How My Washer and Dryer Got Their Groove Back

Hope you all had a great New Year!  I've been in a bit of a painting frenzy of late, so I thought I would share my latest project via a second guest post.  In the spirit of taking what you have and making it more asthetically pleasing (and similar to my first guest post which you can see here) I have taken a roller to my......gasp......yep, my washer and dryer.  Let me explain why.

Below is a shot of my laundry room when I moved in last June.  Not only was this my first time ever having a washer and dryer in my home, it was my first laundry room.  I was in love.  I blame this blinding love for being unable to see some of the room's shortcomings.

A.  The walls were lime sherbet.  Sure, you could argue that this made the space more bright and cheerful.  However, if you know me well, you are acutely aware that I have a severe color aversion when it comes to home decor. Grays and beiges are my jam.  The perfect greige is even better. (Yes, that's a word.  I'm actually a little perplexed that it is showing up on spell check.)  Need I say it?  The sherbet had to go.  Plus, my home is over a century old and therefore clearly offended by this color....

Enter the never ending paint samples.  Here's the catch. Even though I knew I was looking for a perfect neutral for the room, that still equates to about 300 options.  I wish I was kidding.  Add in my fear of commitment to a paint color.

#imahotpaintsamplemess.

I settled on Valspar's metropolis.  It looked fairly gray.  Good enough for me.

Fast forward several hours (and two coats) later.

I also removed all of the shelving above the washer and dryer.  I couldn't reach most of it anyway...

Not bad, eh?  A little more purple than I had anticipated, but I think I found the culprit.  If you have a discriminating eye, you'll notice the ceiling color.  Yep, it's also sherbet.  Curses.  There's not much that I dislike more in life than painting ceilings; ask my mom. Nevertheless, it had to be done.  So out came the 'paint on purple but dries white' ceiling paint.  Gosh I love this stuff.

Since I was up on the ladder anyway, I also painted my black chandelier with the same ORB paint that I had from the Ikea hack post. After I wiped it down, of course.  It was sporting quite the dust coating. I used Frog tape to cover up the white "candlestick" portion and protect the electrical components.  I also swapped out my chandy shades.  Pictures to follow at the bottom.

B.  On to the next item on my laundry room pet peeve list (and why you are probably reading this in the first place).  Upon close inspection you'll notice some flaws on my washer and dryer.  Clarification:  Holy scratchfest, Batman! And it looks like someone bruised my washer.  I had a bad case of washer and dryer abuse on my hands.

Here's the good news.  They both work great.  The bad news? When they stop working, replacing them will be no easy feat.  The elevator opening at my place is only 2 feet wide and the back stairs are only slightly more forgiving, so I need these babies to hang on for awhile.  As I saw it, the only option I had was to paint them.  Scary.

There are a handful of posts online about how to do this.  Most are much more elaborate with cute polka dots and bold color.  That was terrifying to me; I love greige, remember?  So I decided to paint them white.  Shocking.  But before I did, taking a cue from my mom and sister, I first cleaned out the ventilation pipe to my dryer and took the face off as well to clean out the lint. I found this tutorials to be the most simple to follow http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Clothes-Dryer-Vent  This tutorial was best for taking your dryer apart http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Repair/Appliance-Repair/dryer-lint-cleaning-tips/View-All  

Below is the before and after of my dryer vent.    Quite the lint filled plaque I had developing!  #ilovenerdhumor

I kept the bottom portion of the dryer open.  It was easier to paint that way.

I pulled out my small foam roller, primer from the Ikea hack project and the white paint I used on the window inside my guest shower.  (Gotta love older homes!)

The next big decision:  do I paint that little plastic cover for the lint trap?

Quick call to my life consultant/sister, Lindsey.  Her opinion?  "It looks yellow. You should paint it.  Just keep the lid open so that it doesn't dry shut."  #brilliant  

Here's the dryer after a coat of primer.  Lookin' better already....

I also painted the yellowing laminate pieces at the top of the washer and dryer.

Washer after primer...

Ready for the big reveal?

I can't even find the original "bruise" mark.

A million times better!  I was too generous with the paint thickness; next time I'd use thinner coats.

Here's the room as is today.  Don't mind the tools on the dryer; I'm waiting for my cordless drill to charge so I can hang my ironing board a la YHL.  A couple more projects and the room will be done.  For now.

I still have to paint the inside cubby that houses the water hook ups.  I also need to figure out what to do with the open space above the washer and dryer as well as the floor (which explains the paint samples under the drying rack.)  The yellow wood floor....I'm at a loss for words....   What are your ideas? Have you painted wood floor before?  Any tips?