Monday, April 30, 2012
DIY Laundry Station
Hi Everyone! So I know I told you I
would be doing the pallet wine rack next but this was too exciting not
to tackle this weekend and share with you-I will post the wine rack this week along with the Check your Pockets sign I made with the scrap wood from this project! Here's how the idea started. We moved in June 2011 and I said I was going to decorate everything..all at
once. We all know how that ended...
Step One: Disassemble the drawers
Then I decided...one room at a time. This was the winner... I have been putting the
laundry room off because I was convinced my VERY busy {understatement of
the year} Daddy was going to build me the laundry station of my dreams. Aaaannndd now we know how that one turned out.
I don't know about you all but all the women in my immediate family me, my mom and my sister,
are SUPER crafty and I called my sister up to talk about this
super-awesome-laundry station that Daddy was going to build...thinking
she would have some crafty inspiration and something I may not have
thought of. This is the big 'un...she imparts on me the IDEA of the century.
She goes on to tell me that her in-laws are gifting
them a dresser...a really cool one. And how bad would it be if she wanted
to completely take it apart and turn it into something else? Not at all! I tell her...mainly because I want to hear the super-trifecta-of-amazingness that she is about to spill. She says...here's
what I want to do....I want to take the top off and add a piano hinge
so it can open and close. Then I want to take the front plates of the
drawers and nail them shut so it still looks like a dresser...just no functioning
drawers. THEN I want to add laundry sorting bags. Guys...this.is.genius
So of course I had
to find a dresser ASAP and try this beauty of an idea for our disaster of a complicated laundry room..and that brings
us here. B has not yet made her masterpiece but I am here to show you
mine, in the hopes that she...and you will have an easier time of
it! I googled how to take the top off a dresser and got no where so
here are the steps so that you too, can have your own Laundry sorting station.
My goal was to hide our dirty laundry {literally} and to have a hard surface where I could fold so I could stop using our 2nd guest room as my folding room.
Here goes!
Here's what you will need...
A dresser {I found my on Craigslist for $50, paid a friend's gas to get it to my place $25}
Screws
Screwdriver
Piano Hinge of appropriate length
Canvas or vinyl sorting bags {measure your dresser before you buy}
Grammets & Grammet maker {if you want that extra touch to your sorting bags}
12 Mug Hooks
Hammer
Crowebar
A dresser {I found my on Craigslist for $50, paid a friend's gas to get it to my place $25}
Screws
Screwdriver
Piano Hinge of appropriate length
Canvas or vinyl sorting bags {measure your dresser before you buy}
Grammets & Grammet maker {if you want that extra touch to your sorting bags}
12 Mug Hooks
Hammer
Crowebar
A before & after shot...they look the same you say? Well...they are supposed to...
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| Before |
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| After |
I did this step first because it seemed the least daunting of all the tasks that lie ahead. I was accurate...
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| My drawers were dove-tailed so extra hammering was necessary |
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| You can just pull the drawer our completely to check what type of drawer you have... |
Once you have just the plates you will want to start on the top.
When tossing your scrap wood on the ground be sure to remove any nails that may still be in the sides...I learned this the hard way. Hoping that I don't have to get a tetnus shot...
Not all dresser tops are created equal. Some are nailed from the top, some have wood braces like that that are screwed or nailed in and some are just screwed. It would have been awesome of this one would have been the screw in kind but alas, it was not. The bracket was nailed AND glued in...that sucker was not going anywhere...
So here's what I did, I took a flat head screwdriver and hammered a little, then pried. Then hammered a little and pried...this is where I stepped on the nail and after struggling for about 30-45 minutes I gave up and took a trip to big box hardware store to get something a little more heavy duty, in addition to some other things {we'll leave out the part that I left with flowers and boxwoods}
Enter....large prying tool....
Once the drawers are out you have a much easier access to the top but it still isn't ideal. This is where patience is a huge virtue. Don't get overwhelmed but also, walk away if it is ticking you off! It's not a big deal if you take a short break and come back to this project with a renewed sense of perseverance. Again with the hammer and pry, hammer and pry, hammer and pry. Do just a little bit at a time because the last thing you want to do is completely ruin the top!
Ahhhh Sweet Success!!
Originally I was planning to use two decorative hinges...the pretty ones you can find at Big Box Hardware Store. However, after talking to my elders {including my Mom & Dad} they tell me I should really use a piano hinge instead. Why? You ask? Well I asked, 2 separate hinges might not support the weight of the top and it won't be as sturdy, while a piano hinge {because of its length} will distribute the weight more evenly. You can only get piano hinges in long strips so be sure to measure the length of your dresser before heading to said store. 
My particular hinge came with the small screws in these really annoying tubes...but 99.9% of the time it will come with screws so don't worry about finding miniature ones.
After a few minutes of deciding "what's next" I decided that putting the hinge on the lid first was the safest decision. The way that the back of the dresser was designed I was not able to put the other half of the hinge on the inside like most piano hinges are. The part of the hinge screwed to the lid was on the inside while the part screwed to the dresser was on the outside. This was okay for me because you won't ever see the back of the dresser as it will be up against a wall. So, I did the lid first then set it back on the base just like it would look and I started at the ends and worked to the middle screwing on the hinge to the base of the dresser.
And check out my big girl drill...yep...that's right...it's DeWalt and pret-ty bad a** if you know what I mean! It's not too big or heavy and it came with an awesome carrying case, extra battery, charger and I even got two accessory kits. Can't stop a girl from getting her accessories. I got one case of drill bits in assorted sizes and one case of...other bits? It has the extender, and phillip's head/flat heads in different sizes. *In love*
See that bar across the middle? It wasn't weight bearing which means it really served no purpose now that the drawers were out so I sawed that baby in half and took it out.
Here is where the project got on my bad side. I don't have an electric nail gun....or wood clamps.
After struggling for what seemed like hours (long enough that I eventually just about lost day light) I gave up and called my Dad. I was all but whimpering into the phone because I got a splinter in my eye, cut my finger and dropped a few boards on my head. He says that simple solution and I think...well why the heck didn't I think of that...
He suggested that I nail in some boards to the back, then nail the drawers to the boards. This.Was.Genius. and like I said, I'm not sure why I didn't think of such a simple brilliant idea before. I think I was just so content on nailing them shut not using anything else that I didn't even think to just use more wood. Now don't get all hippy skippy and run to the hardware store, just use some of the scrap wood from the drawers. {Save the rest because I'm going to do another little cutie of a project with the leftovers!}
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| I ran out of daylight...literally |
Once the drawer fronts are secured you are pretty much done! All that's left now are the sorting bags and mug hooks to go on the inside and your little station is complete! Now see the bottom part of my dresser? It was the same tan as the top and I just thought it looked like it was unfinished. SO I got some black paint {Glidden samples for $3 at Wal-Mart} and painted 2 coats to make it look more finished. I also used that paint on the inside of the dresser lid and around the edges so when I opened it, it was also more finished on the inside.
Step Four: Add Mug Hooks
You will want to put the drill bit tip on your drill so that you can pre-drill a few holes. This makes screwing in the mug hooks MUCH easier. I measured the length of the dresser and decided how far apart I needed my hooks to be to hang the bags on.
Step 5: Find Your Bags
Originally I thought I had found the perfect canvas bags at Wal-Mart for around $8 each...but I got them home and they didn't work, so I had to take them all the way back and return them. So I decided on an "early" "quick" trip to Ikea...yeah right. There is no such thing as a quick trip to Ikea. Especially when you decide 5 minutes before you go that you are going to completely re-do your entire laundry room. Needless to say, I found these guys...Antonius. They actually have a frame that you buy for them to go in but they were perfect. They came in white or black but since black was sort of the theme, and will get less dirty...I went with black. They are also almost a vinyl type material which I loved because if they get wet, or spilled on or dirty, they don't stain!!!
So here I have the bags already in. I have a grammet maker from when I was a fashion student and used that. If you don't have a grammet maker, they are pretty cheap at any craft store, only about $12 I think. Or, you can get a metal punch tool that you use with a hammer, just depends on which way you want to go. I went with small grammets, that way the bags don't slouch as much. Needless to say, I am VERY pleased with the end result. I ended up putting it just outside our laundry room in the hall because our laundry room is super small, but it is perfect and already has some dirty laundry in it. Compliments of J... |
| Whites, Darks & Lights |
So try it out! Let me know if you try it and how you like it. I love having a custom piece with hidden uses. Happy Crafting!!
Stay Tuned for the "Check Your Pockets" sign made from the scrap wood of this project, it will be up on the blog shortly!
Until next time...
{DIY Davis Style}
HD
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Well done, sister! Your documentation is excellent, and I LOVE the idea of using the hooks for the bags. I was just going to use two pieces of scrap wood as separators, but this seems WAY better!
ReplyDeleteWay too crafty for me. :) But great idea - it looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! I may have to go thrifting this weekend!
ReplyDeleteLaura, I found this gem on Craigslist for $40!! It was already painted and exactly the look I was going for :) Good luck on your thrifting!
DeleteThis is awesome! I'm very impressed with yours skills!! x
ReplyDelete