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DIY Laundry reno

Hi there - so my laundry reno which started out as "I'm going to paint the cabinets, add new handles and tile a new splashback" has morphed into "We're getting new floortiles, splashback, cabinets, sink, tap and counter..." We are on a very tight budget so it will be mostly DIY.

all tiles taken

I know what I want the finished product to look like, and I have made steady progress up to now. All wall tiles & floor tiles have been removed. I'm working on removing the tile adhesive from the floors to get it smooth for the waterproofing and new tiles - if you look closely on the left, you can see the bit that I have been working on smoothing (I know I will have heaps more questions about this stage and prepping for tiling).

But now I want to remove the old cabinets and benchtop - so I need to get the sink and mixer out. I am stuck on the pipes though. Can someone please advise how I would stop the water? I'm thinking of turning it off at the mains, but how can I then "stop" the water in these pipes, or tie it off?

under the sinkleading to the taps

Any and all advise will be greatly appreciated. I'm completely new to this, but a quick learner, and not afraid of powertools 😉

Thanks,

Chris

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ChristineM

I just have to add as well - originally I was just going to paint the current cabinet's doors - the laminate on it was in pretty bad shape and bubbling and peeling off. So I removed it all and it looks beautiful and ready to paint now... But I want more cabinets and it I would like all the cabinets to have the same doors - so thinking it might be better to rip out the old and just replace with all new cupboards. But I am open to suggestions if anyone has any other suggestions regarding the old cabinet...

redracer01

Turn the mains water from outside. Make sure to tell house hold members that water will be off when you attempt this, your popularity rating may go down drastically if you fail to inform the other people in your house hold.

1. Turn on your cold tap to de-pressurize your pipes in the house.

2. Have a towel and bucket under the fittings when you take the flexible hoses off.

3. Use the thread tape on the threaded fittings attached to the copper pipe ( maybe 3 or 4 rounds, no more than that )

4. Put the brass caps on and tighten with shifter.

Make sure all taps are off before turning on the mains water. Check for leaks. If successful there should be no leaks for the next few weeks while you finish your reno. Make sure to put a plastic bag over the drain pipe for your laundry tub and hold in place with a rubber band. This is to prevent sewer smells from coming up into the room. Goodluck and be safe.

Cheers,

Red

15mm Brass Threaded Cap.png 10m White Standard Thread Seal.png

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Workshop community @ChristineM. It's fantastic to have you join us.

I see you have already received some comprehensive assistance from the wonderful @redracer01. I trust this will assist you in removing the old cabinets and benchtop.

For your cabinets, you could just replace the doors to match the new cabinets which would save cost. You could then paint the carcass of the cabinet to freshen it up.

If you have further questions or need assistance, please let me know.

Mitchell

ChristineM

Perfect, thanks so much @redracer01 I will attempt this today and send an update.

ChristineM

Thank you @MitchellMc I had another look and a measure, I remember now why I decided to take out that cabinet, it's a very deep cabinet, as in 650mm. So that means my other cabinets will have to sit a bit forward from the wall (as they are 580mm), which is okay as the bench top will cover it, but then I have to get a wider bench top and I was planning on getting one of the 600mm wide wooden laminate slabs from Bunnings. I thought of taking off the doors and just making the cabinet "shorter" so it will fit under a 600mm wide bench, but then the bricks and tiles underneath will protude. I thought it might be less of a hassle to just take it all out and start fresh - with all cabinets the same size and fitting under a 600mm wide bench (which means I will be knocking out those bricks too)

redracer01

You have my resounding sound of agreement! Huzzah!!!

ChristineM

Thank you for the advice on capping the pipes @redracer01 . We have done that and have successfully stripped the laundry 🙂

Working now on getting more of the cement / tile glue off the floor to make it more level, and have just purchased my flatpax cabinets online - super excited about it all.

progress shot

Moving on the the walls and thinking about prepping the floors for tiling - I have heard about waterproofing and will look into and read up on that tomorrow - but is there anything specific that I need to look out for or be careful of?

We are also wondering about the walls, should we plaster it back up where it has been chipped? then prime? Again, any advice and guidance from this awesome community will be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the rainy weather!

MitchellMc

Hi @ChristineM.

Are you planning on tiling over the damaged portion of the wall? If so would you like to share an image which has more detail of the chipping? If it is not too significant you might be able to just tile straight over it without having to go about patching it first.

Mitchell

ChristineM

Hi @MitchellMc Yes, we will tile over where thw original splashback tiles were. Here is a more detailed photo:

And for the rest, cabinets will be installed against the wall:

I hope these photos give a bit more detail

MitchellMc

Hi @ChristineM.

Other members of the community might like also contribute their opinion but I don't believe that needs to be plastered where you are tiling. I'd tile straight over that area as it looks sufficiently smooth to not be an issue. Just make sure when you lay your adhesive you screed it flat with a wide toothed trowel. Obviously you'll need to plaster the surrounding area where you are not tiling.

Let me tag @redracer01 to see if they also would be comfortable with you tiling over that area.

Mitchell

redracer01

Hello @ChristineM

The rougher the better. The rough texture will give the tile adhesive more to hold on to.

- Make sure to use a level to be sure that the tiles are all nice and flat.

- Give the tile adhesive time to dry. Grouting too early will trap moisture behind the tile and will not give you a secure hold.

- Do pre-calulation of the number of tiles you need and a pre layout. Setting the tiles out on floor without glue to pre determine position and layout.

- Mix only what you need. Don't mix the whole bag. You may find that you will have to stop or something else might grab your time. A small mix and steady tilling will prevent waste.

- Make sure to tell houshold no entry to laundry while glue is drying!

- Make sure to have a steady breeze running through to get uniform drying.

Thats about it. Goodluck stay safe.

Cheers!

Red

ChristineM

@redracer01 you are a legend, thank you so much for that. Super excited to start on this next phase

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