Oak Laundry Cabinets

I can check another project off my to-do list! These oak cabinets are installed above the washer and dryer in an alcove. This project had been designed and redesigned umpteen times over the years. I finally came up with an idea that I liked but didn’t have any hardwood plywood on hand. I looked over the sheets of tongue-and-groove plywood Sturd-I-Floor that I had and realized I could make do with it. Since only one side would be visible, I was able to have the knot-free side showing. It actually was easier to get sanded nicely since I didn’t have to worry about sanding through paper-thin veneer.

The four cathedral doors had been left over from a kitchen project from 40 years ago. I was able to get an exact match of the stain from the remainder of a pint I inherited when Dad sold the farm a couple years ago. The stain was probably more than 40 years old, too. (When we get old, 40 years ago seems like yesterday.)

I first fitted the two outside cabinets; then made the center cabinet to fit the opening. The center cabinet projects 2½ inches from the others.

To get the outside stiles scribed correctly, before assembling the frame I taped each one to a level, then added a drill bit of the proper size to the level and scribed my line. It was a lot easier than scribing the frame after the cabinet was made.

I attached a shelf to the wall to set the cabinets on to make it doable for me. Even though the cabinets (minus doors) were not really heavy, filling the four screw holes in the drywall was much easier than juggling cabinets while aligning and screwing them to the wall.

The hardest part of the project was coping the crown molding. I couldn’t figure out a good way to clamp a 2½-inch piece and have room to angle the coping saw adequately. I should have coped it from a larger piece and then cut it to size . . . but I got it done . . . finally. Live and Learn!

Thanks for looking!

L/W