Easy DIY bathroom shelf

Hello there friends! Let me show you the cute shelf I built this week!

This shelf is 19 1/2″ wide, 4″ tall, and 6″ deep.

After building the floating shelves in my kitchen I had a little wood left over. I decided to build this little shelf for my bathroom. I think it turned out super cute! My bathroom has not been updated in many years and I am slowly bringing it up to this decade, without breaking the bank! It’s amazing what a little paint, a new shower curtain, and a few accessories will do! My inspiration came from Joanna Gaines bright and airy bathroom. She is such a great designer!

This is what my bathroom looked like before. Pretty dark and well…dated. I’m way over the palm trees, unless I’m laying in a hammock under them 🙂

I’m planning on adding a frame to the mirror and maybe some crown molding in the future, which I will of course share with you down the road.

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MATERIALS NEEDED

Miter Saw (or have your wood cut at the store)
Pocket Hole Jig
Wood Glue (use on all seams)
Pocket Hole Screws
Wood Screws
Drill/Driver
Brad Nailer
level
Stud Finder
Dark Walnut Wood Stain
Lumber (see below)

How I did it

Ok, back to the shelf. Here’s how I made it. As far as wood goes, I used one 2″x 3″, one 1″x 4″ and some 3/4″ plywood I had laying around. I used my dad-in-laws miter saw to cut the boards, and I cut the plywood with a jigsaw. Be careful and accurate in your measurements. I also used a drill and my favorite nail gun*. Make sure you are careful as you use these tools. Safety first 🙂

I first cut the 2″x3″ into 4 pieces. One piece at 18″ (this is about how wide I wanted my shelf) and 3 pieces at 4 1/2″. I placed pocket holes on the 3 short pieces using a Kreg Jig* You can see where I placed the pocket holes on the picture below. I then attached the 3 small pieces to the long piece with 2 1/2″ pocket screws, forming the letter “E”.

I attached the frame to the wall using 3 1/2″ wood screws. I made sure I marked my studs on the wall first. I also drilled pilot holes on the 2″x3″ to keep it from splitting. Since this is such a small shelf it only took 2 screws to secure it. I also used a level to make sure it was straight!

Next, I cut 2 pieces of plywood, one for the top and one for the bottom. The pieces were 18″ x 6″. Once I had the 2 pieces cut, I attached them to the frame using wood glue, and a nail gun* with 2″ brad nails. Make sure you attach the bottom piece first. BTW I didn’t purposely match my shirt to my nail gun. Pure coincidence 🙂

Starting to look like a shelf!

Now all you need to do is cover the sides and front. I cut a 1″ x 4″ into two 6″ pieces, for the sides and one 19 1/2″ piece for the front. I used wood glue and 2″ brad nails to attach these pieces as well.

Make sure you attach the sides first, then finish it off with the front piece. Voila!

Now, you can stain it (or not!). I chose to stain it with my leftover dark walnut stain. I applied the stain with a paint brush, let it dry for 5 minutes then wiped off the excess. You can sand the edges for a distressed look once everything is dry.