I’m in the middle of the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge and I thought I would write up a post detailing how I’ve decided to hide our washer and dryer hookups. You can read about how I installed the countertop here. I’ve spent a lot of time searching how other people have managed to hide their washer and dryer hookups but I either didn’t like the design or it wouldn’t work right in our space.

I wanted something that would look nice but, more importantly, still allowed us to access the hookups. You don’t want to make anything permanent in case something happens and you need to get to the hookups quickly. Curtains hiding them aren’t really my style and since we have front loaders, a shelf over top would not hide them. So, I decided to build a shelf with a face across the front. The shelf is held up by L brackets (in the studs) on the back and a 1×2 on the side. See the pics for how I placed them.

Since the shelf is a bit wide the L brackets weren’t doing the job alone so, I added 1x2a underneath, towards the front for more support. These are attached with wood glue on both ends. Did you know that wood glue creates a bond stronger than screws? Thats because it covers more surface space. I let it dry, gave them a tug and…they’re in there. This shelf won’t hold anything heavy so I wasn’t too concerned with beefing the support up.

The last part to this was installing the front piece. You know, the one that will actually hide the hookups. My initial plan was to use hinges and put a cabinet pull on it but I didn’t really want a bunch of hardware to show. Then I thought about using a magnetic door catch and that’s what led to my final situation…magnets!

I knew I wanted something that could be held up on its own but still be removed quickly. So I used my 1/2″ spade bit and recessed a hole just large enough to fit the magnets. I messed up on the first one and used too much hot glue so it’s not totally flush but…the rest are. Take a look.

I then installed another one directly across on the shelf so it would catch.

Ignore the gap on the side piece, I cut it too short smh. You can see this one isn’t all the way recessed. Too much hot glue. You don’t need much. Let the glue dry, if you don’t the magnet will jump right out of the hole. Trust me lol.

Here’s a tip to help you match up the magnets. Use a dab of wood glue (or toothpaste) and put it on one of the installed magnets. Then place it against the opposing piece and when you pull it away, you’ll see where the wood glue rubbed off. That’s where you drill. Sorry I don’t have a pic of this!

Here’s the finished piece….well…I still have to stain and fill the gaps but you know what I mean..

The magnets are super strong and won’t budge unless you tug on the board to pull them apart.

Let me know if you have any questions and see the full reveal of this space here!