We went over budget. Our first mistake for our laundry room makeover was buying the butcher block from Ikea. Did you know ikea’s butcher block isn’t butcher block? It is a particle board. The second mistake is that I arguable bought too much of it.
I bought 1 island size piece of 72″x42″ and 2 counter size pieces of 74″ x 25 5/8″. In hindsight I would’ve done 1 island size piece and 1 counter size piece. But in hindsight hindsight I would’ve purchased real butcher block or made it myself.
We ended up using the second counter sized for the waterfall look that I do really love! So all isn’t lost. We just have a lot of waste.
The Ikea cost with tax was $569.69
- The island piece – $229
- The counter piece – $149 each
Obviously, this was the most expensive part of the project and in hindsight I would do it differently. Not only was it pricey it was HEAVY! And my plan to use the extra as the cleats wasn’t feasible because it wasn’t real butcher block.
Then there were a number of other costs:
- A pocket hole jig system – $99.97 (this was a non negotiable for me because I didn’t want a bunch of screws in my countertop!)
- 3″ wood screws – $11.45
- 2.5″ wood screws – $9.97 (we bought both sizes because we weren’t sure which was the right size)
- 2 2x4s for the cleats – $7.44
- Wood Putty – $3.68 (This was to seal anywhere the got nicked and the space we thought the waterfall countertop might create)
- Sandpaper – $9.94 (we bought two different grits for sanding the cleats)
- 4 heavy duty steal brackets – $59.12 (We got the 12″ size and cut off the little lip for a 16″ shelf)
- Black spray paint – $0.98 (when we cut the lip of the bracket the exposed piece was silver and we spray painted it black)
- Heavy duty screws for brackets – $3.50
- Diablo saw blade – $3.57 (This was a specific blade to cut the brackets. My brother already had the saw)
So the total cost to get our laundry room makeover to this point was $779.31. This was my first BIG project as a home owner and I know that I made a lot of mistakes. And I KNOW I could’ve done it for much less. Already I know I could’ve bought a piece of nice plywood from Home Depot for about $60 that could’ve been used both for the countertop and for the bookshelf. Despite all of that I am so happy about how it turned out! Now I get to get baskets and decorate!
Another thing I’ve learned is to take before photos! There is no way for me to describe to you exactly how impractical this space was before!
