Love your laundry room reno! We did something similar, creating a closet off the kitchen during our kitchen reno (downgrading from a very non-functional laundry “room” off the kitchen to create more room for a kitchen island). We installed a closet rod near the top of the closet to hang clothes to dry, but I’d love to add shelves that are big/deep enough to store laundry baskets. But where you do keep your laundry baskets?!
THat is one of the issues with the laundry closet is there isn’t a lot of space otherthan on top of the folding table . They make collapsable baskets too that can slide on the side like these https://amzn.to/3HoxbZO