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    Home » DIY » Painted Furniture

    The $20 Laundry Room Makeover

    By: Jane · Updated: 26 Apr, '15 · This post may contain affiliate links · 31 Comments

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    This weekend we did a mini-makeover of our laundry room, which is located on our back porch. It's a small room and not only does it serve as a laundry room, it is our mudroom, our junk room, the cat box room, and the animal food storage room.

    Copy of laundry room cabinet 029

     Because it is used so heavily, it gets junky and dirty very quickly. I don't have a before picture, but you can just imagine how much stuff was on our porch. And it was visible to everyone who came to our back door.

    Garden sink 043

    Storage is always an issue when you live in a small house. Last Monday, we spotted a tall cabinet at the auction that we thought would fit beside our washer and dryer. We bid on it and got it for $20!

    Garden sink 045

    The cabinet had plenty of shelves which were covered with adhesive shelf paper. The first thing I did was to remove that yucky paper!

    Garden sink 055

    Because I knew I was going to paint the cabinet, I decided to prime it first with Kilz. It took 2 coats to cover the stain.

    Repurposed grill 017

    I already had this aqua paint left over from another project. The shade is Aqua Glow by Valspar. I left the shelves and inside of the cabinet unpainted. After 2 coats dried, I pulled out my Annie Sloan waxes. I mixed the clear and dark waxes together to "age" the piece.

    Laundry room cabinet 019

    So here it is, and I have to say that I love the color!

    Laundry room cabinet 027

    You can see here how well it goes with the original ceiling on the porch.

    Laundry room cabinet 040

    I cleared off the two shelves of detergent and other assorted things which left room for us to store our hats. They are a necessary item when you work outside as much as we do!

    Laundry room cabinet 025

    On top of the cabinet are some recent auction finds. LOVE the Gold Dust washing powder bag!

    Laundry room cabinet 024

    I made room on my shelves for this plant. It stays on the porch year round.

    Laundry room cabinet 039

    There are 3 windows on the porch, and this piece is hanging in one of them. We had it hanging in our other house in a round window.  We bought it in Charleston one year during Spoleto.

    Laundry room cabinet 034

    So when I was at a recent flower show, I spotted this gorgeous plant hanger for my hanging basket.

    Laundry room cabinet 035

    It really dresses up my hanging basket.

    Laundry room cabinet 032

    I made these curtains right after we moved here, and I'm going to replace the pink rick-rack with some aqua rick-rack that I saw recently.

    Laundry room cabinet 043

    There is a small table on the back porch on which Rascal is sitting. Underneath it is the litter box. If you look closely, you can see Henry's tail as he's going in. And yes, there is a microwave oven on the table.  Our kitchen is small, and there isn't much room for it in there, so we store it on the porch. We mostly use it for popcorn.

    Laundry room cabinet 044

    This fabric skirt hides the litter box, but after 3 years, it needs to be replaced.  I'm looking for a new rug, and I plan to paint the top of the little table to match the cabinet.

    Laundry room cabinet 060

    In front of one window, there is a pine shelf that the cats like to sit on to look out onto the world. They are indoor cats. I actually picked up these little figurines at the auction. They were on the ground and no one wanted them.

    Laundry room cabinet 050

    So now when people come to our back door, the laundry room is more organized.  All the junk is  hidden from sight in our new laundry room cabinet!

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    1. phyllis panza

      August 28, 2014 at 8:24 am

      Jane, love the laundry room, colors and especially the cupboard; love those. makes doing laundry a more pleasant chore. love the scale and sack. wondering if there is really detergent in there or just for display. you and leo are doing wonders.

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        August 31, 2014 at 10:34 pm

        No, there's no detergent in the old detergent sack. It's just stuffed with some old rags! Thanks Phyllis!

        Reply
    2. Pat

      March 03, 2013 at 12:27 am

      Love that turquoise Jane in your laundry room. Those curtains are nice too.
      Our laundry is in the mudroom, back entrance,screen porch...whatever room!
      I think mudroom suites it best...it is a mess most of the time.
      The worst part...EV.ER.Y BODY sees it that comes here. The bathroom is off to one end, and our bedroom is at the other. The whole back section was added after the house was moved to this property.
      A bit quirky... but I like it.

      I love how homey your cottage is... this laundry room is even homey and inviting! ~Pat

      Reply
    3. Karen @ My Reclaimed Haven

      February 04, 2013 at 7:27 am

      Looks great--I have an area next to my washer and dry about the same size with cabinets above--a little bit shorter version would be perfect--I'm on the hunt!

      Reply
    4. Eva

      October 22, 2012 at 10:55 pm

      Love the plant hanger. I like a live plant in every room....seems to give it life! Very nice.

      Reply
    5. Mrs. Jones from the Circus

      May 15, 2012 at 6:50 pm

      Hi Jane. I love that your new cabinet matches your old ceiling to a T. Perfect!! Your laundry/porch is adorable.

      Reply
    6. Mary

      May 12, 2012 at 7:51 pm

      Jane~ That cabinet looks like it was cut to fit your space! It looks great with the color the ceiling, which I LOVE. Your washing powder bag is wonderful! Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day 🙂

      Reply
    7. Jean Windham

      May 11, 2012 at 4:05 pm

      I cannot believe you were able to find a cabinet the exact right size for the space. Great job on the color match for the ceiling paint. Did you save some of the color from the ceiling or you remembered the color. I love the shelves with all the old hats. Very charming. Great job. Jean

      Reply
    8. Ellen

      May 10, 2012 at 10:51 am

      What an awesome makeover!!! I'm so excited for you. Also I wanted to tell you what a beautiful garden you have. Seeing all of these beautiful gardens in blogville as inspired me to try to do something with my rock hard yard here in sunny AZ.

      Reply
    9. Kammy Wielenga

      May 10, 2012 at 7:44 am

      Oh love the new refreshing look! My fave colors! A $20 makeover is MY KIND OF MAKEOVER!!!! My personal peeve is people who brag about there under $500 (or whatever) renos. Shhhhh. 🙂

      Reply
    10. Stephanie @ The Cozy Old Farmhouse

      May 10, 2012 at 7:04 am

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment on our little ranch house. I miss the country, but not that tiny kitchen. : )

      Your laundry room makeover looks great!

      Reply
    11. Helen

      May 09, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      Jane, your posts are always such fun to read and view. You make the readers feel right there with you. I'm loving seeing everything you and Leo add or change about your cottage and garden. Thanks, Helen

      Reply
    12. Susan in SC

      May 09, 2012 at 10:42 am

      You know I love everything that you do! This is just wonderful. I love the cabinet and how you refinished it for the room. Rascal is a sweetie! I know he enjoys his new room!

      Reply
    13. Rondell

      May 09, 2012 at 9:16 am

      First off I love the plant hanger so pretty! Love the aqua and how it all ties in with everything! It is perfect!

      Reply
    14. [email protected]

      May 09, 2012 at 7:55 am

      What a great find. I really like the color it is so fresh and cheery. My laundry room needs tons of help. It is on my project list that seems to be never ending.

      Reply
    15. Kathy

      May 09, 2012 at 8:16 am

      Jane,

      Your cabinet is a purr-fect fit! Love the color!

      Reply
    16. Keeping it Cozy

      May 09, 2012 at 6:51 am

      It looks fresh and charming! I love your cupboard... I too have a tall cupboard in our laundry room. It's the perfect thing to use in an old house with limited storage!

      Reply
    17. nancy

      May 09, 2012 at 6:28 am

      love the green you picked out & I totally agree with getting organized! Thanks for visiting & comment! xo nancy elizabeth

      Reply
    18. vickie

      May 08, 2012 at 10:00 pm

      I love that ceiling and the color you painted it. I would have picked up the kitty statue too!

      Reply
    19. [email protected] Designs

      May 08, 2012 at 7:37 pm

      Jane...your laundry room is so very cute....love the hats and all the accessories...I have an original Gold Dust Soap box...I have collected vintage laundry items for some time now....Great color for the cabinet....and it couldn't have been a better fit in that space!!....The cute space makes laundry not such a chore....well, maybe not such a bigger chore....Have a great day!

      Reply
    20. Carlene @ Oganized Clutter

      May 08, 2012 at 6:18 pm

      Oh my goodness, PERFECT fit!

      Reply
    21. Diane

      May 08, 2012 at 12:26 pm

      What a fun makeover! Adding that fabulous color really brought your busy area to life!

      Reply
    22. Wanda

      May 08, 2012 at 10:20 am

      Love the new look in your laundry room. Aqua is one of my favorite colors +brown.

      Reply
    23. Dolly Sarrio

      May 08, 2012 at 9:47 am

      I love what you have done. That cabinet will give you much needed storage and for $20 you can't beat that. I need a back porch....thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    24. Barbara F.

      May 08, 2012 at 9:07 am

      Nice job on the cabinet. Love the color. xo

      Reply
    25. Carol

      May 08, 2012 at 8:15 am

      I love it! Love how it matches rascal's eyes too. That's so nice of you to fix the kitties a necessary spot too. Nicely done :o)
      Hugs~Carol

      Reply
    26. Gina

      May 08, 2012 at 6:58 am

      What a great makeover! I'm amazed at how well the cabinet paint matches the original ceiling color!

      Reply
    27. Melanie

      May 08, 2012 at 6:20 am

      Awesome plant hanger! Love the color you painted the cabinet! Love the ceiling and the color too! I will have to borrow your idea for the litter box, there are never enough ways to hide that little neccesity for cat owners! There is a table in the laundry room that I could use for that purpose. Visiting your blog makes the wheels in my head turn!! Awesome makeover!!

      Reply
    28. Roberta

      May 08, 2012 at 4:32 am

      Hi Jane, love your story, it's abut life and the best way to enjoy it no matter what. I am so happy I found your blog. Love the colour of the laundry cupboard and the plant brings a tear to my eye, my mother used to call it 'Creeping Charlie'. I have also been doing a little reno of fibro beach shack, it's been so much fun and ther has been some heartache but it's what I have always wanted to do - something for myself - Cheers! I think you may live in Raleigh North Carolina? if so I have been there several times for business? I do hope you pop on over to say hi and have apeek at the fibro beach house.

      Reply
    29. Karena

      May 07, 2012 at 10:04 pm

      Jane a really smart makeover, the changes make a big difference!

      Thanks for visiting!

      xoxo
      Karena

      Art by Karena

      Reply

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