Kathy's Desk Plan
Build a Computer Desk, in One Weekend, with One Sheet of Plywood, For Under $100.00
Bathroom Storage Problem Solved
I have a small bathroom, it's 6 ft. by 8 ft., with no built in storage other than the traditional medicine cabinet. For years I dealt with it by using the linen closet in the hall.
A few months ago I got the idea to install a shelf over the bathroom door, across the entire width of the room. The beige stripe shows where I put it. I'm pleased with the way this project worked out, it was quick, easy, and cheap. I'm not pleased with how long it took me to come up with this little idea. I'm not telling how many years I've lived here without the shelf!
The shelf holds towels, toilet tissue, & there's still room for a few more things. There must be millions of people with bathrooms similar to mine. You could put in a shelf like mine to ease the storage problem.
The shelf is a 1" by 12" board, cut to fit the space above the bathroom door. You do need to measure this carefully. Measure from wall to wall right where you plan to install the shelf. Do not assume the measurement is the same as in a lower spot to save you the trouble of getting up there on a ladder. Measure the distance of the walls from corner to corner.
You Will Need
Paint the shelf and brackets, primer first, then a finish coat. I put the 7" side of the sheld bracket against the wall, and the 11" side was used to support the shelf. To attach the brackets to the wall, I predrilled holes through the brackets and into the side walls, then installed with fairly long screws. Once they are in place, put the shelf on top. I screwed the shelf to the brackets by drilling down through the shelf and into the brackets. I used a level to make sure the brackets and the shelf were straight. I was in too much of a hurry and I forgot to countersink the screws, it will look a little better if you take the time to do that.
This is what it looks like now. My bathroom is so small, I couldn't get the whole shelf in one picture, so this picture is spliced together. It looks like the shelf is bowed up on the left, but that's a result of my photography, in real life it's straight.
Here's a few more pictures, closer views of each corner.
