So, no one actually enjoys doing laundry, right? I mean the entire process. I don’t much mind the washing and folding part but it takes a miracle for me to actually put away my clothes within a reasonable amount of time. By reasonable, I mean within a week. Or two. I always promise myself I’m going to change my ways and never do. If you haven’t figured it out by my super subtle hints, I’m sharing with you today something about laundry. No, I haven’t invented a machine to do it all for you but I did come up with a pretty cute industrial inspired laundry cart.
Before I can get to the new one, I have to share with you the reason WHY I needed a new one.
I’ve had this beast since at least junior high. More than likely, I’ve had it since elementary school. It’s a bit ridiculous to have it that long, I know, but it has held up all these years so I didn’t see a need to get a new one. So, if it’s held up, why am I replacing it? Well…my closet rod could not withstand the weight of my clothes and came crashing down on top of the cart and kind of broke it. I tried and tried to find something in the stores and even online that was similar in size without being too expensive. I couldn’t find a single hamper on wheels anywhere! Everything was a double or triple hamper which I just didn’t need or want so I could save space in my closet. It was then that I decided my only option was to make one.
I knew I was going to reuse the bag on the hamper so I had to make my dimensions the same. Being a fan of the industrial look, I decided to make an iron pipe frame. Actually, I’m too cheap for iron pipe and it would have been overkill for this project so I employed the faux iron pipe trick you see all over Pinterest – painted PVC pipe. PVC is super inexpensive and a good substitute for non-weight bearing projects. By taking the measurements of my existing cart, I figured out what I would need in PVC. I chose to use ¾” PVC and purchased three 5’ pieces (because the next size up, 10’, wouldn’t fit in my car). This allowed me to cut four 24” pieces, two 16” pieces, and two 8” pieces for my frame. You’ll also need four outside elbow fittings and four flanges to fit a ¾” pipe to connect the frame to the base. I chose the galvanized flanges because I liked the look and there was nothing comparable (or cheaper) in PVC.
I started by cutting all the of the pieces down to size. There are hand saws designed to cut PVC but they take a while. You can simply use a miter saw to make quick work of them. If you are using a premade bag, you’ll want to assemble the frame and make sure the bag fits before you move on. Trust me. I didn’t do this and had to make some adjustments after I thought I was finished. The smart next step is to have (or keep) the frame assembled then paint them. The pieces will slide together easier this way. You can always do it the harder like I did and paint them before trying to put them together.
Any time I’m painting PVC or metal, I always use a three step process. I start with a bonding primer to help my paint adhere.
Next, I use whichever spray paint the project calls for. For this one, I used Rustoleum hammered black spray paint to mimic a metal look.
I finish with a clear coat spray as an extra barrier from paint chipping.
While the paint dried, I worked on my base. I wanted it thick and chunky so I used 2x4s. I had some scrap pieces but if you didn’t have any at home, you would only need one 8’ board. I cut my 2×4 pieces to 22” long then distressed them. There are any number of ways to do this but I used a hammer, a drill, and a heavy chain to distress mine.
When I was satisfied with the distressing, I stained them all with Minwax Dark Walnut then glued them together.
The base looks so good on its own that I actually really hated that it was going to be covered by a laundry bag. Oh well, I’ll be sure to make something else that has the same look.
Now my favorite part – assembly! With the PVC frame together, attach the flanges and position the frame on top of the base. I prefer to mark and pre-drill holes to make sure I have whatever I’m attaching positioned correctly when it’s time to screw it in place. For this project, I used a pencil to mark the holes in the flanges then drilled holes at the marks.
To attach the flanges to the base, I used drywall screws.
Sounds a bit wonky but the screws were black and matched everything else so they’ll work perfectly.
If you’re frame has attracted all kinds of sawdust like mine, take a dryer sheet and run over the whole thing. It will take that dust right off.
Now we need to get this thing mobile! While perusing D. Lawless Hardware one day to see what I just couldn’t live without, I found these super cute casters. The antiqued brass and black was a perfect addition. And even better, they were so inexpensive! Only $3.49 each!
I’m just going to take a minute here and profess my love for D. Lawless Hardware. They have a great selection and the prices are hard to beat. Customer service is top notch as well. No, this is not a paid sponsorship. I just really like this business. Anytime I need hardware, from pulls to casters to drawer slides, this is my first stop.
Back to the laundry cart. Just attach your casters in the corners but be cognizant of the screw placement from the flanges.
Check out the difference between the old cart and the new one. They just don’t even compare!
Put your bag on and fill it up with all the dirty laundry!
With this new laundry cart, I guess I need to finally get started on my closet overhaul…
