the huntrods zone - personal

Laundry Room Renovation, Summer 2011

 
Wall preparation - July 11-15, 2011

The laundry room on the lower level has always been an unfinished "spider hole" to quote Linda. The laundry room holds the well's water treatment equipment as well as the freezer and washer and dryer. The appliances can be moved about for renos, but the water treatment equipment includes large filter tanks, pressure tank (80 gal) and a 120 gallon storage tank which simply cannot be moved. For some reason, prior owners had insulated all of the walls as well as the ceiling of this room. The walls had vapor barrier but the ceiling insulation was open to the room.

I decided to keep the insulation, so first steps included sealing the vapor barrier where it had been ripped. I also secured some of the electrical boxes which were loose, and replaced a couple of duplex recepticles which were broken. I also installed a proper recepticle box for the phone wires after first sorting out what was "real" phone and what was just strange wiring. Finally, I installed a nice washer tap/drain box which unfortunately included emergency repair of a couple of the tap "innards" as the internal o-rings had failed and they were leaking. Final work involved cutting and installing two peices of 5/8 plywood on the walls to support the chlorine injector pump and the well's submersible pump control box.

While some areas were being prepped, others were getting the drywall installed...

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Drywall installation and mudding - July 11-23, 2011

With the prep work complete on some areas, I proceeded to install sheets of drywall. The freezer wall was very straightforward, with 8-foot sheets fitting nicely between floor and roof rafters. I then proceeded to drywall the washer/dryer wall, which was a bit more complex due to some exposed drain plumbing and the washer tap/drain box. Some sections were complex enough that I built cardboard templates to ensure proper cutting of holes to fit the difficult areas. Better to make a mistake with cardboard than with drywall. Usint the templates, the drywall installation was completed without too much difficulty. The final two walls presented even more fun, however.

The wall by the door started simply enough, but the carbon filter tank as well as the main plumbing supply line required careful fitting of drywall sheets. In the end I could not install 8-foot sheets, but had to cut them in half to allow for the careful trimming and fitting. With 4-foot sheets, the job was done relatively simply. That left the final wall, with the room's window, baseboard heater and three large immovable tanks.

Above the window was easy - a single sheet fit easily. To the right of the window (by the washer), a split sheet to allow fitting behind the sand filter and provision for the backwash drain. Then the fun bit - behind the pressure tank and contactor (120 gal tank) plus the baseboard heater. Close examination of the heater proved that removal was not possible, so I trimmed the drywall to go around. The single sheet would not fit due to tank location, so it was cut into two 3-foot sheets which allowed me to fit it in place. The wall was finished by adding a drywall window frame around the window and a wooden ledge below. Corner bead completed the window well.

After the drywall was installed, I applied drywall fibreglass tape to all the seams, then mudded the screw locations and seams. After the compound had dried, I sanded the seams and applied a second coat as needed.

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Painting & laundry stacking - July 23-31, 2011

Before I painted the room, I located and installed the drop ceiling wall channel to provide a paint cut-off point. I decided to keep the ceiling as high as possible, placing it just below the lowest plumbing drain on the laundry wall. In the end, the ceiling would be 7' 8" from the floor, which is still nice and high.

With the ceiling perimeter in place, I masked off the perimeters and areas where I did not want paint, then proceeded to paint the edges with my 1" brush, followed by the 3" roller. I then used the standard roller to paint the remainder of the room. As with the main level, this paint delivered on both promises: one coat coverage and almost zero odor.

Once the room was painted, it was time to implement our space saving plan... stacking the dryer on the washer. From the beginning we knew the washer and drywer were built to stack, and with the high ceiling and need for some space in the room, it seemed a perfect plan... I just needed to find the stacking kit. After some digging in the garage I found the kit and instructions, which seemed very simple: ensure washer is level and secure, then tilt dryer on back and remove feet, stick foam strips to the underside of the dryer, lift onto washer, and secure at the back with provided clips. I moved the washer to the chosen position, then ensured it was level and the feet secure. Tilting the dryer was easy as as attaching the foam strips. Then, with the assistance of the nextdoor neighbor, we got the dryer onto the washwer. I attached the securing clips, tested the installation and it looked (and worked) great.

The room looked fantastic, lacking only a ceiling

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Drop Ceiling and pot lights - August 1-3, 2011

The perimeter was already in place, so I began by cutting the longer T-sections. The room is just under 8' by 12', so I decided to use 8' T-sections across the 8' span and interlock with the 2' sections. Immediately I encountered a problem. The 8' sections have slots to interlock the 2' sections spaced every 2 feet, but the slots begin 3" in from the edge. Of course I measured and trimmed my first peice of 8' T before I saw this, meaning one peice was now wasted. I quickly modified my procedure, cutting 3" off each 8' section before trimming to length. Fortunately the room dimensions were 7" short of 8', so there was plenty of room to accomodate this.

Once properly cut, the 8' sections went into place quickly and easily, followed by the 2' T sections to interlock the grid. Measurements verified a square 2' grid in the entire room, with smaller spaces at one end. I started with full 2x2 grid sections by the washer/window corner, meaning the smaller sections came on the freezer wall and by the entry door. Once the grid was in place, it looked great.

It turned out that buying 4x2 panels was a tremendous cost saving over buying 2x2 tiles, so I took each tile and carefully cut it in half to create two 2x2 tiles. Another bonus came creating the smaller tiles, as I could cut three from a single 2x4 sheet. In the end, I was left with a couple of spare 2x2 tiles in case of future problems.

Installing the tiles was fun, mostly due to the proximity of the grid to the roof joists. I could not always fit a tile in it's space by 'angling it it" as in the installation directions. Instead, I had to insert the tile in one opening, then move it above the grid to it's final location, just like those plastic tile-grid games from my youth. I installed all of the tiles except the four that were to contain the pot lights.

Installing the pot lights was a nightmare. I began by creating a cardboard template to determine the exact location of each pot light in it's tile. Then using a 3" hole saw, carefully cut the hole for the pot light. A test fit on a spare tile section indicated all was well. With the tiles prepared, I placed them in the ceiling grid; leaving the one by the electrical junction box loose until the wiring was complete.

The pot lights require 3" clearance above, but the ceiling insulation was far to close. Using the light cutouts as a template, I marked the insulation and then removed all of the ceiling insulation over each light, creating a 12"x12" cavity around the light with easily 8" clearance above. Of course, working with insulation is always a nightmare, requiring a particle mask, protective clothing, eye protection and latex gloves. On a hot August day, it just becomes quite stifling and I ended up soaked with sweat.

Now for the actual wiring: I don't really like nomex wire as it's just stiff enough to be a nuisance to handle in longer lengths. I finally managed to determine the correct length, then connected one end to the ceiling junction box. I finished this with a proper metal cover plate, then routed the wire to each of the four tiles. This is where the nomex really comes into it's own as a nasty, stiff, horrid thing to work with. I almost ruined one cutout trying to get the nomex through the hole. Finally it was done, with all the tiles in place and a daisy chain of nomex routed out each hole, ready for final wiring.

The first pot light, nearest the junction box, wired up easily. Following the light directions, it was working in no time and looked great. Wiring the other three pot lights was also straightforward, until it came to installing the bulb and trim. The trim peices simply would not click into place with the pot ligh in the ceiling tile. Rather than click into place, the tile would move upward. Finally I had to remove another tile and reach around to each pot light to support it with one hand while clicking the trim in with the other. In the process I did minor damage on at least one ceiling tile, but fortunately in a location hidden by the grid T sections. However... it was complete and looked awesome.

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Wine Rack - July 21, 2011

Last year I build a shelf to hold my homemade wine out of 2x2 and plywood. Due to variances in wine box size, the shelf never performed as I had hoped. Rather than holding boxes of wine, I had to store the individual bottles in the shelf. When it came time to renovate the laundry room the shelf had to come out anyway, so I took the opportunity to build a new shelf.

The new shelf was designed from the start to hold wine in boxes. After playing with various arrangements, I chose to hold 3 boxes per shelf, standing on edge. That gave a dimension to the shelf of 3 feet wide by 1 foot deep, with 14 inches between shelves. The final configuration would hold up to 15 boxes of wine. I chose to build the frame from 2x3 lumber, as it's more substantial than 2x2 but less bulky than 2x4s. For shelves I recycled the plywood shelves from the first wine cabinet. I also added casters so the shelf could be moved if necessary.

The final shelf was exactly as I had designed it, and works perfectly. Bonus that it could be a staging area for work on the renovations.

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Almost complete - August 5, 2011

After allowing the paint to cure for a few days, I reinstalled the various outlet covers, installed and filled the wine rack, and did a general cleanup. The room looks great!

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
 
Finishing touches - August 5 & 6, 2011

Some final touches included painting and installing a cover over the outlet box that holds the heater control wiring (after first shimming the sides to remove the gap beside the cover), and installing and painting a drywall patch where the water filter backwash hose exits the side of the house. Finally, another cover plate was punched for the water pump wiring and installed.

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 
Final reveal - August 14, 2011

The finishing touch was to purchase some shelves and install the mounting brackets for them. Now the room looks really awesome!

laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011 laundry room reno 2011
 

copyright © Richard S. Huntrods
all rights reserved

last updated: