Look above your washer and dryer. Do you see that? It’s what I call a void that could easily be remedied with a DIY project. Wouldn’t you love an amazing, modern farmhouse shelf for above your washer and dryer to showcase some cute décor or hold your laundry detergent … or both?
I hate wasted space, especially when it’s something so easily taken care of. The instructions will be similar to the simple, DIY modern farmhouse storage shelves I just posted, but slightly different.
Let the shopping begin!
First, measure the width of the wall that the washer and dryer are against. Go to Home Depot, or a similar store, and grab the wood you like for the shelves. For this shelf, I purchased White Wood in the 1x12x12 size, a less expensive type of wood. Although oak would have been a great option, too!
Oh, while you’re at Home Depot make sure to grab your pre-stain conditioner, stain (Classic Gray and Weathered Oak Minwax), a foam brush or two and head home begin your amazing farmhouse shelf for above your washer and dryer! I’d also recommend ordering your brackets so you’ll have them in a day or two (you can also pick-up brackets from Home Depot or similar … they just tend to have limited options in store, but many options online!) And since this shelf is above a washer and dryer, you don’t need to have super fancy brackets. I chose black classic brackets for this shelf.
Amazing, modern Farmhouse shelf commences!
After you have the wood and all your other supplies you are ready to begin. Cut the shelf the width of the wall you are placing it on. We had some outlets slightly above where the shelf would be so we had to notch out room for the plugin to fit into. We used a Dremel for this and then broke it off after cutting what we could. It worked well and I made sure to sand the notch as smooth as possible.
Outlet above desired shelf location 
Stain time!
White wood is very porous, so it requires a pre-stain conditioner to make the stain go on evenly. Brush the pre-stain conditioner onto your wood and let it dry. It won’t take too long! Next, start the stain layering. First a coat of Classic gray wiped on with a foam brush or sock/t-shirt. Let that site a few minutes and then wipe off the excess.
Once the Classic Gray stain dries put on a coat of Weathered Oak stain. Again, let it sit a few minutes and then wipe off. After another spell of drying, do one last coat of Weathered Oak.
I know the wipe on, wipe off, wait for drying and repeat process is time consuming, but at least it’s simple and you can do other projects while waiting. And don’t forget to do the same process on the other side of the wood as well. I did all the layers on both sides of the wood at one time. Since the back edge of the wood is going to lay against the wall, I could easily leave it setting on its side so both sides could dry at the same time. Worked out well and made the process go by faster!
Finish with a protectant!
Finally, you are ready for your top coat. Find the side that is the prettiest, as you’ll want that to be the top of the shelf. The other side will be the bottom. Perhaps seen some, but not as much as the top.
I find that General Finishes Gel Topcoat goes on easily (I use a sock) and looks amazing. It’s best to read the directions on the can and do three coats. You’ll have a nicely protected surface when you are done.
Time to put that Farmhouse shelf above your washer and dryer!
Now that your shelf is stained and protected, it’s time to place it on your wall above your washer and dryer. Grab your stud finder, your drill, a level, your shelf and your brackets and get that shelf up!
We screwed our brackets onto the wall first after we made sure they were level and, in a stud, (you can always use drywall screws … they typically come with the brackets, so no need to purchase something separate!). Once our brackets were screwed into the wall, we placed on the shelf and screwed that to the brackets. We used four brackets across due to its length and we wanted it to be nice and secure.
You can always paint the shelf instead of staining, as well. If you do, I’d recommend using paintable caulk around the sides and back to make it look really nice against the wall.
Ta-da! Ain’t it pretty?
Just look at this shelf! It hides the void between the washer/dryer and wall, is practical and makes the space look amazing. Again, a simple, amazing modern farmhouse shelf for above your washer and dryer. I may have to do this for my sister’s laundry room!
Supply breakdown …
Common tools:
■ Drill / Impact Driver
■ Stud Finder
■ Miter Saw (or Home Depot can make the cuts for you!)
■ Dremel
■ Level
Shelf supplies:
■ Wood for shelves (we used 1x12x12 and cut as needed)
■ Pre-Stain Conditioner
■ Classic Gray Minwax Stain
■ Weathered Oak Minwax Stain
■ General Finishes Gel Topcoat
■ Sand paper
■ Foam Brush or old socks/t-shirts (to apply stain!)
■ Brackets
So, what did you think? Is this something you’d love to add above your washer and dryer to fill the void? Let me know in the comments below.
Be blessed!
