How to Build Your Own Laundry Risers

Cut four 60-inch long 2-by-4 planks with a circular saw for the front and rear panels of your risers. Cut 10 25-inch long, 2-by-4 planks for the side panels and the reinforcing boards within the interior of the risers.

Set two of the 60-inch boards onto the floor parallel to one another with two of the 25-inch boards between them and flush with the ends of the 60-inch boards to create a rectangular platform frame. You want to set the boards so that they’re 4 inches high. Place a carpenter’s square against the inside corners of the rectangle to make sure the joints are at 90-degree angles.

Glue the frame together at the joints with wood glue. Drill a pilot hole through the 60-inch boards and into the ends of the 25-inch boards. Drive two 3-inch wood screws through the pilot holes and into the 25-inch boards at the joints with a screw set on the drill. Stagger the screws about 1 inch apart.

Set three 25-inch boards between the 60-inch boards of the frames, spaced 13-1/8 inches apart to reinforce the frame. Drive two 3-inch screws into each of the reinforcing planks through the 60-inch boards to hold them in place.

Cut a 3/4-inch plywood sheet 60 inches in length and 28 inches wide with the circular saw. Place a bead of construction adhesive over the tops of the planks of the frame then place the sheet of plywood onto the frame with the edges flush with the frame edge. Screw the board onto the frame planks with 2-inch wood screws spaced every 8 inches. Use a countersink bit on your drill to pre-drill the screw holes then switch to a screw bit to drive the screws into the board with the screw head flush with the board’s surface.

Create a second platform by following the same construction process.

Cut four pieces of 12-inch long 4-by-4 planks to use as pedestal legs for the risers.

Turn one of the platforms upside down so that the framework is visible. Place a pedestal leg on each of the corners of the frame. Set an angle bracket beneath each pedestal leg with the long end of the bracket against the sidewall of the frame and the shorter length of the bracket against the bottom of the legs. Mark the location of the mounting holes in the bracket onto the sides of the frame and the legs with a piece of chalk. Remove the leg and the bracket.

Drill a 1/2-inch deep pilot hole into each marked area. Switch to the screw set on the drill. Place the bracket onto the pedestal leg and secure it in place through the mounting hole and the pilot hole with 2-inch wood screws. Place a bead of wood glue over the corner and set the bracket back into place. Secure the bracket to the frame with 2-inch screws through the bracket and pilot holes to hold the legs in place.

Cover the top of each leg with wood glue. Flip the second platform upside down and place it onto the four legs. Secure the pedestal to the legs with two 2-inch screws through the plywood and into the legs. Allow the glue to set for an hour then flip the entire riser over so that the flat platform forms each riser shelf, with the frames hidden beneath.

Sand the cut edges of the plywood smooth with a power sander then wipe off the residue with a tack cloth.