Mrs. (Mis)Adventure: Laundry and Water Heater Closet Renovation

The laundry room was part of a later addition to the original floorplan of the house. When we purchased the house, the laundry room, located adjacent to the kitchen, contained two different patterns of vinyl flooring. The walls are covered in pine paneling which were painted cream. The water heater closet (aka the future pantry) is accessed through the laundry area.

Water Heater Closet when we purchased the house

When the contractors had gutted the bathroom, they had to also remove a portion of the flooring that was in the laundry room and water heater closet - the two rooms that butted up against the bathroom. The flooring in these areas had received previous water damage and was severely rotted so were glad to have these areas replaced prior to moving into the home.

Laundry Room. Old wiring removed.

Like the rest of the house, the laundry and closet/future pantry were rewired and replumbed. We kept the existing water heater as it appeared to be in good shape, but I must admit that when we moved I was sad to leave our tankless hot water heater behind. Hot showers that last forever are now a distant memory. :(

New supply and waste pipe in the Laundry room

The walls of the water heater closet were also pine paneling, but unlike the laundry room, they were unpainted. The contractors salvaged the boards in the closet to patch boards that had to be removed in other areas of the house due to the electrical work and closing in a broom closet door. The drywall installers put up new drywall in the water heater closet and the laundry ceiling.

Boards from the Water Heater Closet were used to cover the former broom closet door

Prior to the tile installation, The Mister primed and painted the pantry and the laundry room ceiling Behr Premium Ultra Pure White.

During the tile installation, The Mister and my Father-In-Law spent a long, cold weekend installing new ceramic tile in the laundry, pantry, and bathroom. We had purchased the Ditra underlayment system from HomeDepot hoping that it would allow us to lay tile directly over the existing floor in the laundry room. We had only the weekend to complete 200 sf of tile before the contractors returned on Monday morning to continue their work. The Mister worked from Friday after work to Monday morning to get the tile installed, grouted, and sealed. It was exhausting and we are so grateful to my FIL for showing us the steps to tackle tile and for assisting us with the installation and performing all of the tile cuts. The Mister and FIL worked tirelessly to get all of the tile cut, laid, and grouted before the contractors returned to work on Monday morning. They worked long into the night installing tile by lamp light as the overhead lights were not yet connected in the house. My FIL even cut the tiles by flashlight as the exterior lights were also disconnected! I am so thankful for these dedicated men!

When the contractors returned to the jobsite, they reinstalled the water heater and connected the overhead lights. No other work was performed in the Laundry room and Water Heater closet until we moved into our home.