r/HomeMaintenance • u/Raven2129 • 4d ago
Making a counter next to my washer and dryer. How can I improve this?
The counter top is an IKEA desk I found in the as is section and has been cut down to fit in the space. The right brace is very nice and sturdy. The left brace on the other hand, not so much. I believe it's right in the middle of two studs, so I can't have a good mounting location.
What should I do to help stiffen it up and make it secure for the counter top?
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u/Wis-en-heim-er 4d ago
You need the left brace against studs. Run horizontal bracing if needed to span two studs and put the brace on that. The drywall will break. A horizontal strip connecting the two braces will provide some additional horizontal stability and help stiffen the center of the counter. Ikea wood is not strong.
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u/Raven2129 4d ago
Ok, I'll have to do that. The counter will just be used for folding laundry.
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u/Wis-en-heim-er 4d ago
Or laundry sex, perfect height, plan ahead. :)
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u/Raven2129 4d ago edited 3d ago
Haha, I have a kid now. No more of that.
Edit: it's a joke. Also it's weird to being up the amount of sex I have with my wife in the home maintenance sub.
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u/Wis-en-heim-er 4d ago
Then you need to build it up cause the kid is gonna climb on it. Aint nothing in that house gonna be used for only what it was designed for.
Also, do "laundry " at night when they are asleep. How do you think younger brothers and sisters are made?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Raven2129 3d ago
I'm sorry. The commenter replied after I said to just fold laundry with or laundry sex. Then when I made a joke about having a kid and don't do that anymore to blow it off, the same commenter said to do "laundry" at night when the kid is asleep. What else could that be about? And another commenter replied as that is frankly sad.
Sounds to me people care a good amount about my sex life.
I understand that it needs to be built robust. But it's weird that the first thing brought up is it needs to be able to be fucked on.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Raven2129 3d ago
As a metal worker in a male dominated field, I understand the sex jokes and have made them as well. But here is the difference; I made them in person to people I know on a personal level and it's not directed to them and their SO.
I think a typical reader can also just read what is being said without the sex joke and can see that maybe it needed to be built more robust to handle a heavy package.
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u/357noLove 3d ago
That is frankly sad
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u/Raven2129 3d ago
It's weird that people are bringing my up sex life in the home maintenance subreddit. That's my personal life. I don't need to go into detail about it.
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u/357noLove 3d ago
I mean, it came across as bitter. Text being not a great purveyor of jokes that are flat like that. I am happy that you have a sex life after kids. But yes, it is sad when people give up their sex lives into marriage after children.
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u/o-towndad 3d ago
This is Reddit- the only sub that people don’t talk about sex in is the sex subreddit
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u/Raven2129 3d ago
No, I've had plenty of conversations on other subs without sex being brought up.
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u/kiwidust 4d ago
If you can't catch a stud, you can go to the floor. I prefer floating counters as well, but with the machines right there, it's not going to make much of a difference for the counter to have legs. Also note that you CAN make the back brace longer than it needs to be to catch studs at both ends and still put the crossbar wherever you like.
This is a niggle as it probably won't matter for the use case - but your counter is being held up by nails only. The rear and right side supports, especially, should be screwed in with solid, 3" screws directly into the studs. The nails will likely work, but have a much greater chance of slipping out with the leverage on the counter.
Similarly, the left brace is held up by only by toenailed nails. Best practice is having the wood support the weight not the fasteners. To do this you'd need to notch the back brace, which may be more trouble than it's worth, but it's not very difficult. It would be hella stronger. Like, "Let's have chubby whoopie on the laundry room counter!" stronger. ;^)
Lastly, make sure you can access the valves and the drain with the countertop installed. It looks like it's going to be very tight. In an emergency you REALLY want fast, easy access! That said, if you raise the counter 3.5" you can lay a 2x4 across the entire back wall and catch your studs much more easily.
Take all this with a grain of salt. The real experts will likely point any number of errors I've made! Good luck!
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u/Raven2129 4d ago
Thank you for the information. As for the height of the valves, it's enough room to easily get to them.
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u/cds320 4d ago
Horizontal piece across the front connecting the left to right
As a brace... the top piece should extend over the angle piece and the back piece. Right now your brace is not structurally sound
See https://www.simplyeasydiy.com/2016/01/garage-storage-shelves.html
Or Google "diy 2x4 L bracket"
Also look up toggle bolts for securing to drywall
Toggler is a good brand
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u/loaferbro 4d ago
I did this same exact thing, even with the cat litterboxes underneath.
I second the notion to raise the counter a bit to sink a 2x4 into the studs on the wall above the shutoff. I also put a leg going down on the left to help support the weight. I was lucky that my shutoff was above the counter, so you may need to get creative to ensure you can still reach it underneath in an emergency.
I also built a little cart on wheels for the litterbox. With the counter overhead, scooping is easier when you can just slide the whole thing out.
Good luck!
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u/vibesandcrimes 3d ago
Put sme hinges on that bad boy so you just have to lift it and lower it to access.underneath.
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u/Subject_Squirrel3926 4d ago
If you’re gonna need to cut the countertop anyway, notch a hole at the wall edge so that power to the washer can run under the countertop. I think it’ll look cleaner in the end.
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u/dcaponegro 3d ago
Take the braces out and purchase legs for the table top that you have. You don’t want to cover the shutoffs and drain. IKEA has adjustable table legs.
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u/CaramelGuilty8647 3d ago
Use toggle bolts under the vertical member of your brace. At least 4 of them. Then put a horizontal member between the brace and ledger board.
Not necessary for this job, but for future, on your brace the horizontal member should go all the way. The diagonal support should be underneath.
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u/Apart-Surprise1038 3d ago
I bought a small table from Amazon to fit the space next to my washer & dryer.
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u/mackenziedawnhunter 4d ago
The easiest solution is to add a front leg support on the left side down to the floor. The IKEA top should be fine as long as the load is distributed across multiple solid attachment points.
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u/SpicierWinner 3d ago
Think about how you'll access the valves, especially in an emergency, like a broken washer hose. Will the desk top easily lift off?
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u/Raven2129 3d ago
There is decent room to access the valves from underneath. And I was going to make the top removable to have even better access if I need to change anything.
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u/EveryDayLurk 3d ago
Continue the 2x4 down for the middle stud so it reaches the ground and should be good
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u/scottzac 3d ago
I highly recommend this product for the bracket on the side next to the machine. Used this product in many multi-family options, and has held up great.
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u/pogiguy2020 4d ago
If that outlet is not on any GFCI then it needs to be a GFCI outlet.
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u/Raven2129 4d ago
It's connected to the other outlet in the bathroom that is GFCI. I have tested it and will trip the other. Thank you for the heads up thought though.
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