Laundry renovation with under-cupboard lighting

[bruce93]

An old laundry was turned into a functional space with plenty of storage that always looks terrific.

• The project
• Before and after
• How to plan a laundry renovation
• More inspiration for your laundry

The project

My fiancé and I have tackled a few smaller D.I.Y. projects since moving into our house such as replacing the basins, tapware and carpet. This laundry upgrade was our first major renovation. We took inspiration from Jimi's Laundry renovation with custom benchtop and shelves.

We sketched out our plan. The only difference on the plan is that we swapped the last 600mm cupboard and floating shelves so that the cupboard is above the sink and the floating shelves sit above the washing machine. The 600mm gap next to the broom cupboard is to store dirty washing and wet washing baskets. The other reason for this is that when we sell the house, the new buyers can have the option of putting a dryer in the laundry. We keep ours in the garage as we barely use it.

Our first job was to relocate a light switch that was put in the incorrect position when the house was built. Thankfully I'm an electrician so this wasn't too bad. We also built and installed the 600mm broom cupboard.

A plumber relocated the water pipes to the cabinet under the sink, which involved cutting the wall sheeting away where the splashback was later installed.

We used a SpecRite Golden Acacia timber panel for our shelves above the washing machine. For the benchtop, we used a Beech laminated panel and applied a clear hard wax oil to protect it.

Before and after

How to plan a laundry renovation

With research and planning you can turn your laundry into an efficient and even welcoming space. Check out the guide How to plan a laundry renovation by experienced Bunnings Workshop member Adam Woodhams for renovation tips and space-saving ideas.

More inspiration for your laundry

Renovating a tired, outdated laundry can provide much needed storage and create a stylish space that you enjoy using. Find more ideas in our Top 10 most popular laundry renovation projects.

[RenoRach1]

@bruce93 

What a transformation! Your new laundry looks like it's trebled in size and I REALLY love the tiles - the texture and pattern you've laid them in takes this room to the next level.

Could you describe which under-cabinet lighting you used, please? Also, how was this installed?  I'd like to do something similar with my upcoming laundry reno so I'd appreciate any advice on what to do or not to do!  

Many thanks and congratulations on a stunning job.

[EricL]

Hello @RenoRach1

It's great that you've found @bruce93's laundry makeover inspiring. There are quite a few choices when it comes to LED Strip Lighting. Some of them have fantastic features such as colour changing lights, online connectivity that allows you to link it to wifi and of course lumen output adjustability. My number one tip is to measure the lighting strip that you need and buy it ahead of time so that the electrician can provide a powerpoint for the unit before you cover the walls with cabinets.

An excellent method of hiding the LED from sight is to place timber battens behind the wall cabinets to create a hidden channel for the LED to sit in. It will keep the LED strip from being seen but still provide the lighting effect you're after. I've placed an example below. If you would like me to draw a sketch of your laundry renovation, please post a picture of the area and its measurements.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please don't hesitate to post them.

Eric

[bruce93]

Hey @RenoRach1 

Thanks for the kind words! We are really happy with how it turned out.

Our LED strip under the cabinet is installed using LED Extrusion Strip mounted to the underside of the cabinet. I really like EricL's idea for hiding the LED strip. The other way to hide it if your cabinets are being made by a cabinet maker you can get them to router out the depth of the LED extrusion. 

For the LED strip. There is a powerpoint in the cabinet above the bench next to the broom cupboard that powers the LED strip. We can turn this on and off from the light switch at the entranceway. 

We went for a 4000K LED Strip that is called SAL Pixie. It allows you to connect to the controller via Bluetooth and set up scenes and automatic schedules so our LED Strip turns on and off automatically based on a set schedule. 

I hope this answers some of your questions!

Cheers,
Bruce

[Old-gal24]

@bruce93 

Looks awesome,  great work.. 

You wouldn't know it was the same laundry...

Very user friendly.

This Old Gal