How to Make an Over the Toilet Shelf
Bathroom storage is always at a premium and an over-the-toilet shelving unit exploits frequently ignored space.
The over-the-toilet shelf can be as complicated as a piece of fine furniture, with quarter-round knickknack shelves on the sides cabinet facing and carved doors, but most are as simple as a bookcase with an open front.
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Things You'll Need
- Lumber
- Basic carpentry tools including a carpenter's square
- Wood glue
- 3d finishing nails (1 box, at a hardware store)
- small-angle braces
Instructions
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How to Make an Over the Toilet Shelf
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First, cut the lumber as follows:
Sides: 2 each, 1-by-10 nominal planks, cut to 68 inches in length. Top: 1 each, 1-by-10 nominal planks, cut to 30 1/2 inches in length
Shelving: 3 each, 1-by-10 nominal planks, cut to 29 1/2 inches in length
Back: Plywood sheeting, cut to 1/8-inch by 30 inches by 31 1/2 inches
Nominal lumber is lumber which, although called, "1-by-10," or "2-by-4," is actually smaller: a 1-by-10 is 3/4 inches by 9 1/4 inches. The "cut to" lengths are the actual measurements.
Measure each part individually before cutting.
Note that the top of the unit is 1-inch larger than the shelves, since it will be attached to the top of the sides, rather than between the sides. -
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Next, measure/mark the lumber for shelf placement. From the bottom of each side of the over-the-toilet shelf unit, measure up (toward the top) 36-inches.
Use the carpenter's square to draw a line the width of the lumber on the inside of the side panel to mark the location of the bottom of the first shelf. Then, measure up another 3/4-inch and draw a second squared line to mark the top of the first shelf. Repeat the process for the other two shelves. -
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3
Begin to construct the frame for the over-the-toilet shelf unit by attaching the top to the sides. Apply a thin film of wood glue to the top of each side, then nail the top piece in place, first to one side and then the other.
Attach the back panel to the back of the side panels with nails every 6 inches and to the top with at least three nails. -
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The next step is to install the shelves.
Install the bottom shelf first, to give the frame some rigidity and make the remaining shelves easier to install.
As before, apply a thin film of wood glue to the edges of the shelves and between the two marks on the interior of the sides of the over-the-toilet shelf unit, which show where the shelves are to be attached to the sides. Slide the shelf into place using the guide marks and attach the shelf to each side with nails.
Even though you are using glue on the shelves and top, clamping is unnecessary, since you are nailing the sides and shelves together as well as gluing them.
Repeat this process for the remaining shelves until all the shelves are installed in the over-the-toilet shelf unit. -
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Cover the sides and the exposed edges of the sides and shelves with Formica or vinyl wallpaper, or stain and use wood trim molding to cover the exposed edges.
Wood trim will warp in the humid bathroom environment unless you stack the wood trim in the bathroom for five or six days prior to installing it, so that it can become "acclimated" to the humidity.
When you mount the over-the-toilet shelf in the bathroom, secure the unit to the bathroom wall with small angle braces between the wall and the top.
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Tips & Warnings
The dimensions given are only a starting point. Design and size the over-the-toilet shelf to suit your needs and your bathroom. The only limit is your imagination.
Any carpentry project involves significant potential for cuts, broken bones and bruises.
