#DIY Laundry Room Bench

     This year is off to a great start!  I've already cleaned out so much excess=8 garbage bags and 2 boxes are being donated, plus a bunch of garbage (broken items) have been recycled or thrown away.  It feels so good to do this, yet it's taking forever.  The little ones make it hard to get a goal completed in one day and when everyone is home, we're just enjoying family time.  So as slow as it is, I know that I need to keep working on my goals and clear our house and my sanity!  So far, the laundry room and kitchen have been cleared.  We keep all of our winter gear, sewing and craft items, and board games in the laundry room.  Our kitchen also houses a bunch of craft items and toys.   The difficulty is figuring out what to get rid of and how to better organize what we're keeping.  I'm feeling really good about all of it.  The only downside is that our garage is full of stuff to donate! 

     While I was working in the laundry/mud room.  We made a few changes to it.  We got rid of the shelf above the washer and dryer and installed some cabinets.  It made for better storage and looks so much nicer. We got the cabinetry from my parents' old home, but there's a bunch for sale in Rockford's Habitat ReStore* and some are being given away at Freecycle*!  (we've gotten some of our lighting from the Habitat ReStore) I also took a short cabinet and decided that it would make a great bench.  I did end up turning it upside down, so that the handles would be at the top instead of at the ground! 

     Now we have a bench but need a bench top.  Ryan used some plywood that we had and cut it out to fit on top of the bench.  He wanted it to fit inside of the cut out at the top of the bench, but I asked him not to.  In hind sight, his idea would have been better- then there would be more support for the bench top.  However, it still works!  I then bought some foam at Walmart to add to the plywood.  I saw some foam at Joann's that was really thick and super nice, but also more pricey.  Instead, I bought the rolled up foam at Walmart and just doubled it up.  I used some leftover material and covered the foam and plywood and attached with staples.  Super easy and I only had to buy the foam!

I just had to get my little lady in there.  I distracted
her with lunch, otherwise she was all over the project!

     I'm thinking about painting the cabinetry, but I'm really nervous about it!  I'm worried that if I don't like it, then I can't get the stain back...without a ton of work.  So that project might take a while.  I'm also thinking that I'm going to take some scrap wood and put them under the plywood to add a little support.  Since our plywood wasn't super thick it does bow a little in the middle.  I think that with the extra support, we won't have any problems if the kids climb onto the bench and stand on it.  Which....they've already done!  Somehow they seem to know when something is new and instinctively know what not to do, yet do it anyway!

Try to make sure your corners are tight and clean
before you start stapeling them.

That's my model!

*The Habitat ReStore is a place to donate all things home related that work (cabinets, sinks, toilets, windows, lighting, etc).  The ReStore then sells them and uses the money to fund Habitat For Humanity houses!  The Rockford Habitat ReStore is located in the old North Towne Mall on Riverside and N. Main.

*The Freecycle program is found all around the country.  The Illinois Freecycle is divided up into major cities.  You can post items that you are offering for free and items that you want.  All items must be free.  The program is hoping to recycle items instead of having them put into the landfills!