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Sorry it’s taken me longer than expected to get this post up. Back on the Easter long weekend I dedicated my time to a few things around the house, including this laundry reno which is easily my favourite DIY project yet – next up is the kitchen and ensuite
Out with the old…
To kick things off I obviously started with a design courtesy of Leah (Mrs ProjectPete) and regardless of how simple or difficult it was, it had to be done Time to rip out old boring old stuff.
Once it was all out it was time to get started on repainting the walls and repositioning the powerpoints to a) not interfere with the new wall-to-wall splashback, and b) be hidden under the new wall-to-wall benchtop.
Painting – As we planned to install overhead cabinetry we marked out their position to save time, paint and money on painting unnecessary areas of the wall.
Powerpoints – This was a simple case of marking out where the benchtop will be, channelling the wall to the new position and filling the channel to be painted over.
During the above steps and continuing after I measured out the new benchtop requirements which included the overall length and the cutouts for the new sink. Following that I sanded and stained the benchtop with a total of 3 coats, sanding after the 1st and 2nd. A 4th and final coat was due once fully installed in the laundry.
Cutting to size – I cut the lengths with my new Bosch Circular Saw from good old Bunnings.
Sink cutout – This was a straight forward job with my Ryobi jigsaw.
Sanding – First pass with the sander is key, get it done with some power. Then it’s just a light hand sand between coats.
The join – I hid this as best I could by putting it right in the middle of the benchtop so the sink would cover most of the join. Given the small amount of space to make the join, and to achieve the strength I needed, I used 12.5mm dowel joins.
Staining/sealing - Ensure every square inch of the wood is stained/sealed, including where you make cuts. This is to prevent the wood warping, especially is a moisture-rich room such as a laundry. Thanks for the prompt to include this @Andy_Mann
I love woodgrain!
With the benchtop ready for install, it was slotted in and fixed to the brackets before getting started on the subway tile splashback. This video on Workshop from Bunnings was all I needed to install my first splashback.
With the splashback finished it’s time to install the overhead cabinets then get the sink/plumbing finished off and the doors on the centre cabinet. The last thing to do is fill/sand the join then give the benchtop a final sand and coat.
And in with the new…
Sorry for the crappy lighting/photos but I think you get the idea
I hope at least someone gets something out of this and I’m more than happy to answer more questions about specific stages, just thought this gives a pretty good overview.
Bottom line – have a vision, plan for it, be ready to adapt and just go for it. There were some ‘firsts’ for me in this project and I’m super stoked with how well it all turned out.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @AlexWW. It's terrific to have you join us and many thanks for your question.
I trust @ProjectPete will be able to answer your question for you on his bench installation.
In the meantime, you can see in ProjectPete's images below the brackets used to create the floating sections of the bench. I believe these brackets are the Zenith 100 x 22 x 2mm Zinc Plated Tri Corner Brace 2 Pack and Carinya 230 x 40 x 40 x 2mm Hot Dipped Galvanised Builders Angle. I'm sure ProjectPete will be able to verify this for us when he is able to reply.
It would be great to follow along with your project and we would encourage you to start a discussion if you need any assistance or if you would like to share it with the community.
Mitchell
Hi @ProjectPete
Just wondering what sealer you used to seal the timber benchtop and how many coats did you do?
Thanks, Jess
Sorry for my late response @Johno1. In this case I didn't use Marri in the laundry, it's a Victorian Ash laminated project panel - readily available from Bunnings and great value.
I did however use WA Marri from my best mate's timber mill down in Manjimup when I covered my Colorbond fence in it 😊 I haven't used Marri in a wet area (although the fence is obviously fully exposed to the elements) but can confirm it performs well provided it's properly prepped and finished.
Hi @prettyliving in this case I used a Feast Watson product (one of my preferred brands for finishing/protecting timber) but I can't remember exactly which one it was back then. I applied 3 coats and the benchtop is still in great condition although could do with a top up in the next 12 months which means it got about 5 years life from the initial install. (Note - I don't live there anymore but my mother-in-law does so still see it when I visit).
Hi @ProjectPete,
Thanks for the step-by-step for your laundry project.
Just a couple of questions...
1. What was your reasoning for not having your washer and dryer side-by-side? (ie for ease of loading from one to the other)
2. Do you (or whoever is the laundry person in your household) regret that decision a couple of years on?
As I'm in the process of drawing up plans for my laundry project, I am looking for ideas in the workshop and yours seemed to be along the lines of what I wanted to do, so I'm interested in your reply.
Thanks, hope you found I helpful.
Really came down to simplicity and cost given the plumbing and sink was already in the middle from the original build.
If I were to design it from scratch, I'd have them next to each other for ease as you've suggested. But it honestly wasn't/isn't such a hindrance as it is.
Hi @tremas,
Hopefully, @ProjectPete will be able to let you know what tiles he has chosen for his project. In the meantime, you might like to check out a few options which could give you a similar result. We have a great range of white subway style tiles, including:
If the idea of tiling doesn't thrill you, we have plenty of easy to install subway tile glass splashbacks available.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Mitchell
They're just fairly standard subway tiles @tremas from a local supplier (Perth - Osborne Park) but I'm sure Bunnings offers the same.
Looks great! I’m about to start on mine so thanks for the inspiration!
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