DIY Laundry Room Countertop / Shelf - Cheap and Easy!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2020
- How to make a countertop or floating shelf in a laundry room over a front load washer and dryer set.
Affiliate links to some of the of tools I used in this video are below. Thanks for shopping we really appreciate it!
Table Saw amzn.to/3kNNyky
Compound Miter Saw amzn.to/3mP149D
Palm Router amzn.to/3kM65hu
Nail Gun with Air Compressor amzn.to/2GbgELJ
Pocket Hole Jig amzn.to/3hU5x7i
Drill amzn.to/305M0L2
Sander amzn.to/3mRYG1J
GluBot glue bottle amzn.to/33YDWNc
Tightbond II Wood Glue amzn.to/3bAOnvZ
Irwin Squeeze Clamps amzn.to/330heoU
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I’ve watched 5 of these videos for this project. Yours is simple and straightforward. Nice work.
Thank you! I appreciate that. Will you be making one for yourself?
Step 1: Own a lot of clamps. Looks great, thanks.
Haha, good point. You can never have too many clamps!
If clamps aren't available, another option would be to build the shelf from a sheet of plywood and cut it to match the space available. The cleats on the walls and the front edge of the shelf would remain the same. You'd still need a saw and a couple other basic tools, but no need for clamps :)
@@howtofixitworkshop you could also use ratchet straps, so long as you make sure to weigh down each side of the wood so it doesn't bow
@@YSEVERYNAMETAKENGOD yep, that's a good option!
Harbor freight is your friend
Beautiful! It gives the illusion of a thick shelf!
Thank you!
Beautiful and simple. Thank you.
You're welcome, thank you for the feedback!!
Great job! Thank you, this gave me some good ideas.
That's great! Thank you!
Thanks for the easy tutorial. I’ve never done any woodworking but this looks like a great plan!
You're welcome and good luck! Let me know if you have any questions
Real nice job, and you did a good job explaining what you did.
Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for watching!!
very nice work
Thank you!
Easy and cheap diy tools needed : everything
Sorry, you can get away with some pretty simple hand tools to build this. A hand saw or inexpensive circular saw and a drill
Loved your video -- I asked a contractor for this shelf and the one above it -- and he quoted me $500 ... so -- even bigger thank you!
Thank you! Are you going to build it yourself?
Did you build it! 500 sounds reasonable if you don’t own a whole woodworking shop?
Wtf?? Y’all out here complaining about corporations wages and want skilled carpenters with a shop full of tools to work for the same slave level wages. $500 is super reasonable for this project.
Subbed for the fact you enjoy good beer (and the content)...
Thanks!
Thank you ! Looks great and I this k even I can handle it
You're welcome Aaron! Best of luck and let us know if you have any questions and how things turn out!
Thought the beer was a nice touch. Good job
Thank you!
Very nice job! I did this as well and would say it is cheap as long as you have the materials. Specifically, the clamps are a critical part of the project. You’ll also probably need pre-stain, about $6, the actual stain, another $8-$16 (depending on what you want and polyurethane/finishing coat $8-$10. You’ll also need sanding materials.
Ah, good point on the cost of tools and consumable materials. Thanks for adding that! And thanks for watching!
@@howtofixitworkshop yes! Definitely watched, enjoyed and subscribed!! You will save a lot of people money and time! A finished custom cut butcher block can range from $300 to $1500+! This is an affordable option, especially for a laundry room.
@@starttheconvopod awesome!! Thank you so much!!
“It’s a good time to have a beer” lol
Haha, yep!
I live close to festus, never heard of that brewery. Gonna have to look them up. Great video. Just got commissioned to do one of these
Small world! Yep Main and Mill is a cool brewery. Best of luck on your project!
What would you do if your laundry is open on one side and you cant put up 3 cleats but only one on the side and the long one at the back?
Awesome video, what size is the wood piece on the front of your counter?
Well done. I'm thirsty now!
Thanks Tim! Grab yourself a cold one 🤣
do you have access to the shut off valves in the back, or will you have to take the shelf off first to turn it off? Nice shelf, alot of work went into it, maybe cut out a space for the cut off valve area. Thanks for sharing
The shut off valves are pretty easy to access. The friend that I built this for asked to have the shelf cover as much of that space as possible. There are only 2 screws holding the shelf in place. Ideally there wouldn't be much on the shelf and it would be pretty quick and easy to remove if there was an emergency. Thanks for the feedback!
What kind of saw did you use when you made your final cut to allow it to fit into the laundry area? Great video! Very informative.
Thank you! I used a jig saw and kept the line as straight as possible by following a straight edge clamped to the piece. You could use a circular saw or hand saw as well. Sorry, that part was left out of the filming
Thank you for the tutorial! Two questions: did you find the boards bowed at all to the point where a center gable would be necessary to support the weight of anything you place on top? And two, did you bracket the boards together underneath to help with stability or is it just the glue holding them together?
Hi, just the glue holding them together, I don't think they bowed for this customer, they seemed to hold a fair amount of weight
Damn if I only had claps! 😂This is perfect. I may try your suggestion of plywood 😊
Good luck!
Harbor freight sells 60 inch clamps for $12
Sorry, another question. Should I use wood filler in any gaps between the 1x10" pine boards?
Mine were right enough that I didn't need to, the clamps pulled everything together pretty well. But if you have some imperfections you can either leave them or fill them. Kind of personal preference I think. Good luck!
Wow, really great job! It’s flawless! I like the no-nails/screws feature. What kind of wood glue do you use? Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks! I use Titebond 2
Thanks, what was the purpose of the blue tape prior to cutting to length?
Good question! The blue tape prevents tear-out or splintering as you cut across the wood grain.
what kind of wood glue did you use to glue the three pieces together?
Hi Mirsa, good question. I always use Tightbond 2 wood glue: amzn.to/3bAOnvZ
I am amazed to see that glue can hold the pieces together. Or did I miss something?
You didn't miss anything, all you need is glue
@@howtofixitworkshop sorry for my stupidity but wouldn’t the countertop break under weight since the countertop pieces don’t have support other than glue?
If I wanted to do this for my laundry room, but want to make it stronger. what would you suggest? Adding 1x2s underneath ever so often? Or frame the bottom? If so, what do you suggest to attach it? Glue and screws? Thanks.
Sure, you could add some supports underneath and anchor them into the cleats along the wall and attach the shelf top to those supports
Hi! This looks simple and your video is easy to follow. Do you think this could be sealed with an epoxy? I’d love to use this for my bar.
Thanks for the feedback! Yes it could be sealed with epoxy, you'd just need a sealed lip all the way around to form the epoxy until it's cured
How long should the front piece remain clamped to the board to ensure it bonds correctly?
The glue should dry and bond within 30 minutes
I love this and plan on following it. One question...what if there is a utility sink on the right? Will the back and left cleats be able to support the weight of the shelf?
Thank you! I think you would need to add a keg for the side that doesn't have a cleat
Cool! Now I can just go out and buy $Thousands worth of tools to make a $200 wood block, awesome! 🎉🎉🎉
What did you use to make it so the shelf wouldn’t slide forward?
There are just 2 screws in the back two corners that I screwed through the countertop and into the cleats that were attached to the walls. They were countersunk below the surface and I used some brass colored screws that blend into the stained color of the wood. Thanks for watching!
If one side of your laundry room does not have a wall for a cleat what would you do? No wall on my left side.
That's a good question. Do you have enough room on the no wall side to add a leg?
What is the proper size screw should u us to secure cleats to studs if w ar using 1 by 2 as the cleats. Should 2in screws be ok or should we go bigger
2 inch might be too short if you're going through the 1x2 and the drywall. I'd suggest at least 2 and a half inches to be safe
@@howtofixitworkshop thanks for for advice. We ended up finding some 3 in screws and worked like a charm.
Even better!
How thick were the cleats that you used? :)
About 2 inches thick and 2 inches tall
Nice job and thanks for posting. A couple of questions:
My project uses two walls instead of 3, my top is just over 7’ and the depth is approx 32”
1. Do you recommend adding bracing along to bottom, given the length and depth of my shelf? If so, what do you recommend?
2. For the edge that won’t sit on a wall cleat, I’ll need to add some supports that run from the floor to the bottom of the shelf. How do you recommend doing this?
Last general comment/question: how do you pick your lumber in order to ensure that you don’t get any warped pieces. When I started to line up the boards for gluing, it became clear that I couldn’t use one of the boards. Very frustrating!
Thanks again for the helpful video!
Hi Sean! Thanks for the feedback.
For #1, if I understand correctly, you're asking about support under the counter? I think if you have the 3 or 4 inch front brace the spans the length of the counter, it will prevent bowing of the larger flat piece. But you could attach some smaller thin strips to the underside from front to back and they should provide some extra support.
For #2, since you only have 2 walls (I'm assuming a back wall and one side) I would consider adding a "waterfall countertop" concept. Google that and you'll see images of stone countertops, but the same could be done with wood. It's basically the width of the countertop and it acts as a brace or leg for that missing wall.
Your comment about lumber hits close to home. Unfortunately there is a lot of bad lumber out there. I spend a lot of time at the Orange and Blue stores digging through their piles and just looking down the pieces like I'm looking through the sites on a gun. You can do your best and still get home with pieces that don't line up very well together. If you're using pine or a soft wood, it can bend with the help of clamps. There is also the opportunity for wood to continue to dry out or pick up moisture and warp in your garage or house. Best of luck to you! Let me know if you have any other questions!
@@howtofixitworkshop thanks for your reply - v helpful
You're welcome!
Hi... How thick should a butcher board be?
Hi, thanks for the question. Mine is only 3/4 of an inch thick. It was made from 1x8 inch pine boards from Lowes.
I have no side walls, so my counter would be freestanding. Is it possible to "waterfall" both ends ... no cleats ... yet keep the whole thing from collapsing?
Yes, that's an option. Or you could add legs to the front corners
what if you don't have studs to mount the block?
You could use some heavy duty drywall anchors
Will the wood glue hold up if you put things that are heavy on the countertop?
Yep, it will hold up with no problem as long as the counter is supported on both sides and the back. The boards are glued together by their long grain, which is the strongest way to glue boards together
@@howtofixitworkshop awesome thank you so much!
You're welcome Eric, best of luck with your project!
What can you do to fill the sides for a more flush look?
You could use quarter round trim or something similar
@@howtofixitworkshop hello, I feel super confident going into my laundryroom makeover thanks to your video, thanks !! Would you vote againt using silicone on the sides for a more finished look? Do you think 2 screws in the back are enough if a toddler decides to kinda hang onto the countertop ? Thanks so much !
Hi, I'd be ok using a caulk on the edges if you're looking for a finished look, like around baseboards and door frames. I think you could add as many screws to the back and side cleats as necessary to avoid tipping. 2 should be plenty if you have the shelf cleats on the there sides, but more wouldn't hurt anything
I own one clamp and a hand saw, think it might be cheaper to buy the shelf
How much would you charge for this? I have a client that wants one and I have no clue how much to charge.
I think I charged $250 for this one. It was very minimal lumber cost at the time.
@@howtofixitworkshop Thank you for answering! I was thinking $200 but lumber price has gone up, based on your price I will bid in $300. 😀 And thank you for the video
You bet! Good luck and thanks for the feedback!
Me in 2022 looking at this same piece of pine for $54.23 per board.
Yep, still high
I built one and the board warped. How do I prevent this?
Hi Sarah, did you use small boards glued together? That can happen for several reasons. Mahjong sure the wood is very dry before gluing the pieces together is probably the best tip.
What kind of pine wood is this ?
It's white pine
What's the stain color?
I believe it was Early American from Minwax
What the purpose of the tape before you make the final cut? What kind of saw did you use for the final cut?
The tape was used to avoid splintering of the wood from the saw. I used a circular saw to make the final cuts.
@@howtofixitworkshop Thank you! You cut through the tape? Also, do I need plastic coverings on the 2x4s you use on top and bottom of the 10" pine boards? Thanks again
Yep, I cut through the tape and then removed it. Yes the plastic that you see on the 2x4 boards used for clamping is actually duct tape. It prevents the wood glue from bonding the 2x4s with the shelf material. You can use anything like tape or plastic wrap. Thanks for the great questions!
Did it warp down any after time ?
Nope, not at all
@@howtofixitworkshop I’m doing a 4x8 section and I’m afraid it will warp. Any suggestions?
If you have the cleats along the wall perimeter and a straight edge connected to the front like I had that's 2-3 inches thick, it should be pretty solid
@@howtofixitworkshop did you polycrylic the bottom as well ?
I did not, but one coat wouldn't hurt. It can prevent potential warping
Do you have that table saw hooked to a vacuum, I saw NO saw dust! Lol
Yep, I sure do
If you have all the tools it's cheap and easy
It's possible to build with a sheet of plywood that is cut to proper length and depth by an associate at the home center and use 2x2 lumber for the cleats cut to size with an inexpensive hand saw and attached to the walls with a drill and screws or hammer and nails. The front lip of the shelf can simply be a 1x2 or 1x3 cut to length with a hand saw as shown in the video.
So yes, takes a couple tools but if you have zero tools you could purchase what is essential for probably $25 or less
You kinds sound like mark rufalo
Oh really? That's not bad, thanks for the feedback!
My issue is the water heater on the left side instead of a wall...
Could you build a leg to support that side?
@@howtofixitworkshop I am thinking the same thing. Or possibly building a cabinet around the heater and connecting to that.
That would work, good luck to you!
cheap and easy.....bar all the clamps and the pro sanding machine and all the rest
They're cheap tools
This easy set up got expensive with all the clamps
Guess that's true if you had to buy them all at the same time and new. Several of mine were handed down and gifts, others I purchased used or when they were on sale.