What do I do with a white, plastic pipe that's in my laundry room?

Karen
by Karen
Not sure if I should paint it and if I do what type of paint sticks to plastic PVC pipe? It ruins the looks of my room and runs from ceiling to floor and is very large.
  22 answers
  • Adrianne C Adrianne C on May 02, 2014
    Make a barber pole?
  • Sharon McKusick Sharon McKusick on May 02, 2014
    Paint the same color as your wall.
  • Kate S Kate S on May 02, 2014
    Box it in with dry wall & paint same as wall. If not handy, then just paint same as walls after the correct primer to make it stick - ask at store. Barber pole is great idea, but might be hard to do a good job of that since you cannot spin the pipe to reach behind. You could paint a flowering vine on it after painting the pipe, too or have a crafty friend do it for you if you are not an artist.
  • Andrea Andrea on May 02, 2014
    Could you wrap with rope, twine, or fabric?
  • Donna Fry Donna Fry on May 02, 2014
    Great Ideas Andrea...I can this pole wrapped in jute boat line........that would really make it awesome
  • Courtney Killpack Courtney Killpack on May 02, 2014
    I have the same problem in my laundry room. What if you need to replace the pipe, that would be a pain in the butt to rip out dry wall or to unwind twine or rope to access it. I would just paint it.
    • See 1 previous
    • Becky Wood Becky Wood on May 03, 2014
      @Karen glad you liked it. That's what I would do if I had something like that in my house. I like columns. LOL Good luck.
  • Moxie Moxie on May 02, 2014
    I would cover it with wood (preferably old grey look wood if you can find it) contact paper. Then it would be washable, won't interfere with the pipe and you could add wood trim at the top and bottom (cut in half to get on from each side) and make it look like a column. You could also add a few pipe clamps to create "hooks" for towels or artsy something. Would love to see what you do!
  • Joedean Small Joedean Small on May 02, 2014
    fake or real ivy,my mother in law had the same problem,i fixed it in 10 mins.
  • Judy Goodin Judy Goodin on May 03, 2014
    I know this might sound a bit 50's but with the right fabric it might work..Just find a fabric with a SOFT drape and make a hem , like curtains...take wire ( It will hold things up better than twine ) thread it through the hem and treat it like a twist tie and a strong tape (hidden) on the back to give added extra holding power...It might look cute...Match the curtain valance on the window..good luck..
  • Carol Carol on May 03, 2014
    I spray primed mine and then painted it the color of mu laundry room. It blends it.
  • Barbara Turner Barbara Turner on May 03, 2014
    You could always find a pretty contact paper and wrap that around it! Yellow with pretty dainty pop flowers would be cute.
  • Linda Mil Linda Mil on May 04, 2014
    I like the barber pole idea! Or to paint it the same as the walls.
  • Iridescent Iridescent on May 05, 2014
    I was thinking maybe you could use cardboard pieces in a half cylinder shape and paint, then tape them around it. The possibilities are endless!
  • Kelly Kelly on Aug 13, 2014
    I have the same thing in my laundry room. I painted it the same color as the walls and it blends in instead of standing out.
  • Wanda sinnema Wanda sinnema on Aug 13, 2014
    I have 3-4 pipes in our basement laundryroom...vintage 1949..... I'd just paint them same as the walls.. Much easier if you ever have to do plumming work.. if you put it behind dry wall, you ay have to take out at some point.. it probably bothers you more than anyone else,,since you are in that room the most..
  • Wanda sinnema Wanda sinnema on Aug 13, 2014
    another idea would be a curtain rod or shower curtain in front of it.. by the decor- vintage fabric, go wall to wall and then tie back the section where you have the shelf,, maybe use wooden clothpins to clip it open.. Even an old clothline with a few vintage things hung on it.. one just below the ceiling.... in front of the pipe..i'd find an old tablecloth and hang it in front of the pipe, maybe an old vintage style apron.. or old chenille piece cut to fit from the pipe to the corner and hemmed...hang all with wooden clothpins...
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Aug 14, 2014
    It seems that all my ideas have already been expressed (wrapping it in jute) so I will just say....whatever you do, remember you may want to change it one day so don't use anything that sticks...like those decorative tapes that will have to be scraped off and leave an awful mess! HA! Personally, I would probably box it in and paint paint the box...or ignore it!
  • Narcissa Narcissa on Jan 25, 2015
    Paint it the same color as the wall, it will disappear... well kinda...
  • Linda Kinsman Linda Kinsman on Mar 21, 2015
    I would paint it a pretty, yet neutral color found in your accessories (any paint will work on the plastic). Then I would run a pretty ribbon around the pipe and then decorate cloth pins and clip them on the ribbon.
  • Carolyn jones Carolyn jones on Oct 25, 2015
    if you could obtain a vintage shutter you could make an L shape that would stand on the floor. You would need to get two of them and put in front of the pipe. You could use it to hang items or memos on,like a bulletin board. I you could hang the shutter upside down it could hold coat hangers. I have it visualized in my mind but hard for me to put in writing. Good luck. Let us know what you do,
  • Katie Lloyd Mansfield Katie Lloyd Mansfield on Oct 25, 2015
    I would build a faux wood column. Three boards cut to size. Home Depot could cut the boards for you. Then I'd paint it.