DIY Laundry/Mud Room Refresh {Adding Classic Character}
February 10, 2026
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Mud and laundry room refresh! Removing an old DIY project and adding in more character.
Our laundry and mud room combo got a huge makeover a few years ago -- I moved upper cabinets, installed built in base cabinetry, built a shelf around the washer and dryer and painted/wallpapered the walls.
It's such a pretty space, and we love it! There was one wall that was bugging me, and that was the shiplap wall I had installed shortly after moving in:
After the big makeover, the lines on that wall just felt off to me and were too busy with all of the changes. With each month it bugged me more and more...so I planned to remove the shiplap.
The plan turned into a bunch of additional DIY projects. Par for the course with me!
I started by pulling the shiplap down, repairing the wall (that was way more work than I thought it would be) and then started painting the walls.
While I was at it, I added Craftsman trim to the top and bottom of the window in this room:
I also decided it was a great time to replace all of the baseboards. I'm working my way through the house to beef up the trim:
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Our baseboards in here were always filthy from the fuzz and dust. I couldn't get them clean, no matter what I tried!
I did some research and found out it's next to impossible to keep baseboards clean that are caulked after paint. The dust and dirt will stick to the caulked areas like glue.
I'm pretty sure this is how they were ALL done throughout the house, so that's super awesome! 😂
After installing and caulking the new baseboards, I made sure to do another coat of paint on top to prevent that from happening again.
The new paint and millwork were a breath of fresh air! Now that all those lines are gone on this wall, it feels so much calmer in here:
Those were the big projects! Once I knocked those out, I focused on a couple of smaller ones as well.
I had some scrap wood leftover from the baseboards, so I cut it to size and then added these screw in wood pegs to create a spot to hang a few items:
Usually we have the dog harness and leash hanging here, but I made it a little prettier for you. :)
I painted those in a semi gloss finish (in the same Pachyderm paint color as the walls).
Next up, I wanted to replace the basic wood stained trim around the DIY chalkboard on our drywall:
That was one of the first DIY projects I tackled in our home after moving in more than eight years ago.
We still love the chalkboard -- it's great for grocery lists and we usually find fun messages written after parties. :)
I removed the stained trim and saved it for a future project (can't wait to show you!) and then replaced it with simple wood 1x4's painted white:
I made the same Craftsman topper as I use on windows and doors for the chalkboard -- I love how it ties in that detail. The white is so fresh and bright -- so much better!
The last little tweak in here was the new sconce over the chalkboard:
The milk glass and brass on this fixture is so pretty. So lovey!
Other than the freshly painted walls, the rest of the room stayed the same:
After installing all of that trim, the whole room needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. I got the ladder out and vacuumed/wiped down almost every surface.
Just taking down the shiplap wall turned into a much bigger refresh than I planned, but I'm so glad I did all of the additional projects!
Here's this view before I started:
Now it's a calmer space:
The thicker, bright white molding was so worth all of the work!
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| See my tips for painting interior doors black. |
You can see how I made the "It's good to be home" art here!
Thankfully the only cost in this room refresh was for the wood pegs and a couple of eight foot lengths of the baseboard -- I had some trim leftover from my office makeover and the wall paint was from our dining room. I had just enough left!
My last project in this room is to clean and seal the grout -- it's not supposed to be dark gray. 😏 I've wanted to do this for years and this room won't feel finished until I get that done.
I'll share that process with you as well!
Please let me know if you have questions about projects or items in this room. You can see the first makeover with all of the linked projects here, and can find most of the items/decor in this room here.
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