DIY Toilet Paper Holder with Shelf (Easy Small Bathroom Upgrade)

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Roeshel

If you’re working with a small bathroom, every inch matters. I wanted something simple and functional—but also a little more stylish than a basic toilet paper holder. This easy DIY toilet paper holder with a shelf adds just enough space for essentials (like your phone, spray or a small plant) while keeping things clean and uncluttered. It’s a quick project that makes a big difference.

For as long as we’ve lived here, the guest bathroom’s toilet paper rested in a basket on the floor. Not ideal. So, rather than just secure a pretty oil rubbed bronze holder to the wall, I attached it to a piece of stained scrap wood to create a shelf for decorative accessories like a small plant, air freshener, vase of flowers, extra t.p. or even just cell phone accident prevention, if you know what I mean.

What I Used:

Some affiliate links included for your convenience.

oil rubbed bronze toilet paper holder
scrap wood (mine is a 1×6 measuring about 10″ in length)
Rustoleum Ultimate Wood Care stain & polyurethane
2 corner brackets and screws (try decorative brackets if they work with your holder/wood measurements)

What I Did:

1. Cut, sand and clean a piece of scrap wood.

2. Stain wood shelf by applying stain. Then wipe away with a clean rag. I use RustOleum Ultimate Wood Stain since it dries in about an hour.

3. Seal wood. I did two coats.

4. Attach the toilet paper holder to the under side of the shelf. Allowing room for toilet paper to roll (not be tight agains the wall when installed).

Optional: Have inspector approve your work.

5. Attach corner brackets on one side where shelf will rest against the wall.

6. Decide placement (keeping everyone’s size in mind – not too far of a reach but not so close that it’s in the way of someone’s knees or thighs) and using a level (there’s one in my iPhone’s compass), secure shelf to the wall with screws (use wall anchors if needed).

7. Add a roll of toilet paper.

What I Wish I Had Done Differently:

Here is where I’d recommend choosing brackets that are a little more decorative as at certain angles, they can be seen.

Other Bathroom Updates:

Pedestal sink means no storage. Storage cubes with linen milk crates/bins for organizing towels and bath products…

{It’s been nearly SIX years and the painted floor is still in good shape!}

A towel ring for hand towels…

Just a few finishing but helpful/functional accessories make a big difference!

DIY Hanging Organizer (for peg hooks)

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Roeshel

How do you add a fun pop of color to an otherwise neutral room? Try Pantone’s Color of the Year for something you may not normally choose. The Lowe’s Creative Idea March challenge was to use Valspar’s Radiant Orchid. Just a small touch adds elegance to my white and gray space.

Inspired by PB’s Gabrielle system, I created a wooden peg hook organizing caddy from scrap wood.

Materials I used: Most of my wood was purchased at Lowe’s and is left over from previous projects with the exception of the .50 yard sale find piece shown below. Adjust measurements according to your own needs or scrap wood measurements. Inexpensive pine works well for this project.

1″ x 10″ x 18 1/2″ (back)
1″ x 6″ x 18 1/2″ (bottom)
1″ x 2″ x 4″ (sides)
1″ x 2″ x 18 1/2″ (front)
1″ deep (or however thick your peg hook rack is) x 1″ tall x 6″ wide (back stop piece)
Gorilla Wood Glue
1 1/2″ wood screws
Wood filler
Valspar Radiant Orchid

What I did:

Mark the center top of the back piece of wood. Hold up to a peg on your coat rack, lining the center with the center of a peg. On the wood, mark the center of each peg placement.

Decide which hole saw bit is just a little bigger than the pegs.

You’ll want your holes to be near the top end. I used a ruler to measure down about 2″ from the top and a level to make a cross mark to show the center of each hole. Drill tiny pilot holes where the pencil marks meet.

Attach the hole saw bit to your drill and using the pilot hole as a guide for the center drill bit, drill/cut holes. I think our hole saw bit is a little dull so the back side of my wood is splintered. (Thankfully no one will see that side!)

Sand and wipe clean all wood pieces. Hang on pegs to ensure holes line up.

Using wood glue, wood screws and clamps, assemble your caddy and let dry. I attached my screws from the bottom and back so they weren’t seen but you could also countersink screws, fill and sand.

I thought that was it for the construction until I tested it hanging on my peg hooks. Oops, front heavy. Using just wood glue and a clamp, I attached the back stop piece to the center bottom of the back. This ensures that the caddy will hang level.

Using wood filler, fill all seams and cracks. Let dry, sand smooth and wipe clean.

Paint the entire wood caddy. Mine took two coats. Radiant Orchid wouldn’t have been my first choice but it’s growing on me and it’s nice to do something bold and fun for a change. I love the Valspar sample size paint…more than enough and perfect for adding colorful accents. Down the road all it takes is a new coat of a different color to re-freshen things up.

Now I have a shelf/tray for decorative items, toiletries in the bathroom

Great for keys, wallet, sunglasses, change, cell phone near the door in the mudroom or entryway.

My peg hook is located in my bathroom but I’d really love to have something like this near the door as well. How about you?

More DIY ideas at Lowe’s Creative Ideas, follow Lowe’s on Instagram, Pinterest and sign up for the Creative Ideas magazine and app!

*Disclaimer: As a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Creators and Influencers network, I received a Lowe’s gift card to complete this challenge. As always, all ideas and opinions are in my own words. The blog post above is what worked for me. Results may vary. Remember to work in a well-ventilated area and to take the proper safety precautions.

Baseboard Trim

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Roeshel

Yesterday I shared how I installed grouted vinyl floor tiles in the bathroom and today I just wanted to share a little baseboard trim tip. I re-used existing baseboard trim because it’s the old wide original trim in good shape. See how to easily swap out your baseboards here and a little tip for easy decorative trim detail here.

I gave it a good scrubbing and a little scuffing with sandpaper.

Then reattached the baseboard trim using my nail gun and brads. Countersink the nails, fill with wood filler and sand.

Next I sealed all of the seams with caulk – where the trim meets the wall and where the shoe moulding rests against the baseboard. I use DAP paintable caulk for windows/doors/trim.

FrogTape® Mult-Surface tape applied to the wall ensures a nice straight line without caulk smears. Apply the tape horizontally above the baseboard onto the wall. Use your thumbnail or a credit card to activate the PaintBlock® Technology.

Cut the tip of the caulk tube at an angle (the larger the hole, the bigger amount of caulk-age, so I prefer to keep the cut on the small side. Holding the caulk gun at an angle so that the flat end of the cut hole faces the seam where the baseboard meets the wall, run a bead of caulk.

I fill my FrogTape container with a little bit of water. With a wet finger, smooth the caulk. I work from left to right and since this is a small space, I worked in an entire section (about 4-5 ft. at most). You’ll have a lot of excess (remember to have those paper towels handy).

Then peel away the FrogTape starting at a bottom edge and pulling up and away from the caulk.

Nice clean line! Repeat until all top baseboard seams are sealed.

Now repeat the caulking steps (without the painter’s tape) where the shoe moulding rests agains the baseboards. Once dry (about 30 minutes), it’s time to paint!

Paint is Dutch Boy’s Cabinet and Trim paint. I used FrogTape where the shoe moulding meets the floor to prevent getting paint on my nice new grouted vinyl tiles. Using my thumbnail, I again activated the Paintblock Technology, then painted my trim. After the second coat of paint, I removed the FrogTape while the paint was still wet.

The vanity: I could have cut the baseboard trim so that the vanity sat flush against the wall but since the countertop had a little play (it sat out from the vanity about an inch), I attached scrap (stained) 1x4s cut to size to the back of the vanity, so that it would hide the gap and rest above my baseboard. (Also…one of my baseboards was good and glued as well as nailed to the plaster wall…I feared created a bigger more involved mess with pulling it off.) Now my countertop rests against the wall and is flush with the front of the vanity with no overhang but I don’t believe there’s a law or rule that says the countertop must protrude from the vanity. Is there? It also gave me a little more wiggle room for the tight fit plumbing.

Good as new! I love fresh, clean, white baseboards.

I used my FrogTape along the door frame and window trim too.

If you missed it, you can see the complete before and after bathroom makeover here.

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Bathroom Makeover

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Roeshel

The other day I shared the before and after bathroom transformation. I’ve gone from sitting and staring all day long at our recently finished open pantry (makeover here) to wanting to sleep in my new peaceful bathroom. Since the bathroom had was a nightmare before, ANYTHING would look good after. This is what we got with this old farmhouse…

Before – yikes!

And this is the potential I saw. I’m in love with the soft peaceful ‘after’ results!

Paint: Those walls! Believe me, I did a good scrubbing but is there any better way to really clean up walls than applying a fresh coat of paint? Love this color! Valspar Pale Linen: Depending on light, sometimes it has a soothing blue tint, sometimes more of a gray/white tone but definitely a tranquil light blue color.

Vanity: The gorgeous Huntshire vanity with marble countertop and Talia faucet set from Virtu USA is the luxurious center of attention! Check out the beautiful detail and gorgeous espresso color.

Metallics: Mixing the silver finishes like the brushed nickel faucets, polished nickel sconces, polished nickel vanity knobs, satin nickel curtain rod add just the right amount of bling!

The vanity comes with beautiful antique gold hardware which I’ll re-use on another piece of furniture since I swapped them out for these beautiful polished nickel knobs.

Pottery Barn Bevel Mirror: Go big or go home! {Heavy! Molly bolts included.} The mirror’s beveled mirror frame is the perfect glamorous accessory reflecting light and the illusion of more space into this small bathroom.

Lighting: Drool-worthy. ::sigh:: Thanks to LampsPlus for the stunning lighting! {Hudson Valley Monroe polished nickel adjustable wall lights} These are just the icing on the cake, aren’t they? Definitely my most favorite fixture in my home!

Floor: I did this all by myself! Would you believe they’re vinyl tiles? Easy to install and grout (use grout for vinyl) gives it a look so similar to real marble but without the maintenance or cost and installed in just a few hours! Check back for the tutorial.

The tub and shower will get a makeover later this year. In the meantime, I “framed” the bathtub nook/shower curtain with curtains (difficult to photograph that side of the room!)…

Storage to the left of the bathtub/shower:

Built in storage cabinet to the right…

Floating shelves and baskets provide more storage options.

Because there is no such thing as too many photos:

For those of you asking about the button wall art, they’re about 10 years old and I can’t remember where I got them so I’m pretty sure they’re out of stock (it was probably somewhere like JoAnn’s) but here’s button wall art I spied on Amazon, if you love buttons:

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I’ve received a lot of questions about some of the accessories and fixtures shown above. Here’s a source list. Click the images for to be redirected.

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Still have a question? Let me know in the comment section and I’ll get right back to you. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Don’t forget to swing by to enter to win the Virtu USA Dream Bathroom giveaway to get started on creating your dream bathroom makeover. Easy to enter, lots of prizes!

Ready for some more bathroom makeover inspiration? Check out these awesome blog friends for more:

Linking up to:

Bathroom Before and After

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Roeshel

Hello DIY friends! Let’s talk bathroom makeovers! Do you have an embarrassment of a bathroom? Outdated? Blah? Boring? Frightening? I know the feeling. Read on, my friend. You just may find yourself in a position to give your bathroom a serious facelift thanks to Virtu USA!

There are two bathrooms upstairs in our home. The master bathroom is the smaller of the two (remember, old farmhouse = bathrooms were not a part of the original house plans) and the bathroom I’m about to show you. One for my hubby (the master) and one for me (this one). I know you’re going to be envious that I have had this gem all to myself for a couple of years. Labeled the “girls’ bathroom”, welcome to my own little private oasis… Gag! Because no one sees the upstairs main bath except those who live here, it hasn’t been at the top of the DIY priority list in the 7 years since we moved in. It was functional and clean even if it was super ugly and outdated. Sort of a hurry up, shower, brush your teeth, throw on some makeup and get the heck out of this room! But a less desirable (to put it nicely) “before” makes for a magical “after”. This girl has a happy ending for sure!When the opportunity to work with Virtu USA came up, it was just the motivation I needed to finally FINALLY rip out the old cheap doorless vanity (will have a new life as storage in the barn). The old medicine cabinet with Hollywood dressing room lights (that’s what those lined up round bulbs remind me of) became a roadside treasure for someone who must have needed it. My heart didn’t break as we tossed the old peeling up vinyl and I think the bathroom cried tears of happiness when I painted those poor sad walls.Tiling the tub and shower surround will have to wait until later this year but that didn’t keep me from putting some blood, sweat, tears and lots of DIY and love into turning my bathroom into a beautiful new peaceful place just for me. There are a couple of things that really make this an OMGosh! reveal. You probably couldn’t help but notice that gorgeous 48 inch Huntshire vanity topped with beautiful Italian Carrara marble…and the Talia faucet…I was immediately drawn to what the Huntshire description calls “straight lines and strong features”. I love the square basin with the traditional beauty, not to mention the size and storage (drawers and doors have soft closing hinges and slides!)…a place for everything and a big bold statement that this bathroom is finally not only truly functional but stunning as well!

More photos:I know you’re drooling over that lighting too, right? They’re the Monroe Polished Nickel Adjustable Wall Lights from LampsPlus.

See something you like? Check out the source list with more details and pictures here.

Does your blah bathroom have you wanting to borrow your neighbors? Do you have a vision for creating a spa-like oasis? How would YOU like a chance to win a DREAM BATHROOM MAKEOVER? Head over to the Virtu USA Dream Bathroom Contest page for more details on how you can enter to win! Good luck!Ready for some more bathroom makeover inspiration? Check out these awesome blog friends for more:

*This post is sponsored by Virtu USA. As always, opinion, photos, and words are my own.

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