An excellent way to increase the amount of storage in your bathroom (which is always super important) and provide a place for your decorative items is to install an over-the-toilet rack. These racks can be purchased online or at any hardware store. But for those who are crafty and/or on a budget? You can easily make these yourself with the right materials.
These racks are the ideal way to decrease the amount of clutter on your countertops without having to sacrifice any of the important items you want to keep in your bathroom. They can be used for healthy potted plants, baskets of extra linens or toilet tissue/tissues, containers of toiletries, special artwork, and more!
So interested in learning how to DIY a personalized over-the-toilet rack? Then you will want to keep reading and learn how easy it can be!
Supply List
It is imperative that you have the following supplies on hand or that you pop out and get them to ensure that your over-the-toilet rack will be perfect for your needs:
- Tape Measure
- Carpenter Pencil
- Drill
- Screws
- Table Saw
- Hammer and Nails (or Nail Gun)
- Sandpaper (or Eclectic Sander)
- Paint, Stain, or Varnish
- Lumber – two 2×4 studs for framing
- Floating Shelves or Wooden Slabs with Framing Strips/Wooden Blocks to make your own
How to Make a DIY Personalized Over-the-Toilet Rack
- Measure the area behind your toilet to determine the amount of space you have to work with. You want to know the width and height of the space available. This determines how high your rack can be and what height should the shelving be placed at. The width measurement allows the over-the-toilet rack to be placed on either side of the toilet, not behind it in terms of the studs.
- Cut the lumber to fit the measurements you just garnered using the table saw.
- Stain, varnish, or paint the lumber. While this is drying, you can start working on the shelving of the rack.
- If you are using floating or premade shelves, you can use this time to varnish, paint, or stain them.
- If you are building your own shelves, you want to cut the wooden slabs as per the measurements and then use the framing strips to create a uniform look and a back for the shelves. To create a back, you want to nail a framing strip above the shelf and stop items from falling down behind the rack itself. Secure them in place using a hammer and nails (the drill and screws can be too forceful here – causing the wood to split, and we don’t want that).
- Use the cut wooden blocks to create sides on the shelves to protect your items while providing privacy and preventing things from falling off.
- Prepare the shelving as you want them – some people will use different color stains, paints, or whatnot for a funky, unique look, or you can use the same finish on all the parts of the over-the-toilet rack. It’s completely up to you.
- Take the lumber studs and the shelves, use the drill and screw to attach them together. Picture a ladder in your head for the best results. You want to have the lumber studs attached to the shelving using the wooden block sides you installed (or the ones that would come on premade shelves). Place two sturdy screws into the studs and make sure they are attached to the sides of the shelves.
- Another thing people tend to do when making shelving is to use framing strips on the bottom of the shelving to help support the weight of the items you plan to store on them. This prevents them from warping. You can nail or screw these into the shelves, just don’t pierce through the other side!!
- Once the rack is secured, secure it into place over the toilet. You can drill into the wall (use a stud finder beforehand to prevent drilling into pure drywall) and secure the rack using anchoring screws. You can have it designed to be a leaning rack that uses the walls behind (and alongside) the rack to provide support.
- Now comes the fun part! You are ready to decorate your DIY over-the-toilet rack. Choose metal baskets to hide items that you don’t want available to public eyes but still provide style. Frame bathroom artwork and place it on the shelves. Use wicker baskets to contain your extra toiletries, bathroom linens, and supplies.
- Another great way to bring the eye to your invention is to wrap twinkling LED fairy lights around the studs that support the rack. Purchase ones that are waterproof and feature an encased battery pack. Or if your bathroom receives lots of natural light? Then purchase solar-powered ones.
In Conclusion
There is no reason why you don’t need an over-the-toilet rack and numerous reasons why you do need one! There are so many possibilities to be had when you use this space-saving furnishing in your bathroom, and you can make it yourself without a large chunk of your hard-earned money. You just need the time, the elbow grease, the tools, and supplies, as well as the vision, but before you know it, you’ll have your own DIY over-the-toilet rack for yourself.
Just don’t be surprised if your friends and family want you to build them one too after they see how amazing they are! Share your awesome DIY home decor ideas with them!
