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Chapter 17: Step Saving Laundry And Storage Wall #2

Flush pulls were attached with screws provided by manufacturer. If you don't care to use flush pulls, you can rout out simple grips in doors, as shown in chapter on built-in wallbed, photo 13.

Doors were placed in position by lifting hangers onto sliding tracks, then lowering doors into floor guides.

Bore holes through template for adjustable shelf supports in as many sections of major storage unit as desired. Supports used in this project were for 10"-wide shelves and were mounted, with screws, 6" from each section end piece.

interior design ideas

interior design ideas

Sink counter is made to fit into space now remaining between left side panel of major storage unit and rear wall of laundry. Thus, dimensions will vary according to size of individual laundry. In this laundry, counter is 24" deep by 36" high by 6' long. To begin construction, cut and assemble a base frame, as in major storage unit (photos 8 and 9). Next, cut left and right side panels from 3/4" plywood, 24" by 30 1/2" each, and mount one at each end of base frame. From 3/4" plywood, cut aprons, 6" by 5' 10 1/2"; attach between side panels, flush with front and top edges. Glue and  nail left front plywood panel, 3/4" thick by 30" wide by 31 1/4" high, to left front of cabinet, (see photo 26). Attach 3/4"-by-6"-by-31 1/4" mounting strip to apron and base frame 9" from right side panel. Right door of counter will be mounted to this (see diagram), The remaining right front surface of the counter will extend behind storage unit. To make counter top, cut a 24"-by-6' piece from 3/4" Novoply and attach to top of side panels and apron, with glue and 6d nails.

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Cut doors from 3/4" Novoply, 15" wide by 29" high. With 1 1/4 piano hinges, mount one door to edge of left front panel, the other to mounting strip, 3" from apron top. For details of piano hinge assembly, see chapter titled, kitchen, photos 15-17.

Fig. C. Front view of sink counter and cabinet.

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Attach a 3/4"-by-3"-by-4'10" Novoply strip with glue and nails, to front of counter, flush with top edge. Cover front strip and counter top with a plastic laminate. Next, place sink rim in position on counter top, mark its location, and make a cutout. For installation of sink, water pipes and drain, consult your plumber.

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Detail A. Two-depth cabinet over sink, from top.

To make cabinet over sink, which is two depths, ™' cut top and bottom pieces from 3/4" plywood, 12" by 5'. Temporarily and evenly tack these two pieces together. Cut out a piece as shown in Detail A, so that left cabinet top and bottom pieces are 27 1/2" wide and 12" deep, and right cabinet top and bottom are 32 1/2 wide and 8" deep. Then separate top and bottom pieces and attach to left side panel, which is 3/4" thick by 12" deep by 31" high. Let left side panel extend 1 1/4" below bottom piece and W2" above the top. Mount right side panel, which is 3/4" thick by 8" deep by 31" high, in the same manner as the left panel. Next, cut a center partition, to divide left and right cabinets, from 3/4" plywood, 12" deep by 31" high. Place between top and      bottom pieces at point where deeper cabinet meets shallow cabinet. In the top back edge of this partition, cut a notch, 3/4" deep and 2" long to accommodate the cabinet mounting strip later. Next, cut top and bottom strips for sliding doors in right cabinet from 3/4" solid wood, 2" wide and 31 1/4" long. In top strip, cut grooves 1/4" wide, 1/2 deep and 5/16" from front, leaving 1/4" space between grooves. In bottom strip, cut grooves 1/4" wide, 1/4" deep and 5/16" from front, leaving 1/4" space between grooves. Top strip grooves are 1/4" deeper to enable you to lift sliding doors into top grooves, then lower into bottom grooves. Next, attach strips with glue and nails, to inside top and bottom of cabinet, flush with front edges. Cut two sliding doors for the right cabinet from 1/4" perforated hard board 16" wide by 27 3/4" high. Cut 3/4"-by-14 3/4"-by-27 3/4" Novoply door and attach to left cabinet with piano hinge.

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Fig. D. Front view of cabinet over sink, which is made in two depths, left 12", right 8".

interior design ideas

Before mounting cabinet to wall, attach 3/4" plywood mounting strip, 2" wide by 4' 10 1/2" long, between side panels at top of cabinet flush with back edge, fitting into notch in center partition  (made in photo 27). Attach cabinet to rear wall, snug against ceiling with 1 1/2" screws through mounting strip into studs. Cut two splashboards of Novoply to fit rear and sidewalls over sink counter and attach to walls with nails. Then cover them with plastic laminate.

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Small left side cabinet, to be mounted flush  against cabinet over sink, is made next. This cabinet is a simple box-frame construction, 36" wide, 12" deep and 31" high, and is made of 3/4" pine plywood. Cut notches in top front edges of both side panels to accommodate a 3/4"-thick-by-4"-wide-by-8' 4 1/2"-long top front piece, which should be attached after cabinet is mounted to wall. A mounting strip, 3/4" by 2" by 341/4", through which cabinet is mounted to wall, is attached between side panels at top of cabinet flush with back.

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Place side cabinet in position against wall. Make sure bottom is flush with bottom of over-sink cabinet and attach to wall with 1 1/2" screws. Cut two doors, 17 1/4" wide and 25" high, from 3/4" Novoply, to be mounted later on piano hinges.

Clothes hamper cabinet, to which laundry chute will be connected, is made next. Cabinet in this project is 45" wide, 231/4" deep, and 36" high. Make cabinet of 3/4" plywood, except for the top piece, top front strip and hamper lid, which are 3/4" Novoply. Begin construction by making a base frame, as in major storage unit, consisting of a front piece, 4" by 45", two side pieces, 4" by 19", back piece, used also as mounting strip, 6" by 45", and piece to serve as cabinet bottom, 23 1/2" by 45". Then, assemble pieces with glue and nails and mount to wall as in major storage unit (photo 9).

Cut a right side panel, 23 1/2" wide by 36" high. In bottorn front edge, cut notch, 4 1/2" wide by 4" high, to make foot recess. In this project, laundry room wall served as the left side panel of hamper cabinet. Mount 3/4"-by-l" plywood cleats to back and left side wall of cabinet, to enable you to attach right side panel and cabinet top to walls. Mount right side panel to base frame and cleats, using glue and 6d nails.

Cut cabinet top piece from 3/4" Novoply to same dimensions as cabinet bottom and mount to right side panel and cleats. Then attach 3"-wide Novoply front and side pieces to cabinet top and right side panel, flush with top. Cut a 45"-wide-by-10"-high bottom front piece from 3/4" plywood and attach it with glue and nails to front of cabinet and right side panel, flush with cabinet bottom. Then, cut front hamper lid of Novoply to fit between cabinet top and bottom front pieces. Make a cutout in top center for handgrip, and attach lid to bottom front piece with piano hinge.

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Cover top piece and top front and sidepieces of hamper cabinet with matching plastic laminate.

To begin laundry chute installation, per cabinet with matching plastic laminate make a cutout in Into which laundry chute will fit. Size of cutout depends on size of laundry chute you choose the chute in this project is 12" by 12".

Next, make connecting floor cutout for laundry chute in a corresponding location upstairs. Either construct a cabinet or choose existing one for  upstairs section of laundry chute. In this project, the kitchen was directly over the laundry and the hole was cut in floor of a kitchen cabinet. First, bore four outlining corner holes for cutout in floor. Make cutout slightly larger in sub flooring and in cabinet bottom.

interior design ideas

interior design ideas

The 12"-by-12" aluminum laundry chute, which was made to size for author by a tinsmith, had a double rim around bottom end so it could be mounted with 3/4" head nails to hamper cabinet top. In the upstairs cabinet, the chute extended 3" above the surface of floor. The corners of 3" excess were cut, the sides folded back, and fastened to bottom of cabinet with 3/4" head nails.

Place a pull-down door on upstairs cabinet, with hinge at bottom, to give easy access to chute and protect children and pets.

To make laundry chute cabinet, which conceals laundry chute and has single sliding door, cut right side panel from 3/4" Novoply, 16" wide by 31" long, notch out top front edge to accommodate top front piece, which is 3/4" Novoply, 4" wide by 45" long. Cut 94"-by-2"-by-31" plywood strip for left side and notch out top front edge. Mount top front piece in notches of right side panel and left strip so top front piece extends 1" above sides. Use glue and nails. Cut top and bottom pieces from 3/4" plywood, 16" wide and 45" long, tack together temporarily and make 13"-square cutout in them, as shown in diagram. Then, separate top and bottom pieces and attach with glue and nails to right side panel, left side strip and top front piece, leaving side pieces extending 1" at top and 2" at bottom.

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Cut vertical partition from 3/4" Novoply, 13" by 31", notch out top back edge to accommodate top back strip and attach to top and bottom pieces with glue and nails. Cut top back strip from 3/4" plywood, 2" wide by 32" long, fit into notch in vertical partition and mount to top and side pieces. Cut front pieces of 3/4" Novoply, 20" by 25", and attach to left front of cabinet with glue and nails. Then, from 3/4" plywood cut a 2"-by-32" strip and mount to back of cabinet bottom and mount a 2"-by-40y2" strip to front of cabinet bottom, keeping both strips flush with outside surfaces (see photo 41).

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Mount laundry chute cabinet in place with 1 1/2 round head screws through top and bottom back strips into studs. A single sliding door, made of Novoply to match other doors in laundry room, is then mounted in place. This door slides behind the stationary left front panel. To install finger grip in door, see photos 20 and 21.

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For additional support, laundry chute cabinet is attached to ceiling through top piece, as well as to wall. Next, to make holes for adjustable shelves, bore 1/4" holes 3/8" deep through a template into sides of cabinet. Set the holes as far apart as you wish, depending on desired location of shelves.

For further details on adjustable shelves, see chapter titled disappearing wallbed, photos 14 and 15.

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To conceal the part of laundry chute that extends be-low cabinet, cut two pieces of 3/4" Novoply to size and mount to visible part of front and side of chute with screws through bottom of hamper cabinet top and inside of laundry chute. Then cover Novoply with a plastic laminate to match counter surfaces of laundry room.

To conceal sliding door track, mount a 3/4 "-by-1" solid wood strip to bottom edge of top front strip of laundry chute cabinet at opening, using 6d finishing nails.

Mount all doors to remaining cabinet with piano hinges. Touch latches were used on all hinged doors in this project. For details on piano hinge assembly, see chapter titled, KITCHEN, photos 15-17.

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Mount pocket door for entrance of laundry room, next. Cut and mount cover strips and mouldings around door jams. Mount door latch in edge of pocket door, as shown in next photo.

To complete this project, attach 3/4"-by-4" plywood front pieces at tops of rear and left sidewalls, wherever they have not already been mounted. The ceiling in this project can be covered with inexpensive 1/4" plywood, to which acoustical ceiling covering can be mounted (author used Cushiontone Tiles). Then, crown mouldings can be attached at top edges of all cabinets and storage unit. If you wish to install a flush light in ceiling as author did in this project, see chapter on lighting techniques.

Hamper is just a step away from washer and dryer, so clothes sent down chute are easily transferred to washing appliances.

interior design ideas

interior design ideas

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