Is the ugly box for your washing machine’s hoses visible in your laundry room? This simple DIY will cover up washer hookups beautifully!
Every laundry room is laid out a little differently, isn’t it?
AnnMarie and I used the same builder for our homes but we have different floor plans.
Her laundry room is on her first floor and mine is upstairs.
When she installed gorgeous shiplap walls in her laundry room, she just cut the wood to go around the washer hookup box.
The box was placed behind her washing machine.
I’m not sure what our builder was thinking when they installed my hookup box!
If we placed the washing machine to cover the hookup, then the dryer vent hose would be exposed.
As you can see in the picture below, we opted to leave the washer hookup box exposed.
And then we did what any good DIY couple would do: we built a box to cover up the washer hookups!
Because that ugly box did not go with the French country laundry room vibe I envisioned.
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Ways to Hide a Washing Machine Hook-up
Our builder also put the outlet for the washing machine up high on the wall, even further from the washer than the hookups!
What on earth were they thinking?
We had to modify the drying rack we built to accommodate that outlet, including cutting a hole in the bottom for the cord.
When we started to plan how to hide the laundry room plumbing, we knew we wanted it to look good, be inexpensive, and to be safe.
We had some trim left over from building the window valance and enclosing the space over the cabinets.
And some beadboard left from the DIY drying rack and my garage drop zone project.
Not having a mud room or drop zone was the only downside to having the laundry room on the bedroom level.
But we created a space in our garage that’s been wonderful, complete with lots of shoe shelving, hooks, and a bench.
I digress.
Let’s get back to how we covered the washer hookup box.
Is it Safe to Cover a Washing Machine Hook-up?
There are a few things to consider before covering up the plumbing for your washing machine.
First off, remember one of the reasons why those hook-ups are there!
They’re not just to connect your washing machine to water.
They’re also there so you can turn off the water in case something goes wrong and your machine begins to flood.
Did you know that one of the top causes of floods in homes are issues with the washing machine?!??
Our washer hookup box is also where our washer’s drain connects so we definitely need to be able to get to them quickly!
Next, you need to make sure that your solution doesn’t crimp any of the hoses.
While you’re at it, you might also want to replace any rubber hoses with burst proof braided steel washing machine hoses.
Building a Box to Cover the Washer Hookups
The he of we built a box.
It’s just a simple box.
We nailed some beadboard on the front to coordinate with the drying rack.
To leave room for the hoses: we cut out a section on the side of the box.
I know the inside isn’t painted and neither is that cut out, but I didn’t bother with those spots because no one will ever see it!
And by the time we got to this point in the laundry room makeover, I was so over painting.
Here’s another view of the washer hookup box.
At the top, there are two holes which are how the box hangs on the wall.
After hanging the box, we realized we needed another little notch for the electrical cord.
A drill bit did the job.
The box is super easy to remove if we ever have a leak and need to turn off the water.
It’s actually pretty secure.
The shelf over the washer and dryer is where the pretty stuff all sits.
Now those hoses just blend into the background.
And the laundry room plumbing is virtually invisible.
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Ways to Prevent a Flood in Your Laundry Room
No one wants a flood in their home!
There are three things you can do to help reduce the chance of a flood or potential damage if one happens.
First, a lot of washers come with rubber hoses that can burst.
We replaced the rubber hoses with braided steel hoses that are burst proof.
You can also get an anti-flood pan for your washer to sit in that helps contain the water and protect your floor if a flood happens.
Since my laundry room is on the second floor, our builder included one of these pans with our home, but if they hadn’t, the $60 would absolutely be worth the peace of mind!
Recently, I’ve been looking into installing one of these washing machine leak detectors with an automatic shut-off.
I’ll be sure to share how that goes if we do!
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment.
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