The laundry room is usually one of the hardest working rooms in the entire house. When designing an efficient laundry room, it\’s important to try to create as much work area as possible, even if the overall room size is quite small. When laundry day arrives, most people find that they need extra table work space, whether they use it for preparing the laundry for washing or for folding tasks after it has dried. When you have well-designed work surfaces in the laundry room, you\’ll get the work done faster and more efficiently, without having to work so hard. Because space is usually at a premium in the laundry room, building a fold-out work surface can be a great solution. If you\’ve always wanted a fold-out work surface in your laundry room, here are some tips you can use to help get the job done right.

Assessing Your Laundry Room Space
Before you start to design a fold-out work surface, it can be helpful to do an overall assessment of your laundry room space. Take the overall layout of the room into consideration, as well as the room size. Look for ways that you can maximize floor space and storage areas as much as possible. Maintaining a good traffic flow through the room is also an important consideration. You should try to find a spot close to the washer and dryer to build your fold-out work surface. Although you certainly don\’t want to block access to these appliances, you also do not want to have to lug baskets of laundry any further than necessary. Sketching the room out on graph paper after taking measurements is a great way to try out various room layouts with a minimal amount of effort. After you\’ve decided on the best location for your fold-out work surface, you\’ll be ready to start building.

Building the Fold-Out Work Surface
When building a fold-out work surface, you can keep the design simple or make it as elaborate as you want. If woodworking and construction are your strong points, go ahead and create a deluxe fold-out work surface. However, if you possess only modest building skills, don\’t despair. Simply focus on creating a work surface that has plenty of functionality, even though the design may be simple.

Choose an appropriately sized board to use as the work table surface. Make sure to check the size carefully, since you\’ll need enough space to fold it down against the wall as well as fold it up into working position. You\’ll also need a sturdy piece of wood that you can fasten to the wall. You\’ll be attaching the work table top to this board with hinges, so be sure to use appropriate fasteners to secure it to the wall. Screwing this support into the wall studs is usually the best solution. Be sure to install the support at the right height, so that you won\’t have to bend or stoop to use the table. Attach the table top to the support with sturdy hinges, so that the table can swing down against the wall when not in use. Attach a foldable leg to each front corner of the work table surface, hinging them to the back of the table top. To use the work surface, simply fold it up and brace it with the foldable legs.

Author Bio: Top designer and writer, Alyssa Davis of Metal-Wall-Art.com, has many ideas for bringing style to your home with metal cranes art and sunshine metal wall art.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: work surface,laundry room,work table,room size,room space,work table surface,overall room size