DIY built in washer + dryer

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I’ve been meaning to share with you guys how I built in the washer and dryer for a few weeks now.  Summer is good for many things.  Being a productive blogger it is not.  I don’t know if I should call this project a built in washer and dryer or a washer and dryer folding table.  I guess it’s both.

This has been such an awesome addition to our laundry room makeover.  One of my constant battles with doing laundry was having something rattle off the top of the machines and fall into the abyss on the sides, in between, or behind.  Yes, I could have not put things on top, but it was my catch all and that’s just the way it was.  I also had problems with the pedestal Mike and I built several years back.  While it was easier pulling things out of the machines while they were raised, I couldn’t lean over them to get to the cabinet above without pulling out a step stool.  And I’m not short.  So to the curb the pedestal went and I’ve never been happier!

Since every laundry room is different and the heights of machines vary, I’ll just tell you guys the sizes of wood pieces I used to build mine but will spare you measurements.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 2×2’s for supports
  • 1×6’s for front side facings (can use smaller or wider pieces depending on your needs)
  • 1×2 for front top facing
  • Pine panels for table top
  • large L bracket (may not need, explained below)
  • wood glue
  • wood screws
  • finishing nails (I used a nail gun)
  • level

STEP ONE:

Attach your 2×2 support pieces to the wall.  Two pieces (one for each side) will go horizontally on the sides to hold the table top and two pieces (one for each side) will go vertically so the side facing will have something to attach to.  Screw them into studs or use anchors if you don’t meet up with studs.  Make sure you are level!

STEP TWO:

Attach your 1×6 (or smaller/larger depending on your needs) facing pieces to the front side supports with wood glue and finishing nails.  You’ll notice at the bottom of my piece I had to notch out an area to accommodate the baseboard.  This was later filled in with wood putty, sanded, and caulked.

STEP THREE:

Attach the 1×2 across the top of the side facing pieces with wood glue and finishing nails.  If needed, you can also attach another support piece to the back wall to support the table top.  You’ll notice my back support sits up higher than the side supports.  This is to support a removable shelf I made to hide the hook ups.  If you’re outlets and hookups sit below where your top table piece will hit, then you won’t need this to be placed higher.  It will sit at the same height as your side supports.

STEP FOUR:

Depending on your situation, you may not need this step.  Since I was unable to have the top of my table rest on the back wall support (due to the hookups and electrical being placed high) I added a large L bracket I found at the home improvement store’s closet department.  I attached it to the back of the wall into studs so that it would support the center of the table top.

STEP FIVE:

Attach the table top.  I used two pine panels for my table top.  One piece remained 20″ deep and the second was cut down to 6″ deep to fill in the space towards the back of the wall.  The 20″ deep piece was glued and nailed into place up front with a 1″ overhang.  The shallow 6″ deep piece was placed but left unattached so that it could be removed to access electrical and hookups.
I realized after the fact that I didn’t take photos of the smaller unattached back piece at this point so disregard the finished state 😉  Here it is without the back piece.

And with the unattached 6″ deep back piece.  It is supported mostly by the back L bracket and then also the side supports.

STEP SIX:

To hide the hook ups and electrical outlets I made a T-shaped ledge out of the remaining panel.  It is also not attached to the wall so that it can be removed if need be.  The top of the ledge sits on top of the support piece on the back wall.

This gif shows how the unattached pieces come together.

STEP SEVEN:

Finishing work!  Fill holes with wood filler, sand it all down, caulk the side pieces where it meets with the walls and floor to give it a finished built in look, and then paint and stain.
Now you can rejoice in no more socks getting lost between the cracks!  And, you’ve just gained a huge amount of counter space to fold laundry on.  Or stash more junk.  I don’t judge.

Click here to see full source list and more of the laundry room reveal!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Comments

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  1. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper Avatar

    i love this idea! we have a top loading washing machine, but in the future….

  2. Mindy Avatar

    It turned out great. I'm gonna have a real laundry room like yours when I grow up.

  3. Bharati S Avatar

    Looks awesome, Shelly. This is in my to-do list. The wood is already and waiting in the garage, just need to find some time to get to it. It turned out beautiful.

  4. Amy Avatar

    God your good. So jealous. I need you to move into my house for like a month. I'll take care of your children and make sure you have plenty of margaritas.

  5. Calypso In The Country Avatar

    This is such a perfect solution. I have the same problem in my laundry room with the hose box and outlets showing. I will have to take a look to see if I can do something like this. I do have a sink next to mine so I will have to work that in some how. Great tutorial!
    Shelley

    1. CrazyWonderful Avatar

      You will LOVE it!!! Nothing drove me more crazy than loosing a sock or something to the abyss behind or in between the machines. There's just so much workable space now too. It keeps me from having to drag all the unfolded laundry to my bedroom for folding. I think you can totally make this work with a sink nearby!

  6. Unknown Avatar

    Where did you get the pine panels for the countertop?

    1. CrazyWonderful Avatar

      I picked them up from Lowes, but I'm sure most larger home improvement stores have something similar.

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    how much space did you leave between the machines and counter top. Thanks

    1. CrazyWonderful Avatar

      There's about an inch from the top of the machines to where the counter begins.

  8. David Haas Avatar

    I'm wondering what the dimensions are for the t-shaped ledge. Is the white piece a 1×4 or a 1×6? and what's the width of the panel on the top of the white piece? 6 inches? Thanks!

    1. CrazyWonderful Avatar

      Hi David! The white piece is a 1×4 and the piece on top is 5.5 inches. Hope this helps!

  9. Building Home Avatar

    Hi Shelley, How did you attach the t-bar to the back? Curious if the shimmy from the machines kept it loose?
    Thanks!

    1. CrazyWonderful Avatar

      Hi! The base of the T (the white portion) sits on top of the table, and the top of the T (the stained portion) is supported by the 1×2 that is attached to the back of the wall. There's no problem with it shimmying because the table is built up from the machines instead of resting on them.

  10. Jodi Paul Avatar

    So pretty!! Where did you get the wallpaper?

  11. Shelley Avatar
    Shelley

    So glad you liked it, Karen! Thank you!!

  12. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    Great idea! I love it. I’m thinking of doing something similar. I’m just wondering, if there is a problem with the machine and a repair man has to come fix it, how will he be able to get to the washer/dryer? Do you have to take them out, disessemble the table, or is there a solution? Thanks

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Hi Brianna! The back 2/3rds of the table top isn’t attached so it can be taken off for quick/easy access to electrical outlets and the connections. If they need to do a repair, they’d have to pull the appliances out to access the backs but my guess is they would have to do that whether or not they were built in. If you don’t have enough space to have them pulled completely out from the built in, I would suggest not attaching any part of the table top to the supports. That way you could remove the top all together if needed. Hope this helps!

  13. Edlsgal Avatar
    Edlsgal

    I love this! I especially like how you dealt with the connections being higher than the washer. My husband suggested that we needed venting for the washer and drier. Do you find that being an issue?

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Thank you! Honestly, I haven’t worried about extra venting. The dryer is still set up to vent out through the normal/proper ductwork and there’s actually more space between the walls and above the machines than it appears as the white side trim and horizontal piece that runs under the front of the countertop are only facing pieces and don’t extend the full depth. Not sure that I made any sense with that 😀

  14. Meredith Avatar
    Meredith

    I love this! What kind of paint/stain did you use? Did you prime first? Did you seal it to make it more resistant to water? Thanks!

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Hi Meredith! The paint is Benjamin Moore Simply White, regular interior satin. I did use primer. Unfortunately, the stain on the table top was a mixture of some leftover stains I had in the garage.

  15. Beth Avatar
    Beth

    How would you support the countertop if one side is open with a sink beside it? Placing a piece of wood or paneling vertically might work but I don’t know how to attach it to the wall and floor. Any ideas?

    1. Shelley Avatar

      if your sink is part of a cabinet, maybe you could attach support brackets to the side of the sink’s cabinet.

Meet Shelley

Hi, I’m Shelley! My belief is that with a little creativity and elbow grease, you can make your home look like a million bucks without spending it.

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