After A Break, A New Project

It's been a while, but I was on a bit of a hiatus while I helped my parents build a gazebo in their backyard. I don't have a project log for that since it wasn't really my project; I was just the hired labor.
I've decided that our laundry room needs an organizational makeover. Since we moved in the room has always felt small, and there isn't any good space for organizing the various things that ultimately end up in a laundry room. There are a couple of basic wire shelves, and those do well enough for storing a few things, but the room (and the washer and dryer) both end up cluttered with miscellaneous household items.
After thinking about how to better organize the space, I saw a video on YouTube by another woodworker - Frank Howarth - who was facing a similar problem in his broom closet. I really liked his french cleat system because it not only provides multiple possibilities to organize things, but it also looks very nice. I drew on his idea for inspiration and came up with my own idea to fix my laundry room.

As you can see from the above drawing, I plan to build a system of french cleats on the room's long wall, starting near the floor and moving up to the ceiling. The cleats follow the area around the washer and dryer, and at the top there is a space for the clothes hanger. I thought about removing the existing wire shelves, but in the end I decided to leave them. They work well enough, and I'm not looking to add a whole lot of organizing space - just more than I currently have. The french cleats measure 2 inches tall and 3/4 inches thick. I'll cut them from some scrap plywood from previous projects. I will cut strips that are 3.75 inches wide, then make a single 45-degree cut along the center to get two french cleats that measure 2 inches on the long side. Frank attached the cleats to a piece of 1/2 inch plywood, then attached the completed board to the wall. Due to the limited existing space, I'm going to attach my cleats directly to the wall. One or two screws going into each stud behind the wall should provide enough holding power for the cleats.

I recommend watching Frank's other videos. Aside from being a good woodworker, he also has an interesting way of telling the story of each project. His videos are very creative.
More to come soon.

(Laundry Room Project: Part 2)
(Laundry Room Project: Part 3)