That’s right — call me T-Boz. Let’s talk about the new shelf in the laundry room, finished with a waterfall edge and a light natural stain for a butcher-block look. It was a straightforward DIY using solid wood panels and stain/sealer to get that warm, textured feel.
We moved away from our usual mocha stain after seeing rooms with light cabinets and tile paired with natural wood to add warmth. Here’s a wider shot — ignore the missing filler, crown, toe kick, baseboard, and hardware. Those details are coming, along with finishing the waterfall edges.
Before getting into the shelf, I want to cover appliance installation because that step required a bit of problem solving. The main challenge was setting the washer pan and connecting it to the overflow drain. Washer pans are recommended on second-floor installs to catch leaks and channel water to an overflow drain so a slow leak doesn’t become a catastrophic floor-failing event.
Contractors and plumbers we spoke to said the pan and overflow drain weren’t required by code in our area and some questioned their usefulness in a major flood, but multiple people recommended them for catching slow leaks. We decided to install one, and the plumbers included it when they moved the other hookups during a service visit (it was part of a $375 plumbing fee). Also visible in this shot is an extra pair of outlets we added in the room.
As we laid the flooring, we cut around the overflow drain and adjusted the pipe height from the garage ceiling below so it wouldn’t protrude and become a tripping hazard. That adjustability proved useful throughout the project.
The plumber left instructions for attaching the pan, but first we had to determine exact appliance placement to set the pan precisely. The washer could sit nearly flush to the wall, but the dryer needs some ducting behind it so you can pull it out without disconnecting the vent. That extra ducting pushed the dryer about 8″ from the back wall. In our setup we couldn’t recess the vent into the wall because our vent path goes straight out under the attic stairs rather than up to the ceiling, so we planned shelf depth accordingly.
After finalizing the dryer position, we set the washer to match that depth, marked the placement with tape, and used the marks to position the pan later. To cut the hole in the pan for the drain, we followed the plumber’s quirky but effective method: squirt mustard on the pipe, press the pan down, and drill where the mustard marked. I traced the mustard mark with a Sharpie because the smell was strong.
We were advised to use plenty of silicone caulk around the pipe-pan joint, but I wanted a more secure bond. After consulting a plumber and a hardware-store employee, I used Marine Loctite epoxy to glue the pipe to the pan, let it cure overnight, trimmed the excess pipe so it sat flush, and then sealed the joint heavily with silicone as a redundancy.
Hoisting the washer into the pan took two people and some effort, but once in place we adjusted the dryer feet so both appliances lined up front-to-back and top-to-top. Leveling them so the fronts and tops matched made installing the shelf and counter much simpler, and finally seeing both machines in place felt like a small victory.
We also added soft-close drawer and door hardware to the Ikea cabinets — a great upgrade that noticeably reduced slamming and improved operation.
Now, the shelf itself: we built it before tiling so we could plan tile placement precisely. The shelf and counter were made from two solid 2 x 4′ butcher-block-style panels from Lowe’s (1.5″ thick). One panel became the shelf cut into two 9″ boards and joined with a Kreg jig; the other became the counter cut into two 18″ pieces and joined likewise. I left the counter overhang long until after tile installation to dial in the fit.
The waterfall edge was made by cutting a shelf end at 45 degrees, then gluing and nailing it back at a right angle to create a flowing edge that appears continuous with the counter. The shelf is removable for access to hookups and rests on heavy-duty brackets, three of which are anchored into studs so washer vibration won’t shake things off.
We tested several stain options on scrap pieces. Sherry pre-conditioned half of each sample and we tried two Minwax and two Rust-Oleum colors. Varnish shifted the hue too yellow, so we skipped that finish. Ipswich Pine and Summer Oak were too pale, Wheat read too red, and Golden Oak hit the balance we wanted.
We applied one coat of stain and three coats of Safecoat Acrylaq to seal the wood. We used Acrylaq previously on a bathroom vanity in our first house and were impressed with its water resistance, so it made sense for a laundry room application.
I’m really happy with the result — the natural wood adds the right amount of warmth to the light cabinets and tile. The shelf is a little sparse at the moment, but we’ll start layering accessories soon.
We still have trim, crown, and other finish work to complete on this wall, but we did get the door hung. The glass door that leads to the future bunk room is in progress, and we’ll share details when that’s finished. We’re also planning to add a laundry sorter, a pull-out drying rack, and a wall-mounted ironing board on other walls in the room.
Budget update:
- 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
Contractor estimates for framing, electrical, plumbing, and drywall alone were $3,250 and $5,000, so we’re pleased to be on the lower end after adding tile, cabinets, and the shelf. We’re roughly double where we were at our last update because of big-ticket items like tile and cabinets, but once the door, trim, and crown are done we should be past most major expenses. With any luck, this project — including the reconfigured bunk-room entry — will stay under $4,000.
Maybe that’s tempting fate, but for now we’re excited with how it’s coming together and the budget is looking reasonable.