How to build a removable privacy panel to hide your laundry hookups.

Since revealing our DIY laundry room, I’ve received a ton of questions about how I made the slatted wood panel that hides our laundry hookups! I’ve decided to create a step by step guide for anyone looking to make one for themselves.

This was such an easy project - trust me, if I could do it, you can do it. You just need the following items:

Table saw or a friend with a table saw
1x12 piece of poplar (or any wood of your choice)
Screw Hooks
Screw Eyes
Drill with wood bits
Sandpaper

If you don’t have access to a table saw, you could also ask the home improvement store of your choice to cut it for you. This same concept would also work with one solid piece of wood, but you would probably need a few more eye screws/hooks as it would be heavier.

Here’s how to make the wood slats:

Measure the length of the space you want the panel to go, then buy a piece of wood that will fit your dimensions. I chose a 1x12” piece of poplar and had my father in law cut it into 1.5” strips using a table saw.
Sand any rough edges.
To secure the slats together, attach 3 pieces of scrap wood to the back of the slats in even spacings using wood screws. (As you can see, I made sure the back looked suuuuuuper professional… ha.)

Here’s how to hang the panel to the base of the cabinets:

I wanted to make sure the panel could be easily removed in the event we needed to access the laundry hookups. To do this, you simply add 4 screw eyes along the bottom of the wall cabinets and shelf. You may need more or less depending on the length of your space.

Then add 4 screw hooks at the top of the panel, making sure they’re aligned with the screw eyes. I would recommend drilling pilot holes before screwing these in to make it easier.

*Tip: I found that orienting the screw hooks the way shown below made it easier to hang the panel.

That’s all there is to it! Kind of makes me wonder what else I can hide using this same application. It’s been installed for almost a year now and we’ve had no issues. Here’s a diagram for further explanation of how everything gets put together.