I have one of the easiest DIY for you today! A bathroom storage ladder. Every time I post a picture of my bathroom on Instagram I get asked where I got my ladder from? Well, I’m happy to say that I built it ( with the help of my husband of course ?) and it was very inexpensive.
When we did a little makeover on this bathroom (you can see that here) I knew I wanted something to fill the visual space over the toilet. There are only so many options. Two of the most common ones are shelves and art. In this case, I knew I wanted an art piece over our antique storage unit and I thought about putting shelves, but I didn’t want anything that would stick out too far. The ladder fills up a lot of visual space without sticking out too far, making it the best option. It also allows for you to display hand towels and you could even attach a basket for storage if you wanted.
Related: Small Bathroom Makeover
DIY Bathroom Ladder Supplies:
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- (3) 1 in x 2in x 8ft boards
- Nails
- A stain of your choice. We used Minwax Provincial 211
Step One: Measure how tall you want your ladder and make sure you take in to account how much you want it to lean. We cut ours to 6ft tall.
Step Two: Next you want to cut your 2 pieces that go across. I would place your long pieces on either side of the toilet a measure how far you would like them to be apart. We wanted ours 19 inches apart and then we added 1 inch so that there would be a 1/2 inch overhang on the sides.
Step Three (Optional): Once you have all 4 pieces cut you can distress the wood a bit. To do this you can bang it with a hammer, hammer nail holes etc. We also sanded the edges to give it a more weathered look. See picture below
Step Four: After distressing you can stain with a color of your choice. We used Minwax Provincial 211
Step Five: The last step is to assemble all your pieces. To do this you will want to measure where you want your 2 pieces that go across to be. We did ours 10 inches apart from the top, it does not need to be perfect. Then just nail them to your long pieces.
That’s it friends! This is so easy, If you have any questions please leave them in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!
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Lynn says
Oh my gosh this is perfect for my bathroom. Been looking for something different to put over toilet!! Found it!!! Love your ideas!!!
michealadianedesigns says
This is the sweetest comment. Thank You! I am so happy that I could help.
Justin says
This is insanely easy! I’ve been looking at Home Depot and Lowe’s for wood to make my own because I’ve wanted to make a ladder for some time. I didn’t even think about getting stain for it! Or sanding it down to make it looked more weathered! So thanks for those tips! 🙂 I think I want to add a wicker basket to mine to hold small things like washcloths and soap.
michealadianedesigns says
This was one of my favorite easy DIY’s. I am happy to hear you found it helpful!
Msyang says
What about anchoring the ladder to the wall? Just for safety reasons in case someone pulls on the hand towels too hard, kids messing around, etc.
michealadianedesigns says
I’m sure you could figure out a way to anchor it if you needed too. It is very light weight and we had no safety concerns.
Katie says
Love the flooring as well! Where is it from? Is it tile or vinyl?
michealadianedesigns says
Hi Katie, It is tile! I am not sure where it is from probably Lowes. It was here when we moved in.
Maritza says
i’m in love with the dresser/bathroom drawers next to the toilet. where did you get it?
michealadianedesigns says
I found it at an antique show.