Sausha’s Washer/Dryer Pedestals

A washer/dryer pedestal made of wood to bring your front load laundry system to a back-friendly height. Special thanks to Sausha for her photos.

Dimensions

Dimensions:

Dimensions:

One of the best parts of DIY is that you can get exactly what you want, fit to your space. The dimensions above are based off Sausha’s washer dryer pedestal, and are designed to fit a standard laundry basket. Note that standard washer and dryer pedestals are approximately 13″ tall – so this one is a tad taller. If you have the space and are concerned about the laundry system wobbling off, just make the platform larger. Built to suit the needs of your space and your requirements.

Materials and Tools

Shopping List:

2 – sheet of 3/4″ MDF or Plywood
5 – 2×4 @ 8 feet long
1 – 4×4 post @ 4 feet long (you can also use 2x4s laminated together – just add another 2×4 to your list)
1 – stick of base cap moulding like this @ 6 feet long
4 – Angle Brackets like these
3″ screws
2″ Screws
Glue
Finish Nails
Wood Filler
Sandpaper

Tools:

measuring tape

square

pencil

hammer

safety glasses

hearing protection

drill

circular saw

compound miter saw

nailer

sander

level

countersink drill bit

Cut List

Cut List:

10 – 2×4 @ 25″ (Joists)
4 – 2×4 @ 60″ (Sides of Floor)
2 – 3/4″ Plywood or MDF @ 28″ x 60″ (Decking)
4 – 4×4 Posts (or 8 2x4s) @ 11″ (Posts)
moulding cut to fit

Step 1

Floors

You are basically going to build two mini floors for this project. The top floor need to be built as shown above. The bottom floor you can skip the center joists – unless you plan on storing gold in those laundry baskets. Use glue and 3″ screws. I do apologize for making the joists 25″ long instead of 24″ (would have conserved more lumber) but this length is necessary for the application. 2x4s are cheap too.

Step 2

Decking

Every floor needs decking, so screw the plywood to the top of the 2x4s.

Step 3

Corner Angles

This step is just because I have an old school washer and dryer that stomps out of the laundry room whenever I overloaded it. But the angles are cheap and will make your life easier. Screw down with 2″ screws.

Step 4

Attach Legs

Attach the legs to the top (the floor with the most supports) and screw down. If you can, add a few screws toenailed in as well.

Step 5

Bottom Floor

Now the bottom floor will be much easier to attach. Just screw down (and glue).

Step 6

Trim

I’m not going to give measurements here because the trim needs to match the legs exactly. You will need to miter the trim around the legs. Attach with glue and finish nails.

Finishing Instructions

Finish Used:

Sausha trimmed everything out with another layer of MDF. If you are good with a table saw this can really give you that finished look. Otherwise, I recommend patience, and a whole tub of wood filler. More details on Sausha’s finish here. Thanks Sausha!

I dared not tackle this project, because there is no right reason for me to part with my Sam's Club top loader washer and still-going-but-a-tad-noisy-dryer. Yes, they do date back to the last century, but here's where my old school laundry system schools any new washer and dryer - you can fix it [2]. But . . . . that's about it, and I knew if I started on a Washer and Dryer Pedestal plan, I'd be thinking in terms of platinum, red or that new teal color . . . and that's just not sensible for us right now. Hmmmm . . . do they have pink out yet? Gotta stop thinking that way!

So my friend, and ubberly-talented-I-want-to-be-her-when-I-grow-up Sausha [3] offered to let us hack her amazing Washer and Dryer Pedestal. [4]

[2]

Beauty, function, simplicity. All of the things I love about a piece of furniture.

Was not kidding about Sausha's talents. You can see her entire laundry room and learn about all the decor items and projects here. [5]

[6]

Sausha’s Washer/Dryer Pedestals

Home DIY [7], Closets [8], storage and organization [9], Intermediate [10], $100-$150 [11], farmhouse [12]