The Do’s and Don’ts of Laundry Room Cabinets

Are you thinking of upgrading your laundry room cabinets?

In this article, we’ll go over 3 laundry room cabinet dos:

1. Make use of vertical space with upper cabinets
2. Choose a durable finish
3. Customize cabinets to your needs

And 3 laundry room cabinet don’ts:

1. DIY reface or remodel cabinets
2. Forget about lighting
3. Be afraid to get bold and creative

Like the ones in your kitchen, upper cabinets in your laundry room give you extra space to easily access home goods and laundry supplies.

We’ll list the standard sizing for most upper laundry room cabinets:

• Depth: 12–14 inches
• Width: 9–48 inches
• Height: At least 18 inches above countertops

That said, you can customize laundry room cabinet sizes to your specific needs and preferences.

Your laundry room is going to see a lot of moisture (even in Phoenix)—especially if you have a sink. That means you’ll want a durable finish that can handle getting wet.

Our cabinet experts recommend going with a waterborne coating. These coatings are waterproof and last for years to come. In fact, the coating we use at Cabinet Coatings is so durable, we guarantee it won’t chip, crack, or fade for 5 years after we apply it.

If you’re thinking about veneers, we’ll warn you that they tend to start peeling or bubbling when they come into contact with a lot of moisture. Since veneers are adhered on top of the cabinet base material, water can eventually seep in between the veneer and the cabinet, causing the base material to get waterlogged and ruin the veneer finish.

Learn more about why we’d never use veneers on your cabinets.

The best thing about remodeling your laundry room cabinets is that you can include features that will make doing laundry less of a chore.

For example, if you:

• Have a lot of delicate clothing, you can install drawers that have pull-out drying racks to help dry your clothing flat.
• Have items you need to hand wash and then hang, install an extra-sized cabinet with plenty of hanging space or racks above the washer and dryer.
• Prefer not to have your laundry basket sitting out in the open, a pull-out rack in the bottom cabinet that holds your basket will keep it out of sight.

Wondering how much a laundry room remodel will cost? To get an idea of how much you can expect to pay, visit our blog, “How Much Does it Cost to Remodel a Laundry Room in Arizona?”

Now, we’ll get into the don’t for laundry room cabinets.

If you’re new to refacing or remodeling laundry room cabinets, we wouldn’t recommend doing the job yourself.

If you haven’t done the work before, it’s easy to miss little details that can make your everyday life a real nuisance.

For example, if you want your washer and dryer to sit beneath a countertop, you’ll need to make sure:

• Any other cabinets to the left or right of the units are far enough away to clear the washer and dryer doors—so the doors don’t hit anything when they open.
• The cabinet boxes are deep enough to fit the units, which are deeper than most prefabricated bottom cabinet boxes. Otherwise, the units will stick out from the countertop.

For that reason, we recommend hiring a professional for any laundry room remodels. Like ours at Cabinet Coatings, cabinet experts have been remodeling laundry rooms for years and have the knowledge and insight to design a laundry room specifically suited to your needs.

Learn more about why you should never attempt a DIY refacing in our blog.

Good lighting goes a long way, especially for rooms that don’t often have windows to let in natural light—like many laundry rooms.

In the laundry room, you could install:

• Under-cabinet lighting to help brighten any workspaces. Under-cabinet lighting can also be dimmed to make the space feel cozy.
• Above cabinet lighting to add a bit of ambiance to the space. Above cabinet lighting won’t brighten the room much while you’re in it (since it’s essentially lighting the ceiling), but will add a soft glow that accents the space.

Who said all laundry rooms had to consist of neutral walls and white cabinet doors? You spend a fair amount of time in the laundry room—you might as well get creative with the decor.

To give you a couple of ideas, you could:

• Choose a bold, bright cabinet color. Going with deep teal or dark blue will add a pop of color and allow you to use the cabinets as a design focal point.
• Install open shelving. Open shelving is a great way to showcase your household goods. You can also add some texture by organizing your goods in wicker or wire baskets.

For more laundry room cabinet ideas, check out our blog.