How to Build a Washer and Dryer Surround/Shelf for Your Laundry Room
Updated: Aug 31, 2023
This may be one of my favorite projects that I completed for the One Room Challenge in the laundry room. It not only was a major aesthetics booster (it hides ALL the ugly outlets and electrical)...
but it's also super functional and created an entirely new surface to store supplies like laundry pods, dryer balls, and even the cutest mini trash can for dryer lint.
Yes, that little wicker basket is in fact our lint trash can.
I was originally inspired by The Definery Co. to create this shelf and as simple of a build as it was, I actually couldn't find a tutorial for it anywhere on the internet- so here you go! I'll break down the entire process for you so you can go forth and build the easiest little laundry room surround/table ever!
Supplies:
- (1) 8" x 6' pine board
- (1) 8" x 8' pine board (you may need less or more wood depending on your washer and dryer's dimensions)
- (1) 1" x 6' pine board (not 100% necessary, but Kris ended up using this to add an extra support)
- Kreg Jig kit (this was the magical tool for this project)
- Kreg Jig screws (we used the ones that came in our Kreg Jig kit)
- clamp
- drill
- primer/paint/stain (depending on how you want to finish your table)
Let's get into it!
The first thing you want to do is grab your dimensions and do a quick sketch.
I measured the height and width of our washer and dryer and then added an inch and a half or so to each side to allow for clearance/wiggle room. Be sure you also account for the width of your wood (we used 1" thick lumber which actually measures to be 3/4"). I also measured the distance from the wall to the top edge of the washer and dryer so I knew what width our top piece would need to be. Ours was so close to 8" that 8" wide lumber worked perfectly and we didn't have to rip any boards lengthwise (which is good because I don't have a table saw). Once we had the build planned out, I grabbed all of our supplies.
Kris got busy cutting our wood to size. He cut two leg pieces to 44.5" and then the top board to 57".
After that it was just a matter of attaching all of the boards together. He used our new Kreg Jig with a clamp and drilled pocket holes into the tops of each side leg.
This was our first time using the Kreg Jig, but it really is the unsung hero of this project, it created perfect invisible pocket holes for the cleanest build ever.
He used the Kreg Jig key (that came with the kit) to measure our wood thickness (ours was 3/4") and then used that to set the drill bit to the 3/4" setting.
Then it was just a matter of clamping the Kreg Jig into place and drilling directly into the guide holes in the Kreg Jig.
Next, he placed the side leg onto the top board, lined everything up, and drilled the screws in.
Kris said that this was the trickiest part of the project- just making sure both parts of the table were aligned while he drilled them together. He then repeated this for the other leg of the table.
He also added a 1x2 board underneath the center of the table top at this point just for a little extra stability. This part is certainly optional. He used screws and drilled it directly into the top of the board. After giving the boards a quick sand to smooth out all the cuts and edges it was finished and looking awesome!
A quick coat of primer and paint and we were ready to move it into the laundry room.
And seriously....I can't get over this project. I love it so much.
It's not attached to the wall in any way, it just sits directly on top of the floor. That way when we need to get back behind the washer it's just a matter of sliding it out, it doesn't permanently block anything!
This was definitely an easy weekend project that can be done quickly. Kris was done with the build in about an hour and then we spent maybe another hour the next day priming and painting. Please let me know if you do a build like this I would love to see it! Be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
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