Since it's Focus on Organization month, I'm trying to find things that I can do around my house to make organizing just plain EASIER and more effortless using sites like Homeclick Community for ideas. Our bathrooms are always a mess, so I enlisted the help of our DIY and Crafting Contributor, Heidi from Honeybear Lane, to show us how she made her own DIY bathroom moulding for towel hooks to completely TRANSFORM the look of her bathroom, for just a few bucks. You'll die when you see how easy it is. Take it away, Heidi!
Thanks Jordan! I know you all are interested in being frugal, and when it comes to home decor, I'm all about that. Almost everything in my home came from a thrift store, the side of the road, or IKEA. Right now we are living in a pretty small space waiting for our house to be built.
The most obnoxious space for me is the bathroom. It is so small and tight! There is no storage. I recently gave it a makeover, but I wanted to share the thing that was really easy but made the biggest impact! It's this super simple bathroom moulding for towel hooks. Here's how I did it:
Here's what you need:
- 1 piece of 1×6 MDF, pre-primed. You'll need to measure the wall space in your bathroom to see how long the MDF should be.
- Note: MDF is great for moulding because it's super smooth and pre-primed. If you want to save even more money, you can buy common boards, but just make sure it's super straight and has as few knots as possible. You will have to putty those up so they are smooth.
- 1 piece of 1×2 MDF of the same length, for the “cap”
- Stud-finder and pencil
- Level
- Liquid Nails
- Finish nails & hammer, or nail gun
- Caulk
- Towel hooks
Here's how you do it:
- Find the studs in the wall using a stud finder like THIS ONE
, and mark them with a pencil.
- Hold & level the boards. My boards were cut so dead-on that it actually held in place without anything! But you will probably want to have someone help you by holding it while you nail it in. Make sure you have a level on it so you get it square and level.
- Apply some Liquid Nails on the back so it really stays put.
- Nail the board in place, making sure to nail into the studs with a nail gun or hammer. Use finish nails
. The Liquid Nails will dry and then the full weight won't be on the nails. Make sure you really get the nails down in the wood so you can caulk over the holes.
- Put the “cap” board on top and nail it down.
- Caulk. You'll need to caulk the edges and nail holes. Caulk is easy, just apply it in a line, get your finger we, then use your finger to gently swipe it into place.
- Paint. Paint the boards bright white, including the wall below. Let it dry for 24 hours.
- Hang your hooks. Once the paint is all dry, measure and mark where you'd like your hooks to go, and pre-drill holes into the MDF. Screw your towel hooks into the MDF and you're good to go!
- Hang towels and admire your work! Use towels with loops on them to hang, and then you don't have to worry about your kids (or husband) hanging the towels up ugly. I got this towels at IKEA for SUPER cheap (like $3 each) and they already have loops.
This was just one thing I did in my bathroom makeover–I also painted, hung new shower curtain, and put up other shelving units. It has made the whole bathroom feel so much bigger and more practical. I love it!
Please visit me at Honeybear Lane for lots of other money-saving home decor ideas!
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Wow, isn't that cute? I think I'm going to do something like this in my own bathroom or office, I never realized how easy it was! Thanks for sharing, Heidi!
XOXO
Very clever! I think I will use this idea in my mudroom. I need lots of hooks for things there!