A simple laundry chute between two rooms — usually between a bathroom and a closet, for instance — helps prevent dirty clothes from piling up and keeps them out of sight.
The first step to building a basic laundry chute is identifying the right spot to put it. You’ll want it to be located just above the hamper’s height and you’ll need to mark the stud locations in the wall, since the chute will need to go between two studs.
Quick Notes Before Building a Laundry Chute
Before we begin, note that our laundry chute’s door is cut from a piece of 1-by-12. Yours, however, will depend on the exact height of your opening. Just be sure to allow about a half-inch of overlap on all sides.
In addition, rather than regular hinges, we’re using “sink front tilt-out hinges” to operate the door. This keeps the laundry chute’s door from opening too far and the springs ensure that it stays closed when not in use.
All right — let’s begin!
Tools Needed
Materials
- Length of 1-by-6
- Length of 1-by-12
- 1 pair of tilt-out cabinet hinges
- 1 cabinet pull
How to Build a Basic Laundry Chute
1. Create a small access hole between the studs. You’ll want to confirm that the space is open and free of electrical wires or plumbing pipes. Then, lay out level lines between them and begin cutting out the drywall.
2. On either side, the studs will guide the vertical cuts. When the drywall is removed from one side, mark the corners on the opposite piece of drywall from the inside. This way, the openings will line up with each other. Then, measure the thickness of the wall so that you can rip a piece of 1-by-6 to exactly that width. In this case, that’s 4-and-a-half inches.
3. Cut two pieces of this material to the width of the opening — remember: there are usually about 14-and-a-half inches between studs. You’ll also need two pieces to arrange vertically between the horizontals — the dimension will depend on how tall you want the laundry chute’s opening. Next, nail these four pieces together, making sure the outside dimensions match the wall opening.
4. We’re using a two-inch-wide strip of the same material to trim out the laundry chute’s box, so we’re making miter cuts on each corner before we nail the trim onto the face of the box.
5. Finally, slide the whole assembly into the wall opening and nail it to the studs on either side. On the closet side of the chute, attach identical trim to cover the rough edges.
That’s it! Now you have a simple laundry chute to keep dirty clothes out of sight, and you can instantly store them in the hamper.
Watch the video above for the full step-by-step process, and share your thoughts on this project in the comments below!
