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Hi all. My hubby and me are trying to do our house up to prep it for sale, hopefully in the next 12-18 months.
Neither of us have a trades background, so we are learning as we go.
I’d love some ideas that are budget conscious for doing up our awful laundry.
We aren’t planning to move any of the plumbing or power points, but definitely taking out the sink cabinet and removing the tiles on the wall.
At the moment I’m thinking of getting either a light grain laminate bench top or a white one, and also planning to install vinyl planks on the floor. The trims of the window and doors are going to be white but we are splurging and getting a painter to do that after several dummy spits having done it in the bedrooms ourselves.
I’m clueless in relation to cabinets and what to do with the wall. I can only use the side of the laundry that is pictured, as the door opens inward onto the other wall, which then also has access into the toilet.
I’ve attached pictures of the current laundry (please pretend you can’t see the utter mess it is at the moment!) and some measurements.
Any ideas, input, or advice would be super appreciated as I’ve looked at so many different setups online that I feel completely overwhelmed with choices.
Hi @AprilGrim - aren’t we lucky! My Laundry is of the same age and style. You’ve done some great drawings and others have offered some good advice.
My laundry is 1.5m wide and 1.2m deep, so tiny. I also didn’t want to move powerpoints or plumbing, due to cost. My place is brick walls - so before you think about moving anything, establish what sort of walls you have.
Back to your story. I put in a full width bench top, with cutout at the back, to allow the washing machine pipes and power cables to use the existing taps and PowerPoint.
I put in a round SS kitchen sink, which I dropped into the bench top and through the top of 600mm wide cabinet underneath. I’m not a fan of laundry sink/cabinets. I made my bench top from MDF and then did a 2 pack acrylic epoxy pour using dyes and spray paint for “artistic” effect.
My 2c worth, I’m sure you’ll do fine with your Reno, but always come back for answers and let us know how you go, cheers Deb 
@MitchellMc @redracer01 Thank you both again for your input, I certainly appreciate it and take what you say on board.
@Mathy also thank you for taking the time to reply, would definitely love to see what you’ve done.
@Nham Really appreciate the feedback on the costings. The photos you posted were super helpful and I will most certainly use them - I was quoted around $160 by the plumber to move the WM taps if we removed the wall sections like you have done in your picture, so I have saved it and will be referring to it in the future. Now just to learn how to install dry wall, I think something called Aquachek is going to be needed from having a quick look around the forum. Funny how it all turns into a big learning experience- going to have to watch some serious DIY videos on how to install a bench, how to do the drywall, how to hang cupboardS etc etc.
I think it’s a good thing we are tackling the laundry before we do the kitchen - I think making mistakes in the laundry will be easier to negotiate and learn from.
Kitchen plans are to turn the flat white laminate doors into ‘shaker style’ doors - essentially just an MDF trim around the outside. Glad we aren’t in a huge hurry to sell anyway
will keep updating as I progress. Irrigation getting installed this week, so once the coffers recover my hands will be itching to start the laundry
Thanks everyone again!
Ok, so my laundry is currently my kitchen sink whilst I finish the Reno on my kitchen. I use Stonecoat Countertop Epoxy which is available from ColourObsession.com.au. I like simple, so just use spray paint, some additives and dyes. I’d really like to add/say more but they still haven’t fixed the posting from Safari via iPad issues. Send me a message if you’d like more info, cheers Deb
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Hi @AprilGrim,
Here are some step-by-step guides you should find useful:
You are correct that Aquacheck is the correct type of plasterboard to use in a wet area.
Please let us know whenever you have questions. We're here to help.
Mitchell
We had our retic put in yesterday so it’s time to start the laundry.
On a side note - wifi retic is the bomb diggidy!
You may notice the hole in the wall - the previous owners had used adhesive rather than grout and stuck the tiles directly to the plasterboard, so there was no way of keeping it intact.
You can see the less-than-ideal crater that was left behind once the laundry trough was removed. It has rough concrete on the bottom. I think our new cabinets should cover it, if not it’ll be a bag of cement I imagine.
So now I’ve done these steps I’m not 100% sure on what to do next.
I was going to ‘splurge’ and have the laundry taps moved (again, thank you @Nham for posting that picture of how you prepped your walls for the plumber), however it appears the wall that holds the taps is cement, so any suggestions would, as always, be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what the next steps should be?
Many thanks for the update on your project @AprilGrim, it's fantastic to see you making progress.
I'd imagine chasing new copper pipes into the cement wall will be a simple job for a plumber. Alternatively, they might offer some other solutions. Getting a quote for repositioning of the taps would be your next step. Once you know where the taps can be positioned, you can work on the rest of your plan.
I'll be looking forward to seeing your results. Please let us know if you have more questions or need assistance.
Mitchell
Thank you @MitchellMc
We had a closer look at the wall and then remembered the walls are filled with this odd foam - picture attached.
I think the pipes will be within that foam and the time and expenses required to open the area up, remove said foam, and patch over it is too high. Plus the integrity of the wall would have changed so we are stopped before we get in too deep 😄
What is required of a wall to prep it for tiling after it has been patched and filled?
The first step will be to sand all the painted areas. You don't need to sand completely through the paint, just enough to remove the sheen level, and so it isn't super smooth. Using Flexovit 100mm x 1m 180 Grit Painted Surfaces Sandpaper Roll would be the best option. Next, you must prime all the areas you have sanded, including the patched and filled locations with Dunlop 1L Multipurpose Water Based Primer. You'll then be able to apply your tile adhesive and tiles.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Mitchell
