*Edit #1: I painted the dryer too! Check it out! 

washerdryer-001

**Edit#2: For everyone asking a) what kind of paint I used to paint the washer/polka dots and b) how that paint is holding up, the answers are:

a) on top of the oil-based KILZ primer, I used regular old latex paint in eggshell finish (no protective clear coat on top)

and

b) after 3 weeks and more loads of laundry than I care to remember, it’s holding up great.

Absolutely zero chipping, flaking, or peeling off. I’ve whacked it with the laundry basket, detergent bottle, etc., and it has left a small mark or two, but I don’t know any paint in the world that won’t show marks if you hit it with something hard.

The durability is mostly because of the primer I used, which is 1 part paint, a gazillion parts magic, as far as I can tell, but can also be credited to the fact that I rolled on three very light layers of paint. The lighter the better to keep the paint from globbing up.

Also, it took almost no paint at all. Maybe as much as 1/3 a quart.

If you’ve been hanging around for a while here at 5D5W—and especially if you read last week’s how-to-build-a-house-from-scratch post—then you know that we wrote up custom blue prints for our house.

And I mostly love how everything turned out in terms of layout.

With one notable exception: The Laundry Room (dun dun dun).

I don’t have a true “before” picture for you because it was such a cramped, cluttered nightmare that no one would want to see it anyway.

No, really.

U to the G-L-Y.

In an approximately 7’X10’ space, we had a side-by-side dryer and washer, a utility sink, a water-heater, a mini ironing board, laundry baskets, some unnecessary paraphernalia that had migrated there over time, and, of course, the never-ending mountains of clothes.

It got a lot better before Christmas when we scored a fantastic deal (using the techniques from my retail haggling post + some totally unintentional “good cop/bad cop” action…the salesman thought I was the bad cop—being stand-offish and killing his good deals when all I was really doing was strolling Della around, keeping her happy, and letting my husband do the work! It was fantastic! :  )) on a brand new frontloading dryer and used a bracket set to stack it on top of the refurbished frontloading washer we’ve had for 7 years.

P1060006

It may not look like much, but it’s already so much better because there’s actually an inch or two of floor-space that’s not taken up by some machine or another (the old dryer was where you see that piece of wood).

Okay, so why the laundry room history lesson?

Well, as much as I loved having room to, oh, I don’t know, not have to turn sideways and suck in my gut just to walk into my own laundry room, I wasn’t quite as thrilled about how dingy my washing machine looked next her sparkly new dryer-sister.

And I’ve always wanted to have a colored washer/dryer, but I’m not keen on the prices at all.

So, what’s a DIY-obsessed girl to do?

Paint her washing machine, of course!

Lucky for me, in addition to offering you guys a chance to win a $50 stencil, Cutting Edge Stencils also sent me a stencil to try out.

P1060001P1060003

They included a stencil level and a small foam roller in the package, so all I needed to do was find some paint I liked in the leftovers from our many house projects.

I stumbled across a pretty teal color called Virtue (by Dutch Boy, I think) and some leftover Dover White (Sherwin Williams) in our shed, then grabbed my leftover oil-based Kilz primer that I used to help transform my Quite Coral dresser, and set to work.

Here’s Henrietta (she’s the washer) after a quick coat of primer.

P1060008

It dries super-fast, so that same night, I started rolling on the teal.

It took three coats, and I used a tiny craft brush to do the detail work around the Kenmore logo and the washer door, but it still didn’t take longer than an hour total to transform the washer from this:

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It almost looks shiny in the pic, but believe me…it’s not. (Also, notice the load of whites in there. Yeah. It never ends).

…to this:

P1060019-1

(Also, notice I did change the laundry out)

After a brief flirtation with the idea of trying to paint over and re-label the control panels (I even wrote out a diagram just in case), I regained my sanity and decided to leave those black.

I was already loving the change, but I wanted to make Henrietta a bit more fun because, seriously, if you have to do a gazillion loads of laundry, you might as well have something that puts a goofy grin on your face while you’re doing it!

And few things make me smile goofily like polka-dots.

So, I unrolled my stencil and grabbed some painter’s tape and my can of Dover White.

P1060011

Even though the side of my washer was far from flat (see the ridges that run all the way around the edges?), the stenciling process was a breeze.

I simply followed the instructions from the Cutting Edge Stencils user-friendly video, making sure to roll my paint roller on a paper towel after every time I dipped it in paint.

This step is definitely the most important.

If you have too much paint on your roller, it will drip.

P1060013

Here she is with the first round done.

Because I used so little paint, I could pull the stencil off, reposition it immediately, and go right back to rolling.

The entire process took maybe 20 minutes, and that includes the fact that I was a bit tentative in round 1, having never used this kind of stencil before.

P1060020-1

I actually finished up this part right before we left for Oklahoma. (Please try to ignore the ugly floor smudges. It’s from the rusty washer feet, and I haven’t taken the time to figure out what will clean it best yet. Suggestions?).

And then, I spent another 15 minutes on the front a few days ago, so now she looks like this:

IMG_1447-1IMG_1451

Something about the final product reminded me of something out of Pottery Barn Teen, so I hopped over to see why and came up with this:

and this:

…oh, and this too!:

I think I’ve figured out why PB teen came to mind.

How nice to know that I apparently have a future designing appliances for the enterprising teen who does her own laundry (yeah, right…like I was going to say “his” laundry).

All two of them should sell out in a jiff.

Okay, so I realize it’s a little batty to take a paint roller to your washing machine, but I’m actually loving that the first thing I see when I go in my laundry room is Henrietta, the teal and white polka dot washing machine. 

Plus, it was one of the easiest paint projects I’ve ever done, especially the stenciling process, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

In fact, I have a few more stenciling projects in mind with another design that Cutting Edge Stencils included in my package, and you’ll be seeing that and more progress on the laundry room (don’t worry…I’m eighty-sixing the periwinkle walls) very soon.

So, what do you think?

Insane?

Ingenius?

Indifferent?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also, if you would, tell me this: if there were one thing you could do to make your laundry room a happier place, what would it be?

The CSI project ~ Menu Plan Monday ~ C.R.A.F.T.  ~ The Southern Institute ~ Making the World Cuter ~ Thrify Décor Chick ~ Metamorphosis Monday ~ Sumo Sweet Stuff ~ Gunny Sack ~ Singing Three Little Birds ~DIY Homes Sweet Home ~ Dittle Dattle ~ 1929 Charmer ~ Everything Under the Moon  ~ ModMix Monday ~ Sew Stylish ~ Coastal Charm ~ Under the Table and Dreaming

Tuesday ~ Get Your Craft ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blackberry Vine ~ Crafty Confessions ~ Me & my Boys ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Home Stories A-Z ~ My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia  ~ Carolyn’s Homework ~ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ House of Grace ~ Passionately Artisitc ~ My World Made by Hand ~ Uncommon Designs ~ Trendy Treehouse

Wednesday ~ Blue Cricket Design ~ Somedays Crafts ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Sew Woodsy ~ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Savvy Southern Style ~ {Primp} ~ Midweek Fiesta ~ Rae Gun Ramblings ~ Polkadots On Parade ~ Lollipop Cards ~ JAQS Studio ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ My Girlish Whims

Thursday ~ Transformation Thursdays ~ Somewhat simple ~ Show off your stuff ~ House of Hepworths ~ Delightful Order ~ My Simple Home Life ~ The Frugal Girls ~ Thrifty Thursday ~ DIY Diva Thursday ~ Tablescape Thursday ~ No Minimalists Here ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ Between U and Me ~ 36th Avenue

Friday ~ The Shabby nest  ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can’t Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Shabby Art ~ Answer is Chocolate

Saturday ~ I heart nap time- Sundae Scoop ~ Tatertots and Jello ~ Be different Act Normal ~ Funky Junk ~ 2805 ~ Making Lemonade Blog ~I am Along for the Ride  ~ Lolly Jane

Sundays ~ Homemaker on a Dime ~ Sunday’s Best

 

0 Comments

  1. Love it! Did you use the large scale stencil (3 1/2″ dots) or the small scale stencil (2″ dots)? Thank you!

  2. God I LOVE YOU! lol I’m driving myself nuts trying to find a new washer and dryer that is a fairly skinny depth …. no go in the colors I want. YAY now I know what I’ll be doing this week (or hiring someone else to do for me) New black flat cabinets and doors/trim – grey and black tile, grey walls and red washer dryer … perfect

  3. It was the last thing on my mind to paint a washing machine. Love the idea of giving my bathroom a new look. I will definitely figure out some design for mine.

  4. I was thinking the same thing – DO YOU SLEEP!! You are AMAZING!! And I love, love, love this idea!! I’ve been wanting to do something for both my fridge and stove ’cause they’re aluminum and I have a Country French kitchen. Thank you so much for this post. (I found it on Pinterest!!)

  5. You can use vinegar to clean the feet, if you can remove them I would sock them in vinegar over night, then scrub with wire brush. Rinse off and spray with wd40. For the floor, I’d try windex or magic eraser

  6. I found your page by following the link on littlevictorian.com. I love love love what you did to your washer and dryer! It is fantastic. Great job. If it weren’t for my husband (plain and earth tones taste) I would absolutely do this to my washer and dryer!

  7. I love it. I think it looks amazing. I would love to try this with mines but I’m afraid to mess it up. I know you mentioned that you didn’t apply anything to make it shiny again, so I was wondering if I do this and would like to make it shiny, is it possible? Thanks 🙂

  8. This is the best! I just clicked through from Curbly where they linked this post. I’m madly planning all the things I could polka dot in my home. Great job!

  9. Your my kind of gal, You gotta make things around you pleasing. I want to do my frig so bad, it’s the ugliest thing I have ever seen but i haven’t found something I can put on it that i can look at everyday and still love.

  10. Do you realize how lucky you are to have a husband that lets you do this to a brand new dryer? Mine would have a cow!

  11. Thank God someone pinned this to pinterest LOL

    I think this is a fabulous idea! I have two red front loads and will be trying something like that very soon!

    Chantal

  12. “Wink” rust stain remover works great. A few drops and it should just disappear. Love the washer and dryer..might have to try this!

  13. This is great! One day, when my boyfriend and I decide to buy a house I’m totally doing this! (and you’re so right when you say “her” instead of “him”!)

  14. Rustoleum makes brush on paint in cans. I painted my bike with polka dots using that. I think it would work even better than the wall paint after the oil based primer.

  15. aaaah! i have orange and i hate it. wanna switch and neither of us have to paint? i don’t care what color you have….i’ll take it =)

  16. Hello! I just saw this on pinterest And am soooo excited to try it out TOMORROW !!!!! I can’t wait. Thanks for the thorough instructions!

  17. i LOVE your washing machine!!
    who ever said that all that stuff has to be WHITE! cant wait to get my ‘washing machine freak on’… meantime i have just painted my daughters wardrobe teal and white dots.. thanks for the inspiration!XXX

  18. Wow what a transformation they look amazing, just found your blog and will definately now be a regular reader.
    Cat (making it as mum)

  19. Hey Abbie – just wondering how the paint is holding up. Still good?? I’m thinking of doing this to my washer & dryer to dress them up a bit. Gave you a shout-out in my latest post, too. Let me know so I can add this to my ever lengthening to-do list!! lol

    Have a great week,
    xox

  20. I would love to do this but I am thinking my husband wouldn’t be to happy since those and my washer,dryer cost a nice penny…now if they were my old ones the paint couldn’t get on fast enough but since the new ones were pricey not a chance at this time……best of luck and enjoy….

  21. This is the most amazing thing EVER! I have yet to obtain a front loader but when the day comes I have to do this…Ingenius…Definitely Ingenius!

  22. The CSI Project posted this on Facebook.
    Wow! You’re ambitious! I like the end result, but I must say I don’t think I’d ever paint my washer and dryer. The one thing that would make my laundry room better… a good looking bare chested guy folding my towels! LOL

  23. LOVE IT!!! This is added onto my list of projects haha…maybe if I put a princess on the side my daughter will help hahahaha…go you!! PS…I found your awesomeness of a blog via Pinterest 🙂

  24. Saw this post from Kandee Johnson’s blog and now I am addicted to your site. Keep up the amazing work!!

  25. Wow what a smart idea! I would have never thought to do that. It looks amazing!!! It makes me want to paint mine. Thanks for sharing!!

  26. Absolutely love it! Hmm, one thing to make mind better? Paint. Seriously, it just needs painting. I’ll add that to my list 🙂 Mary

  27. First off, the thing that would make my laundry room better is if it were on the second floor instead of the basement. That said, I think your make over looks fabulous. As you can see from my entry, I’m a big fan of stencils.

  28. LOVELOVELOVE! Mine’s going to be purple:) I also suggest Barkeeper’s Friend. It’s awesome. and not just on rust:)

  29. Ok, this is AMAZING – you’ve got to know that right? This project would be perfect for our linky party featuring “Transformations” called Repurpose-Remodel-Reveal, I know our readers would love to see it too! (It starts tomorrow- Friday, March 16th 2012 at 7:00 am and reoccures every 1st and 3rd Friday)

    -Whitney @ TheRoosterAndTheHen

  30. You’ve been featured on Handy Man, Crafty Woman’s Wicked Awesome Wednesday! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your fabulous machine paint job!

  31. You did a FANTASTIC job and now I want to do it too! My set is white, maybe a red damask type pattern for me…..

  32. I never would have thought of such a thing! That is awesome! The wheels are turning in my head now 🙂 My most recent addition to my laundry room is Downy Unstoppables, it’s smells soooo good! Not only do my clothes smell great but the whole room smells good. It’s a little pricey but I make my own laundry detergent and stain remover so I decided to splurge and it is so worth it! Give it a try!

  33. This has me feeling… inspired. Now I want to make my laundry room a very happy place of goofy grins and chuckles.

  34. ooohh.. i love it.. it definitely made me smile and now i just need to convince my husband that this is a good idea 🙂

  35. My Husband and I are preparing to re-do our Laundry Room/Brewing Room/Sewing Room. I mentioned painting the rusty dryer and old washer. He wasn’t too sure about that idea, but I think he will be now. I’m guessing he won’t dig the polka dots 🙂 Appreciate the tips on the type of paint!

  36. love your nerve-and sense of adventure!!

    If I could do one thing to make my laundry room happier-it would be to find easily accessible storage for all the detergent, cleaning solutions and other things that are cluttering my space.

  37. It looks fantastic! You did a great job. I did our kitchen back splash many years ago doing this. But I was told I had to use a special primer. Don’t remember the name but it was very sticky. I wore gloves when I did it because it was so sticky. And then any flat paint. It’s still holding on strong and you can’t even tell I painted it!

  38. I am SOOOOOOO going to try this! I use my appliances until they die, as in DNR, so I might as well love them, yes? Thanks for the AWESOME inspiration!

  39. This is great! As for the durability, I did basically the same thing to my metal filing cabinet about ten years ago, and it’s held up perfectly.

  40. So cool! You did an amazing job! I love it! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m pinning to this to my DIY Project Parade Stars pinboard! 😉

  41. You did such a great job…love the colors, and the stencil makes it look so easy!
    I’ve always wondered why appliance makers don’t come out with fun patterns like this…it would make drudge work so much more pleasant! I’d like to paint my dryer like a big colorful semi-ferocious dragon and call it the “Fire-Breathing Sock-Eater”…maybe it would get kids to actually like helping with laundry. 😉

  42. I *love* this idea. I’ve only ever thought of painting my appliances a solid color, but the polka dots are SOOOOO cool. Or maybe chevrons, as hot as they are in fabric. The polka dots are definitely fun, maybe chevrons would be more sophisticated. Lol. For a stenciled appliance. Love this.
    Thanks for sharing all of your stuff on your blog.
    Betsy in gray Seattle ‘burbs

  43. This is, without a doubt, the best thing ever!! Swooning over the color and love me some polka dots!! Very creative! Thanks so much for linking this up with Mop It Up Mondays at i should be mopping the floor last week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
    {HUGS},
    kristi

  44. If you haven’t found your solution to the rust stains on the floor, try Bar Keepers friend. You can find it at the grocery store. I used this on my sink that had rust stains and it was amazing! Took everything out with very little effort on my part.

  45. I love this… I would love to try it.. what kind of paint did you use so it won’t chip off? familybubbles at hotmail dot com

  46. I love Henryetta’s new outfit! So, if I can have a polka dot washer, I can also have a polka dryer, fridge, stove and dishwasher, right?! 😉 Thank you for an amazing idea!!

  47. L.O.V.E. IT! I live in an apartment and I get so bummed that there or so many cute decorating ideas that I can’t do… but I just HAPPEN to OWN a full size stacked washer and dryer.. and I am FREAKIN’ EXCITED that I can PAINT THEM THIS EASILY!!!! THANK YOU for the out of the box custom idea!!!!

  48. SUPER CUTE IDEA!!! I painted my kitchen floor~~it was those OLD stick down tiles~~when STICK meant STICK!! I painted it one color and then striped it with a wood grain tool~doing a 3′ x 3′ at a time~doing that in a different shade mixed with a glaze. Then put a clear coat over the whole thing. Still looks good 9 years later!

  49. fantastic idea.. The washing machine looks amazing.. I love the polka dots and the color..
    Thanks for linking up! I will be featuring this tonight, grab your featured button if you like and come see other featured projects too..

  50. i just saw this! what a great idea especially for those who have to purchase used washers and dryers!!! i’m going to show it to my husband and see if we can’t do this!!! our laundry area is in the garage, but just seeing this would make doing laundry more enjoyable! thanks for sharing!

  51. Popped over from 52 Mantels because I had to see your washer. I just never have seen anything like it, and I like it. In fact I’m thinking if I name mine maybe I wouldn’t mind doing laundry so much – it’d be like a friend that way right?

    ~Bliss~

  52. Insane..Ingenious…Inspirational! I love it! I would like to know how well it stands up. My old washer and dryer are all scratched up and I wouldn’t hesitate to do something like this if I knew it would last. I am following now with the new linky follower. You can read about it here:
    https://greenwillowpond.blogspot.com/2012/02/little-love-and-new-linky-follower.html

    and here: https://greenwillowpond.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-hop-with-new-linky-follower.html

    Have a lovely day!

  53. Abbie, you never stop amazing me!! This is incredible. I had NO idea this was even possible. I’m definitely inspired. How is it holding up??

    Hmm…one thing to make my laundry room happier. I would say a fresh color on the walls. No, scratch that. If I get only ONE thing it would be storage. Lots of delicious storage. Including a spot for hang-to-dry clothes.

    Thanks for linking up!! I love what’s goin’ on over here!

    PS. Pinning for future reference. I’m seriously considering this for my uglies.

  54. I love what you have done to your washer! It makes for a way cuter laundry room, and might even make laundry more fun! We live in a rental apt. at the moment…I get the feeling our landlords wouldn’t be as impressed if I painted the machines! When I do have my own laundry room, I’m taking on this project! Another way to spice up your laundry room (my sister in laws idea) was find a cheap disco ball and hang it in the corner of your laundry room. She says every time she changes the clothes over, it’s like walking into a party! Great post!!

  55. To clean floor: BAR KEEPERS FRIEND (will NOT scratch floor.) I use it all the time on rust stains on kitchen counters, bathtub, etc. Another excellent product: KRUD KUTTER, and it’s non-toxic!

  56. Really fun…but as a painter I’m scratching my head over the flat wall paint staying put on a metal washer or dryer? Did you clear coat it with something after?

  57. AWESOME!! I love this! O have you tried an SOS pad for the floor stains? I have before … just the Dollar Tree brand worked great.. it may take a few but well worth the try!!

  58. What did you put on it to make it glossy? I have want to try it..love it..was your paint oil based? More info on the paint please..

  59. This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I might be able to live with my decade old set of machines a lot longer if I did something like this to them.

  60. Look in the grocery store for a rust remover or in the paint dept. of a hardware store for either Oops or Goof Off and they take rust off. Luv th washer!

  61. GinMin…Id advise lacquer remover on the wood first (get one that cleans and removes lacquer in one swoop and it will save you a step!) then paint then reseal.jmo thats what we did with our cabinets 🙂

  62. So stinkin’ adorable!! Love it! Great job. (I found your blog on Get Outta My Head’s linky party) Parenthesis added for your benefit, hehe! I ♥ them too! I’m your newest follower…

  63. Amazing. I am so wanting new colored washer and dryers but they just wont die, so this is an idea to make me believe I got new ones! Great tutorial too! Very helpful and informative

  64. Fabulous! I you want the dryer to match, place round stickers, prime, paint with the teal, then pull off the stickers showing the white underneath.

  65. I absolutley LOVE it!! Gives me some ideas when I go to paint the laundry room. Yeah let’s all put a little cheer into something we hate to do. LAUNDRY!!

  66. I repainted a very old, craptastic fridge a little over a year ago. I have bad experience with latex paint on appliances (always get scratches, smudges, stains, etc) so I did mine with a rustoleum spray paint. I didn’t have to bother with the primer, but I did have to drag the fridge out to the yard for painting thanks to the overspray and fume issues. However! Its totally awesome. I also loathe stenciling as its never perfect and I’m a perfectionist, so I just used vinyl wall art stickers from wallsneedlove.com. It never occured to me to spruce up my washer/dryer, which need it oh so badly. Thanks for the inspiration! <3

  67. i love it and it wont wear off if ur just wiping it with a damp cloth, i painted my frig pink a year and a half ago and it looks as good now as it did when i first did it! ps try a magic eraser to get those rust stains off the floor xo thanks for sharing you did a great job!!

  68. My heart melted when I saw this picture on Pinterest. I have a very old chest freezer that could definitely use a makeover like this! I’m going to Cutting Edge Stencils to see what else they have! Thank you!

  69. Wow…that is awesome! I haven’t read through all your comments to see if somebody already suggested this, but for the rust stains on the floor try mixing some baking soda with enough peroxide to make a paste and then scrubbing it on with a sponge….that solution lifted the rust in my dishwasher really well and will probably work for your floor 🙂

  70. This is the cutest washing machine EVER!! Thanks for sharing this at the Open House party. xo, Sherry

  71. wow, you probably have the cutest fridge in your neighbourhood… or rather, the world! That is such a neat idea and I never thought of that… hm… *walking around with a roller, teal paint & a scary look in my eye*
    😉 Great work!
    -urbane jane

  72. That is totally sweet! I bet you’re ahead of the companies making washing machines! At least I’ve never heard of a washing machine with a design before… I think you came up with the best idea to make a laundry room happier: cheery colors. And polka dots. 🙂
    I just joined your blog, and I am already enjoying your writing style. I couldn’t help but smile myself reading this post! 🙂

  73. I think that this looks very fun!! I was wondering what type of paint you used, was it semi-gloss,gloss, flat, satin??

  74. Completely fabulous!! I pink puffy heart this project! I’ve actually thought to do something similar (but in pink) to my machine but was not sure where to start. This was totally awesome! Seriously…love it…great job.

    KK

  75. I truly hate doing laundry but you have inspired me to try this! I love the thought of actually smiling when I have to do such an awful task that never ends. Thank you for sharing such a creative idea!

  76. I love your idea. Actually, I have thought of the same thing, but have not been brave enough to try it. I love how it turned out. The colors are perfect. Did you need to seal the paint to protect against the detergents? Just a thought that I have mulled over. Otherwise you hit a home run.

  77. The one thing I would do to make laundry a happier chore is to hire someone else to do it! With 6 active kids, we do 2 to 3 loads daily, not counting linens!

  78. that is so fun, I would love to try it, but I am so not brave enough. Also hubby might think I am crazy, or crazier than normal.

  79. Ok a combo of insane and genius… would that be in-genius? I love the color you used and hey… why not!
    Susan
    Homeroad

  80. This is adorable! I know the dryer is brand new but have you thought about reversing the colors and painting the teal dots on that piece?

  81. you are
    a polka dot painting fool

    and i love

    a. that you painted and stenciled your machine
    b. that you call your machine Henrietta
    c. that you did laundry while painting and stenciling your machine

    thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

    alison

  82. Holy cow! and a double WOW! It looks absolutely awesome! So true, maybe if my washer and dryer looked a little better, I might enjoy laundry more! Then again, maybe not!

  83. Now it’s just a matter of time and we will see polka dots, chevron, herringbone, etc on appliances in Lowes and Home Depot! lol! I love it! It’s fun and cheerful! Would love to have you share it at my party…going on now!

  84. I absolutly love this ! I have the ugliest dryer ever ! And my washer/dryer are in my bathroom for the world to see. I am so going to do this. Mine will be red though ! Thanks so much for the inspiration. I am a new follower 🙂

  85. I love this idea BUT I am wondering how it will hold up over time…my experience with painting metal is that I can’t get it glossy enough to look good AND that it peels off in a month or so…talk to me. 🙂

  86. I absolutely love your new washing machine look…I would have laughed if someone had told me that a washing machine can be painted. You gave me belief that it is possible to paint an old Expedit Ikea unit to put in my girls room. I guess primer is the key word.

  87. I love your imagination! Wow! One question, though. I’d like to paint my daughter’s bed. It’s wood, with a shiny white (lacquer?) finish. You mentioned that you use Kilz oil based primer… but what KIND of paint do you use? Oil based? Super glossy? Do you brush it on or do you spray it? If you brush… do you get brush marks or do they “level” out? OK – that was more than one question… but you’ve inspired me!

  88. Cute! The OCD in me would force me to make the dryer match also. I say grab some contact paper in teal, punch some circles, and dot that dryer. Wouldn’t void the warranty that way!

  89. Teal & polka dots – so fun! Now you’re going to be so excited about doing laundry! I’d love it if you’d share this at my Show & Tell party, going on now @ the Delectable Home.

  90. Cute! I’ve never thought about painting and stenciling a washer/dryer. I just wish I had a laundry room. We just have a back entry/laundry/half bath with what seems like eleventy meellion doors in a teeniny space. It is the one thing about this house that makes me cuh-razy. Oh well, at least I can stay inside to do laundry. 🙂 I would love a laundry/mudroom space that would collect all of the school bags and grocery bags and hats and umbrellas and all the stuff you don’t know where to put. Maybe one day.

  91. Absolutely awesome! Don’t think I ever considered painting a washer/dryer before! Mine are brand new but I’ve been in construction mode for the last two years and they are right in the path of destruction… not looking as fine as they once did. Thanks for this awesome inspiration & I even have that same primer on hand already 🙂

  92. I would add teal polka dots to the white washer to pull the pair together. I have to admit, I thought ‘crazy’ when I saw the primer layer, but it turned out really fun! I have a closet in my laundry room that I want to turn into a bench/storage unit one day. I also would love to replace the cabinets. I’ve thought about buying a vinyl decal for my washer/dryer. Maybe this will nudge me in the right direction. Oh and there are plenty of rust removal products that should take those stains off your floor. You can also get a tray that the washer sits in to protect the floor in the future.

  93. OMG that was an amazing idea. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I wanna do mine!!! 🙂 This is definately what i would do to make it more apealing. Your definately not crazy!!

  94. I love it!!! Would love to have our own washer/dryer so I could paint it. Hubby already thinks I’ve cracked since I’m about to put contact paper (plastic?) on the dryer. We “borrow” both from the base (he’s military and we’re overseas at the moment) and our dryer is a white eyesore standing in our hall. We’re actually blessed given the fact that it’s not in the basement like a lot of Italian homes. 🙂

  95. Just wanted you to know I “pinned” this and it was “re-pinned” (it’ll be the word of 2012) 95 times in the first minute!!! A GREAT post and truly unique.

  96. o, and i would have a folding table with storage! for real i just pile it all up until its over flowing on the dryer and then move it to the bed to fold and put away. i *think* i would fold and up away with a folding table. but then again maybe that would just become overflowing too!

  97. That is SO ingenious and lovely all at the same time…I mean, it’s ONLY a washer/dryer so who cares, right? I think it was worth the craziness and it looks so fun. I don’t think anyone else has thought of such an idea! I hope the paint lasts and makes you smile everytime you do laundry!

    Becky B.
    http://www.organizingmadefun.com
    Organizing Made Fun

  98. you are completely nuts in the very best way! now, makeover the rest of your laundry room and show it to us. More, more!!!! 🙂

  99. That’s fantastic!! I love it! I would have never thought of that, but it turned out soooo awesome 🙂 I would love to have a utility sink, large counter top and more storage. I also want to bring in a small dresser to keep my kids every day clothes in. We have a 2 story house and I get soooo tired of taking clothes up & down and dashing downstairs every time someone wets their pants 🙂 Would make my life sooo much easier!

  100. Ack! That’s adorable! Ok, now I want to paint my washer and dryer! I love that stencil too! Sorry, I’m overusing the exclamations again… 😉

  101. Your washer is by far the cutest washer I’ve ever seen! I wouldn’t be surprised if Kenmore didn’t come out with polka dot washers in the future, I’d buy one!

  102. I love what you did. Very nice job! If I could change something in my laundry, I think it would be nice to have wall-hanging cabinets with glass fronts. Right now, I have three open Elfa shelves from the Container Store, but I don’t like how all my cleaning products, craft paints, play-doh and miscellaneous stuff is out in the open.

  103. Oh my goodness, Abbie–I love this. My laundry area needs a serious makeover and I have been scheming ideas! I will be sharing this on twitter, today. Go ahead, girl!

  104. Cute! The laundry room is definitely your domain, so do with it as you please 🙂 I’m in the midst of trying to redo my laundry room with as close to $0 as possible, and it’s fun to see some fun ideas!

  105. i LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I have been wanting to paint our fridge but haven’t got the gumption yet. Now I’m gonna do it! Thanks for the tutorial.

  106. Let me just start by saying Thank you! If I would have tried to explain this to my husband first, he would have thought that I was crazy. Now I can prove that I’m not the only crazy one, and show him how cute it will look in the end =) Love the polka dots, (whether its for PBteen or not ) I’m sure the Jones Design Company would have some super cute pictures to hang in there too . Have a wonderful Tuesday!

  107. I LOVE IT!!! I think the only thing that I would add is some teal polka dots on your dryer (sorry didn’t get her name).

  108. ok…i thought you were bat poop crazy at first. but wow…it is super cute. i am going to do the same to the washer/dryer in my garage. you can see them when we hang out in the backyard and it would be hilarous to have them match the red/blue colors of the rest of the patio!

  109. Amazing. I’m jealous as always. My mom has promised me her front loaders “when you get your own house one day”, but for now I’m stuck renting. I love the teal! And it’s probably lucky that I don’t have my own washer/dryer right now bc my man would come home to a whole mess this afternoon. (except I’d probably attempt, and fail, at periwinkle)

I love hearing from you guys!