Mudroom Renovation for Under $120

Theresa Rayner
by Theresa Rayner
9 Materials
$120
Medium

Our mudroom lacked function and beauty. See how we changed all that for under $120!

Let me start out by saying, I'm cheap. Like, really cheap. Like, for example, I own two pairs of sweatpants and wear them constantly cheap because I refuse to spend money on more sweatpants. I also have expensive tastes. Like, I love Pottery Barn. (That's too many 'likes'. I swear I'm not a valley girl, I swear it!) These two things, being cheap and having expensive tastes, they fight with one another like an old married couple. Which is why I usually end up trying to find away to renovate and decorate for as cheap as humanly possible, while still making the room beautiful. Which is the story of our mudroom... It took us a year after moving into our house to renovate the mudroom. See those paint stripes on the walls. Yeah, I looked at those for a year. Ticked me off overtime too. The room started out terribly ugly with no space for shoes, counters, or dog stuff. There was no outlet behind the dryer, so we had to plug the dryer in across the room like a bunch of hillbillies and step under the cord to get outside. I get anxious just thinking about it. I have mudroom PTSD I think. But with a little sweat equity and some Goodwill treasures, my husband and I changed all that. And the total cost $120. Win for the cheap girl! And the final look, b-e-a-utiful. Win for the woman with expensive tastes!

The first step - PAINT! We went with Benjamin Moore's Intense White paint. Which really isn't white at all, but a nice soft grey.


The second step - give the room some CHARACTER! We did a little paneling project on the wall opposite the dryer. It was super easy and fun to do. It gives the room a cottage feel. I love it. And that mirror - it was $8 at Goodwill!

The third step - add FUNCTION. Yes, oh course beauty came first. hehe. We added two cubby systems for shoe storage. This has been very helpful. Come in from outside and boop, set your shoes down, so much better than dragging mud through the house. My husband got some wood at the Home Depot, stained it, and made counters. It's so nice having a place to set things. Oh, and do you notice anything about the tile? How about the grout looks so much cleaner. Well, I scrubbed it for 16 hours - NOT! I painted it with a grout marker.

The fourth step - add more PRETTY. The cupboard system that was originally in the mudroom wasn't symmetrical and that really bothered me. We got rid of the long cupboard, spaced apart the two small cupboard, and added shelves.

TADA - a functional and pretty mudroom. All for less than $120.

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Theresa Rayner
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  • Mary Jo Mary Jo on Jan 06, 2021

    I LOVE what you did!!!! Do you have a picture of the wall you paneled? I have about 1200 sq. ft. of not very lovely grout. One clever person used acrylic paint and I started to do this, but after 1 1/2 hrs. my enthusiasm left me with a kink in my back and sore knees. Yes I tried using a kneeling pad, then switched to knee pads. They cut the circulation off. I’m sooo clever.🤦🏼‍♀️. Aaaaaa, great job, keep on your ‘cheap streak’ you’re very clever. After all, doofus’s like me need all the help we can get!!!

  • Nan Nan on Jan 08, 2021

    Where is your washer?

  • Happy Days Hometalker Happy Days Hometalker on Jan 07, 2022

    Love the update, very nice job, where is the washer, or do you wash all clothes by hand?

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  • Sue Collins Sue Collins on Jan 08, 2021

    The second step - give the room some CHARACTER! We did a little paneling project on the wall opposite the dryer. It was super easy and fun to do. It gives the room a cottage feel. I love it. And that mirror - it was $8 at Goodwill!

    ?????? Sure would like to see this!

  • Jan Jan on Jan 07, 2022

    I'd like to see more picture. What I see is very nice. Do you have something interesting to put on top of the wall cupboards? I like some plants. "Permanent" ones of course.


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