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Thursday, April 05, 2012

DIY laundry sorting surface

We have a lovely, light-filled 2nd floor laundry room in what used to be the maid's bedroom. (Okay, I might have made that last part up; I don't know for sure if the original owners had a maid in 1900, but if they did she would have slept in that room.) I was tired of carrying piles of laundry into my bedroom and using my bed, or my floor, as a folding surface. Piles of laundry + little kids = let's pretend we're climbing a mountain!

I browsed on Craigslist for a used countertop, table, or marble slab, but I didn't find anything even remotely close. It needed to be 6 or 7 feet long, and I didn't want to pay a lot of money. I finally gave up and decided there had to be something we already had on hand that I could use.

I headed down into the basement and found an old interior door. I had marked several ingenious uses for old doors on Pinterest, from garden arbor supports to china hutch doors. I knew I could make this door work.

The bottom few inches were rotted, but it was the perfect size for the room. When I trimmed the rotted areas away, it was exactly long enough to fit from wall to wall. I cut out a corner to fit around a chimney. I also made the door high enough to accommodate my rolling triple laundry sorter. Once the heating season begins, I'll staple reflective foil behind and above the radiator to make sure the heat reflects into the room.

I got the entire thing done, from thinking "I really need a laundry folding surface!" to varnishing the installed door, in one day. And didn't cost anything! Perfect. I love re-purposing an original item from the house and giving it an unexpected second life.

This is what it looks like most days....

10 comments:

  1. Why couldn't you use the top of your front loading machines?

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  2. I LOVE the color of the room! And the door is handy too!

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  3. Meghan--the washer is always covered with detergents, stain removers, etc. I place the dry clothes right on top of the dryer in a big pile, so I needed another surface for folding and sorting.

    Michelle--it's a crazy color (from the previous owners) but I actually like it. And it's perfect for a laundry room! When else can you get away with painting your walls a vivid turquoise?

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  4. My laundry room is only large enough for the washer and drier. :-( I have different laundry baskets for different colors. The goal is at the end of the day, take off dirty clothes and put in correct basket. Baskets are in our closet.

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  5. What a great idea! The look is really quite striking, too. I'm definitely filing this idea away for future use--thanks!

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  6. Very nice. I don't have a laundry room, it's more of a niche. So, I fold laundry on the dining table. Maybe my next house will have a whole room. :)

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  7. This this looks (and probably functions) great! I love when you're looking, looking, looking for something, can't find it (that's not the part I love ... ), and are eventually forced to be more creative. You so often end up using something you already have.

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  8. That looks beautiful - and I love the re-use of something from the house. Almost makes doing laundry enjoyable. Almost.

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  9. I also LOVE the color of that room! It is so fun for a laundry room! And the door is great. Love the whole look!

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  10. It looks great, and how satisfying to have something done in one day!

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