Laundry Room Shelf Reveal, Washer Pan Installation, and Budget Update

Call me T-Boz. We recently added a new shelf in the laundry room with a waterfall edge and a light natural stain. It was a straightforward DIY using solid wood panels and a stain/sealer combination to achieve a butcher-block look and feel.

We stepped away from our usual mocha stain because we were inspired by rooms that mix light cabinets and tile with natural wood to add texture and warmth. Here’s a wider view of the space—ignore the missing filler, crown, toe-kick, baseboard, and hardware for now. Those details are still on our to-do list (along with a few more waterfall touches).

Before we get back to the shelf, I want to cover installing the appliances and the washer pan. It wasn’t especially difficult since most of it involved re-attaching things we had disconnected during demolition. One trickier step was placing the washer pan and tying it to the overflow drain—there aren’t many detailed tutorials on that specific task, so I’ll walk through what we did.

The washer pan sits under a washing machine on an upper floor so a leak won’t flood the upstairs and damage the structure below. Some contractors and plumbers we consulted said a pan and overflow drain aren’t required by code in our area and that in the event of a major burst the pan might not help much. Others recommended it for catching slow leaks that could go unnoticed, and that’s the advice we followed: better safe than sorry. We had plumbers install a drain when they moved the other hookups (it was included in the plumbing fee). Also, we added an extra pair of electrical outlets in the room, which you can see in the photos.

During flooring installation we cut around the overflow drain as the layers went down. The drain was set so we could gently raise or lower the pipe from the garage ceiling below, which kept it from becoming a trip hazard.

When the plumber left the washer pan, he gave instructions for attaching it ourselves. First we had to determine exact appliance placement so the pan would sit precisely where the washer would be.

The washer could sit nearly flush to the back wall, but the dryer needed extra room for semi-rigid ducting so it can be pulled away from the wall without yanking the vent out every time. That ducting pushes the dryer forward about eight inches. There are systems to recess ducting between studs, but they didn’t match our vent configuration, so we planned the shelf around that clear-out space.

After we finalized the dryer placement, we positioned the washer to match the same depth and marked the placement on the floor with tape. That made it easy to set the pan exactly where it needed to be.

To cut the hole in the pan for the drain, the plumber suggested a simple trick: apply a dab of mustard on the drain pipe, press the pan into the pipe so the mustard transfers, and then drill where the mustard left a mark. (I traced the mustard mark with a Sharpie since the mustard smell was a bit strong on its own.)

Once the pipe fit the pan, we were instructed to use plenty of silicone caulk. I felt more comfortable bonding the pipe with a waterproof epoxy first (we used a marine-grade adhesive) because silicone alone can flex. After the epoxy cured overnight I trimmed the excess pipe flush with a Dremel, then added a generous bead of silicone caulk around the joint as an extra seal.

Hoisting the washer into the pan required two people and some muscle. We also adjusted the dryer feet so the fronts and tops of both units lined up—using a level and a few wrenches—to create a seamless look. Once they were leveled and aligned, we celebrated: the washer and dryer were back in place.

On small upgrades: after installing Ikea cabinets we discovered that soft-close drawer and door add-ons were already included in our order, which made the drawers and doors much quieter and more refined. That upgrade made a noticeable difference.

Back to the shelf: we built it before tiling so we knew exactly where the tile needed to stop. The shelf and counter are both made from solid 2 x 4′ butcher-block-style panels. One panel became the shelf (cut into two 9″ boards and Kreg-jigged together), and the other became the counter (cut into two 18″ pieces and joined).

The waterfall edge was created by cutting the end of the shelf at 45 degrees, then gluing and nail-gunning it back together at a right angle so it appears continuous with the counter. The shelf is removable so we can access appliance hookups: it sits on four heavy-duty brackets (three screwed into studs) rather than directly on the appliances, so washer vibration won’t knock things over. After a few large loads, the shelf has been stable.

We tested several stains on scrap pieces. Sherry conditioned half of each sample, then we tested four stain colors (two Minwax and two Rust-Oleum). We also tested varnish for durability, but it added an unwanted yellow tone. Ipswich Pine and Summer Oak were too pale, Wheat was too warm/red, and Golden Oak hit the sweet spot—so we applied one coat of stain and three coats of Safecoat Acrylaq to seal the surface. We used the same sealer successfully on a previous wood vanity top, so we trusted it for the laundry room.

I’m really happy with the result. The warm wood complements the light cabinets and tile, and it gives the room some much-needed character. The shelf still looks a bit bare, but we’re planning to add functional pieces like a laundry sorter, a pull-out drying rack, and a wall-mounted ironing board on other walls soon.

We have a few loose ends to finish on this wall, but the door is hung, and a glass door to the future bunk room is in progress. We expect to share those finishing details soon.

Here’s a budget summary for the renovation so far:

• Framing (labor & materials): $360
• Electric (labor & materials): $400
• Plumbing (labor & materials): $375
• New dryer vent: $87
• New HVAC vent: $59
• Drywall & insulation: $298
• Drywall mudding: $84
• Sub-floor materials: $30
• Tiled floor: $451
• Ikea cabinets & under-cabinet lighting: $862
• Appliance re-install: $15
• Tiled marble accent wall: $281
• Shelf & counter (including stain testers & stain): $97
• TOTAL: $3,399

Two contractor estimates for framing, electrical, plumbing, and drywall were $3,250 and $5,000, so our current total feels reasonable considering we also added tile, cabinets, and a countertop shelf. We’ve passed the biggest purchases like tile and cabinets, and once the door, trim, and crown work is finished we should be near the end of major expenses. With luck, this project and the reconfigured bunk-room entry will come in under $4,000.

That might sound optimistic, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed as we finish the final details.