How to Build a Laundry Cabinet

The humble laundry room has evolved greatly over the years. These days, laundry rooms are being converted into full-service commercial laundry centers, complete with all of the functionality that commercial laundry facilities need. Many professional laundry facilities, for example, feature a large dry cleaner on the property and an on-site laundry cabinet. These laundry rooms can be fitted with coin-operated machines and have large fully enclosed cabinets as well as open shelving and open floor plans.

The humble laundry room still has humble beginnings - a few wall-mounted or small cabinets, a washer and dryer, a few hangers and carts to move the clothes around. Over time, however, laundry room cabinets have become decorative art pieces that add warmth and character to any home. With features such as built-in washer and dryers, built-in shelving, and open floor plans, laundry room cabinets have evolved into multifunctional worksites. This transformation has led to their use in commercial laundries and commercial office buildings.

                                                 

A popular laundry cabinet design is the top-loading, pull-out laundry cabinet. This type of cabinet has a pull-out, metal-framed, wood-framed, or wicker drum-pull center that opens up in the back of the cabinet for easy access to the washer and drier. They're great for apartment dwellers who need the convenience of pulling out the dryer every time they want to wash some laundry. If you live in a small apartment, however, a top-loading washer/dryer will probably be too big for you to conveniently access when you need it.

Pull-out or slide-out laundry cabinets, on the other hand, have been designed especially for apartment or condo owners. They have slides or doors on the front so that you can easily access the units when you're in the laundry room. The door is hinged on a vertical shaft and opens either side to provide access to the washer and dryer. You won't be able to reach the washer and dryer with a standard ladder. These types of cabinets are also popular with homeowners who use them to store personal items such as blankets, towels, and other small items.

There are many types of DIY laundry rooms available. For instance, one popular option is to build custom cabinetry in your garage or on the side of your house. These types of laundry room cabinets usually include a washer/dryer combo, but you may also have an extra small washer-dryer unit or shelves installed if you don't have a garage or condo area for storing the full-size washers and dryers.

If your home has sufficient space, you could even consider building custom laundry room cabinets. To make your cabinetry unique, look at home decor magazines and websites for inspiration. Most likely your cabinets will consist of a washer/dryer combination and possibly a smaller or bigger size electric washer or dryer. Building custom laundry room cabinets requires some degree of design skill, so hiring a home decorator or interior designer might be a good idea for those who don't have experience. If you do decide to invest in a custom washer and dryer cabinets, they're likely to be much more expensive than stock units, but they will be better suited to your specific needs and tastes.

For the best results, you should install new laundry cabinets right above your existing washer and dryer. This ensures that your washer and dryer take up the most space possible and give you the most flexibility. It will also give you easy access to your washer and dryer when you need them, which is essential if you want to perform multiple wash and dry duties at once.

The most difficult part of building your DIY laundry room storage system is likely the planning - especially if you are working with limited space. Fortunately, there are many pre-made designs available on the market, or if you have some basic home sewing skills, you can make your own cabinets yourself. For those who don't feel confident installing cabinets on their own, many do-it-yourself options are available online.