If you’re looking for LOW BUDGET Laundry Room Makeover ideas, here’s 4 different DIY Small Laundry Room Makeovers I’ve done in our home!
Budget-Friendly DIY Small Laundry Room Makeovers
It’s time to finally show you all my Laundry Room…again. It’s had some major changes since we moved in 6 years ago. In fact, I’ve given this laundry room 4 different makeovers trying to find the perfect look.
So, if you need some Laundry Room design inspiration and DIY makeover ideas, I have plenty. Most of them are very budget-friendly too. I hope these pictures and tips help you design your dream Laundry Room.
Let’s start with a quick look at what this Laundry Room looked like when we bought this house 6 years ago.
Laundry Room – Before Photos
When we moved in the walls had a Faux Orange Finish. And the 20 year-old white cabinets were pretty beaten up. The white linoleum counters and backsplash weren’t very stylish either.
The orange and black tiles on the floor were dated too. This 90’s laundry room actually looked pretty similar to the before photos on our big Kitchen Makeover.
This next photo shows the original cabinets in the Laundry Room next to the door to the garage.
Before we get into the 4 different DIY small Laundry Room makeovers I gave this room, here’s some cheap ways to give your Laundry Room a new look!
6 Cheap Laundry Room Makeover Ideas
This is similar to the tips I gave in my 14 Best Ways to Renovate A Living Room on a Budget!
- Paint the walls, and possibly the ceiling. Paint is cheap and completely changes the look and feel of a room. Check out my post on the Best Paint Sheen on Ceilings for a look at some ceilings in my house.
- Paint the cabinets, of course! You’ll see a lot of cabinet paint changes in my 4 Small Laundry Room Makeovers. I really struggled to find the right paint colors for my cabinets.
- Paint the doors and trim. If you have dirty or nicked up paint on your trim and doors, it can ruin the overall look of the room. So, give those a good clean with TSP, or just a little Dawn dish soap in warm water, then patch and paint everything. Check out Do you use Caulk or Wood Filler on Wood Trim if you need tips.
- Update the Cabinet Hardware. We had really dated knobs when we moved in. There are some really pretty and cheap cabinet hardware options. Check out 30 Unique Drawer Pulls, Knobs, & Hardware on Amazon if you need ideas.
- Update dingy outlets and outlet covers. All of the outlets and outlet covers in this house had yellowed when we moved in. Those were making the whole house feel old and dated. Good news, replacing them is pretty cheap!
- Restore the grout. Grout darkens over time. And, once those stains set in, you can’t get the original color back with just cleaning. Check out How to Whiten Grout or Does Grout Renew Work to see my favorite easy way to make grout look new again. And, check out How to Clean Grout After Using Grout Paint or Sealer to see why you shouldn’t use bleach on your floors.
Now let’s get back to those photos.
The First Laundry Room Makeover Look
I made these changes around 2013. That’s when a grey, farmhouse look was super popular on Fixer Upper and all over IG. Can you tell I went ALL IN.
I went with off white on the walls, dark grey cabinets and a black door. I also built my own wood counters with the extra wide 8′ long craft wood panels you can find at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
I loved those stripes I painted on top. Wood counters are a cheap and easy solution for replacing linoleum, but you have to be more careful with water and cleaning chemicals sitting on them.
I also removed the old towel rod above the sink and replaced it with 2 new shelves and a towel rod. I added v-grove panel as a backsplash and framed that out with 1×2 Select Pine Lumber.
You can see the DIY for v-grove paneling on my DIY Mudroom Bench post and in my Powder Room Makeover post.
Laundry Room Look Number 2
The first look felt a little too dark for me. AND, I really wanted to add some color. But, I wasn’t ready to admit that I needed to repaint the cabinets yet. 😉
So, I replaced the wood counters with white quartz when our kitchen was being remodeled. And, tried adding in some blue home décor to improve the look of the Laundry Room.
I decided to get rid of the black door when I updated the Powder Room behind that door. I went with Behr’s Arid Landscape. It’s just a bit darker than the trim paint I use (Behr’s Polished Pearl). I like the contrast.
It’s so hard for me to figure out how to add style in a small Laundry Room. I was struggling!
Laundry Room Makeover Look 3
OK, after a couple years of a dark grey cabinet color, I was ready to admit it was time to repaint some of those cabinets!
I started by switching the upper cabinets to an off white. That lighter color on the upper cabinets made my Small Laundry Room feel so much bigger!
The upper cabinets are painted with Behr’s Sandstone Cove that I mixed into a chalk paint using my go to chalk paint recipe. The walls are also Sandstone Cove.
The V-Grove Panel and trim I used as a backsplash is painted with Behr’s Polished Pearl. Be sure to get Latex paint for your white trim because oil based paints will yellow. The lower cabinets are Behr’s Squirrel.
I was finally starting to like the look of my Laundry Room after this update.
We use this room as our main entrance to the house. Having shoe and coat storage and a place for the kids to sit while we put their little jackets and shoes on makes life so much easier.
I made that Abbott House & Stables Sign with my favorite paint pens. The Apron Wood Slice Hook is a fun DIY I shared a few months ago. How cute is that little Jedi in Training Apron!
Now, here’s the latest look in our Laundry Room.
Look 4 of my Small Laundry Room Makeovers
OK, OK. That last look was pretty good. BUT, I still wanted more color. At this point I was feeling more confident in the design style I picked for this house. And, I realized I liked lighter paint colors with pops of color.
SO, I decided to go for TEAL lower cabinets in my Laundry Room.
I used Magnolia Homes by Kilz paint color Spontaneous on the lower cabinets and on my new DIY Over Washer and Dryer Laundry Table. Adding some houseplants in this room was a big win for me too!
And, here’s that final look at the mudroom! This mudroom bench was actually featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. So much better, right?!
You can see more pictures from this final Colorful Laundry Room Makeover in another post.
So, I hope you found some design inspiration in my DIY Small Laundry Room Makeovers. Most of these are super affordable, budget-friendly options. Here’s a few more makeovers from my house that might help!
More Before and After Room Makeovers
- DIY Before and After Small Powder Room Makeover
- Before & After DIY Home Living Room Makeover
- Before and After 2 Story Foyer Makeover with Molding
- This Before and After Family Room Makeover On A Budget!
- Loving this Before and After Master Bathroom Remodel!
- Beautiful DIY Vaulted Ceiling Makeover
- Room Reveal! Fun Boys Bedroom Makeover
Popular DIY’s On This Site
I LOVE this post on How to Clean Car Seats at Home, the Easy Way.
And, this post for How to Remove Water Stain from Ceiling Without Paint is a must-see for homeowners.
And, it’s time to cut the cord. Check out How Do I Get Rid of Cable And Still Watch TV.
Here’s How to Restain a Door without Removing It.
You might also like, How to Fill the Gap Between Cabinets And Floor.
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Stephanie Abbott has been remodeling homes, updating & building furniture, and working on DIY home maintenance and cleaning tips for over 20 years. Her remodeling has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. And, her DIY YouTube channel has had more than 8 million views.
Most of the DIY tutorials and videos on this site focus on beginner to intermediate level DIY Projects that can be done in an affordable way without high-end, expensive tools. All of the cleaning tips on this website have been tested in her home.
BonBon
Monday 28th of May 2018
Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Monday. I wanted to let you know that your are one of my featured picks this week. Check it out at https://www.farmhouse40.com/inspire-me-monday-181
Stephanie
Monday 28th of May 2018
Oh, thanks so much. So flattered and excited that you featured my Laundry Room!
Habiba
Sunday 27th of May 2018
Stephanie, I love that you changed the hanging cupboards into white again. I feel like this makes the room feel a lot bigger. I wish we had laundry rooms here in Germany. If you have an apartment, nope, there is definitely not goint to be a laundry room included. If you happen to life in a house, there might be a space for it in the basement. But it's very bare and not very homely. Once I own a bigger space, I will most def make room for one, though ;-) After all you spend a lot of thimer there, right?
Stephanie
Sunday 27th of May 2018
I hope you get that Laundry Room soon, Habiba. :) It does make life a bit easier and more enjoyable. We used to mostly have basement Laundry 'dungeons' in the US, when I was a kid. I remember dreading going down there. But then pretty Laundry Rooms on the main living floor became trendy. So, it seems like we all have them now. You can always stop by here and do laundry anytime. :)
Linda
Thursday 24th of May 2018
Beautiful makeover Stephanie. I love the colors you choose. I will be featuring this project at The Creative Circle link party. I hope you join us again soon.
Stephanie
Thursday 24th of May 2018
Thanks so much for the feature, Linda. That's so exciting!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
Friday 18th of May 2018
Gorgeous!! I love your laundry room and all your ideas! I found you from Bloggers Pit Stop :)
Stephanie
Saturday 19th of May 2018
Thanks so much. So glad you liked it!
Chas
Thursday 17th of May 2018
Looks great Stephanie! Thanks for sharing on To Grandma's House We Go!
Stephanie
Thursday 17th of May 2018
Thank you for hosting, Chas!