On another episode of DIY with Ry, we take on a laundry room refresh. We bought our house brand new in 2018 and love it. However, it is builder grade. We are very much into homes with character, so decor and additions are what do the trick for us. We’ve been wanting to redo the laundry room a bit and finally took our first big step. We added a faux butcher block counter above our front loading washer and dryer.
Depending on your budget a butcher block might be beautiful, but out of the question. I was shocked to find how expensive these were. Anywhere from Ikea, to The Home Depot, to Menard’s, they still run you anywhere from $200-$900 depending on size. I was getting very discouraged when suddenly I stopped mid scroll on Instagram. A friend of mine was making a coffee table top in a workshop with three wood planks and voila, the idea came to me. Let’s make out own butcher block counter!
Materials
- Pine planks, we used (4) 2x6x8s but really you will have to figure out what width will work best for you.
- Pine (1) 1x3x8
- Wood Glue
- Minwax Polyshades— we used the color tudor. (This was easy to do, but did come with a shinier finish than I would have liked, you could opt for a regular stain but would need to seal it somehow so that laundry detergent and other things don’t eat away the stain.)
- Shelf brackets (4) that hold up to 200 lbs each, however if we were to do it again we would use 1×4’s along the wall like this
- Anchors and screws
- Wood Filler
- Power Drill
- Screw Driver
- Power Hand Sander
- Power Hand Planer (optional but we’re so happy we have this tool now!)
- Wood Clamp
- Foam brushes
- Level
Directions
- Measure width and depth of space you want to build counter top for
- Cut down pine planks at 1/2 an inch less of the width of your space
- Cut pine 1x3x8 down in to 3 pieces that are 6 inches less of the depth of your space
- Double check that all your planks fit correctly in your space
- If you have a planing tool you can plane all the sides down so that they are as square as possible
- Glue all planks together and clamp until dry
- Using the three cut 1x3s secure the wood planks with short screws. Place one piece perpendicular in the center and two on either side in the same direction.
- Flip over the table top and sand with electric hand sander.
- Notice gaps and dips and fill in with wood filler. Allow to dry
- Sand table again until smooth.
- Use foam brush to stain table top. Allow to dry and continue to stain until reached desired outcome
- Place shelf brackets on walls only about 1/2 more than the width of the tabletop including the 1×3 underneath. Use anchors included. Make sure all brackets are level.
- Once tabletop has dried for 24 hours (or like us, dry enough to grab) place on top of brackets.
BEFORE + AFTER
This project was really fun and not terribly difficult. I am so happy to have the first step of my dream laundry room complete! Next up, wallpaper, maybe some tile work (or faux tile work). I want to remove that bar (because it is not useable! Maybe come up with a different option to air dry clothes and definitely want a new hamper. Cannot wait to show you guys how this all looks when it is actually complete! Don’t hesitate to message me or comment if you want any help with your own DIY butcher block.
Until the next project,
