If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment with homemade peel and stick wood planks. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any space. This 90’s master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. The peel and stick planks were an after thought! Scroll to learn how to incorporate this look in your own space.

If you’ve followed me for a while you know I’m a fan of using inexpensive plywood to replicate the look of shiplap. The towel bar in this bathroom had been on my list of things to update for a while. I’m so glad I finally had a chance to do it!

Before

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

For a summary of the process, scroll down and you’ll see a video from my Instagram stories.

  DIY Towel Rack with Peel and Stick Planks- Materials Needed

   Affiliate links included for your convenience. Click here to see the full disclosure

DIY Towel Rack-Process

Step 1: Add a support board

To begin, I cut a 1×4 common board the width of the wall and attached it leveled on the wall. I made sure to hit the studs, with 2 1/2″ wood screws

Tip: Have the plywood ripped to 6“ wide planks first, then decide on the height placement of the 1×4. For my project, adding the planks was an afterthought, so I ended up ripping two of the planks narrower to make them all fit in the space.

 

Because my board was butting against the window frame, I opted to bevel the edge of the board at 45 degrees, to create a smoother transition.

A tip that may help with the angled cut: Cut the beveled angle first, then cut the board to size by making a straight cut on the opposite end.

If you need more help with angled cuts, be sure to read this post.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

Step 2: Fill Holes and Paint

Use wood filler to fill in the holes. Sand until smooth and paint. The picture below shows the finished look without the planks.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

I liked the clean look, especially after covering the beige and adding hooks, but I wanted a little more character, which is where the idea of peel and stick wood planks came in.

Step 3: Rip Plywood and Stain

At this point, I went to Lowes and had the guys rip a sheet of 1/4″ inch plywood into 6″ planks.

After getting the planks home, I cut them to the width of the wall, gave them a quick sanding(with my favorite cordless sander). Then I stained them different colors.

I used  dark brownmedium brown, and grey.

Check out the video below for a summary of the process.

Step 4: Turn your Planks into Stick Wood

First of all, you can attach the planks to the wall using good old hammer and nails. You can also use a nail gun (my favorite, also cordless!). If you use the nail option, be sure to shoot nails straight into the studs.

What is Stick Wood??

Since this was a small space, I decided to try my luck at making my own peel and stick wood to embellish this DIY towel rack. If you’ve never heard of peel and stick wood planks, check them out here.

They’re super convenient and yes, they look so awesome!!  but…you guessed it, they’re pricey.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

To create the peel and stick plank, I placed peel and stick strips all the way around each plank and stuck them level on the wall. Yes, use the level as you place each plank.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

Make sure you don’t skimp on the  strips. I made that mistake and a couple of planks didn’t stay on, so I had to add more strips. The planks have been on for 4 months now, with no issues.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

If you have electrical outlets to go around, I recommend you make yourself a cardboard template. Be sure to watch the video in step 3 above to see it in action. I used a jig saw to cut the holes for the outlets. You also may need these longer screws to re-attach the plates since the planks will add a little thickness.

I may eventually swap the plates for brown, but for now, I don’t mind the look.

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year. Click to find easy ways to incorporate some of the same ideas in your own space!

Another thing to keep in mind is the space between the planks. I opted to put the planks close together with no space. But, if you like a little space in between the planks (to mimic the look of shiplap) you can use pennies as spacers as you stick the planks on.


Other Projects in this Bathroom

DIY Stick On Mirror Frame

Bathroom Vanity Makeover

Bathroom Light Fixture Makeover


Are you ready to try it?

This DIY towel rack project is easy and budget friendly! I hope you like it and find a place to create the look. I’ve done this in a few areas of my home. Click the posts below to see them!

Plywood in my entryway

Plywood in my basement bathroom

Pin this for Later!

If you are looking to display your towels with a unique touch, consider a DIY towel rack with homemade peel and stick plywood plank treatment. The modern farmhouse look adds a neutral, yet updated feel to any bathroom. This 90's master bath has been getting a budget-friendly update for the past year.


Like it? Share it!

Janice| Sawdust Sisters

Novice woodworker and serial Popcorn eater, Janice Thomas writes detailed tutorials that motivate others to "dare to try". Originally from Puerto Rico, Janice is fluent in Spanish and dreams of owning a beach house on the island someday! Janice currently lives in Utah with her husband and children, where she works as a university professor.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Great job! I love that you just went after it. And making that template out of cardboard is brilliant. What a great update for your 90’s bathroom!

  2. Sandra Turriago

    Love the wall Janice! I’d like to do the same in a bathroom that is smaller and one of my kids use really hot water when showering. Would you recommend any special protection for the wood planks?
    Thank you!!!
    Sandra

    1. Hi Sandra!! I’m so glad you like it!! I actually did this in my basement bathroom too which has no windows and no special treatment and still going strong. You could use a water proof primer on the plywood but that means you’ll have to paint the planks instead of using stain (which looks good too! If your bathroom is super steamy I’d say use nails instead of command strip to attach the planks. Also run the fan for 20-30 min after a hot shower. That’s a hard one to remember 🙂
      Good luck with your project 🙂
      Janice

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.