The Laundry Room - Day #2: The Cabinets/Shelves

Now that the walls were bright and cheery, it was time to add some storage. I originally added this Closetmaid pantry, but it seemed obtrusive in this small room (see below).

We decided to add wall cabinets to the room. I wanted to put cabinets on 2 walls (the back wall and the wall behind the washer/dryer) but could only put them on the back wall because there was a fire sprinkler on the washer/dryer wall. I searched craigslist for a few weeks hoping to find some used wall cabinets that I could repaint, but lucked out when I stumbled upon a sign at my local Home Depot - 20% off all In stock Kitchen Cabinets! Armed with two $10 off Lowes coupons (yes HD takes competitor coupons!), I purchased two of these 18 in wall cabinets for $38.80 + tax each!! I probably couldn't found some free on craigslist if I waited a little longer, but I really wanted to get this done so I jumped on the deal. This was my first time installing cabinets, and it was pretty easy! We started by marking the wall studs using a stud finder and then marked where we wanted the bottom of the cabinets to start. I cut a 2X4 to fit the wall and secured it to the wall studs, making sure that it was level. After the 2X4 was secured, all I had to do was place the cabinet above it it (my husband held it for me) and secured the cabinet to 2 studs using cabinet screws.

Sometimes you may not be able to find 2 studs so check the other walls! I found one in the corner and drilled into the corner of the cabinet.

I had some left over MDF boards from another project, so I took them to my local Home Depot and had them cut into shelves to fit the top of the cabinets and in between them. I painted the shelves and cabinets white and secured the shelves by drilling small holes and installing these shelf pegs.

My awesome husband helped me out by nailing some bed moulding on to the front of the cabinets to make them look more finished.

I filled all the nailholes, put one more coat of paint and we were done! Here's a picture without the handles.

So now what to do with those wire shelves above the Washer/Dryer? I decided to somewhat disguise them with a piece of moulding. I bought a piece of moulding from Lowes, cut it to the length of the wire shelf, and painted it the same color as the cabinets. I bought some mini nylon clamps and screwed the back part of them to the back of the moulding so it would act as a hook.