How to box up / hide laundry pipes?

I’m in a 112-year-old Queenslander, which had an extension and build-under in 1947, so the house definitely has some “quirks”. I’ve completely gutted the laundry and, at last, there’s light at the end of the renovation tunnel with a new Kaboodle utility room.

I need to box up these pipes, just for aesthetic reasons; some parts of the pipes sit above a new wall cabinet but the rest do span the entire width of the room (4.7m).

I was thinking of attaching some sort of premade moulding that is 50mm x 100mm (as per the green lines). However, I’ve checked the Bunnings website but I can’t seem to find any suitable mouldings that will fit, which is a shame.

Any brilliant ideas from Workshoppers about what to do, please? Many thanks for any solutions! Pipes to be hidden.Profile, with measurements

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Accepted answers

MitchellMc

Hi @RenoRach1,

I can't think of a one-piece moulding that you could use and suggest you might need to use a couple of timber pieces to box in the area. I've created a rendering below to illustrate. You won't find the exact width required, so you'd need to cut them down to suit. You'd need a 48 x 19mm for the lower section and a 113 x 19mm for the front face. That is to box the pipe in perfectly. Obviously, if you're happy to have a box larger than required, you could use available sizes like 64 x 19mm 3.0m DAR Pine Premium and 140 x 19mm 3.0m DAR Pine Premium.

Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions.

Mitchell

All comments

MitchellMc

Hi @RenoRach1,

Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions.

Mitchell

RenoRach1

Hi Mitchell,

Thanks so much for this, @MitchellMc – the sketches are spot on. I’ll do just this and perhaps even go a smidge larger, as you suggested, so as not to butt the timber boxing right up against the pipes.

I have to admit that I was being a little lazy and looking for a quick fix with the ready-made moulding. It’ll be good practice for my newly-developing, albeit still fairly basic, carpentry skills!

Cheers

MitchellMc

Keep us updated, @RenoRach1 and please reach out again if you get stuck.

Mitchell

RenoRach1

@MitchellMc, while it's not yet primed or painted and it's just sitting on top of my wall cabinet to check the aesthetics, this is the boxing of the ugly laundry pipes. I bought the DAR timber for the wider piece, as you suggested, but found a spare verandah paling in my timber collection that was just perfect.

Almost done!

I've been looking at those pipes for years and hating the sight of them - now, I fixed it myself!

Many thanks for the fabulous advice.

Cheers,

Rach

EricL

Hi @RenoRach1

Thank you very much for the photo update. Even though it is not yet fixed in place it looks very nicely done. Since it's not yet permanently attached this would be the ideal opportunity to paint the cover before you fix it in place. It will be much easier to put the primer and paint on while it is on a manageable level. The only thing you'll need to cover will be the screw heads once it is screwed onto the timber frame.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the cover installed and fully painted.

Eric

RenoRach1

Hi @EricL

Indeed, priming, filling countersunk screws, painting and sanding (though, not necessarily in that order!) are the jobs for this week (nights, anyway). It'll be infinitely easier only have to fill, sand and touch-up the final set of screws when I affix the boxing over the pipes.

I've got plenty of priming and top-coating to keep me busy: the kickboards, a cut-down cabinet to go under my Belfast sink, crown moulding and some filler panels, as well as the washing machine and dryer cabinet we've built.

Appliance cabinet and dirty clothes' drawers - mock-up Crown moulding for wall cabinetsBroom and appliances cabinet - mockup

Hopefully, the plumber will be here, bright and early, on Saturday morning to make the tap connections go from temporary to permanent and I can go from staring at my fluted-edge sink to actually using it!

Belfast sink (will be fitted with a special brass waste).

The Calcutta Gloss benchtops, the Antico Oak barn door, a Kaboodle corner cabinet carousel and all of the brass fittings are waiting to be fitted after that, as well as quite a few finishing touches with some styling.

And then...I can wash and iron lots and lots of clothes! Exciting stuff. 😄 Right, off to the Zinsser and my paint brush.

EricL

Hi @RenoRach1

Thank you so much for that wonderful sneak preview of your laundry revamp. That Belfast sink is just gorgeous, combined with the brass-coloured plug and waste it will look stunning. I can't wait to see when it's finally all put together.

Looking forward to the big reveal.

Eric

RenoRach1

Boxing in the pipes has gone very well! Now, to get onto the crown moulding for the top of the cabinets… 😄

Jason

Well done @RenoRach1, it's looking great. Many thanks for sharing an update.

Don't hesitate to post again if you need a hand with anything.

Jason

RenoRach1

Many thanks, @Jason. The end is definitely in sight! Looking forward to creating a humdinger of a post on the complete gutting and rebuilding of my laundry with lots of photos and the different challenges I faced, as well as the solutions and tweaks that I developed. Big push this week with the barn door, benchtop completion and the tiling.

Cheers,

Rach

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