Oh hellllooo friends! We're on a DIY content streak thanks to Nathan, who has been researching projects everyday to hone in on his handyman skills. I"m not complaining, hehe.
One thing I've had my eye on for years but have never bought or actually finally created is a super cool bath tray caddy. Our new place has a bathtub and although it's not huge, it does fit my taller frame and let us sack it up.
I still have three of those bath bombs I intend to use, so it was time for a bath caddy. I usually have a hard time taking them because of A. time and B. restlessness. I like to read when I take a bath and light a candle but it's awkward sitting there holding my book above water and trying not to get it wet, haha! I thought this bath caddy would be the perfect way to avoid all of that, altogether.
There are TONS of designs out there for these DIY caddies but I wanted to make something relatively simple. We also used a drill to assemble ours, but if you don't own one you can use wood glue/gorilla glue! The best thing about making your own is you can customize and stain it however you like. We just used a warm honey stain we had lying around, but you could paint it a color, hand letter on it or paint a pattern. You can also add different handles, drill a hole for your wine glass, AND add a ledge for your book.
What You'll Need
Common Board, 10-12" wide *The amount in length of the board will be the total sum of your measurements. For example, if your bath is 32" wide and you want to add two 5" pieces to help keep it in place, you'll need at least 42" in wood. I would even add some inches to that and grab a 48" (or 4') piece! It's always better to make bigger cuts first.
Sandpaper
Wood Stain (we used Honey)
Oil-Based Polyurethane (this is so your wood doesn't absorb water!)
Steps
1. We cut our pieces using a compound saw according to the width of our bathtub and ended up with three piece of wood in total: one as the try and two as the "sandwich" piece. This long piece is the width of our bathtub and our sandwich pieces were about 5". We added these to avoid any slippage and help keep the try in place with use. You're welcome to design it however you wish!
2. We sanded each piece of wood entirely, with an emphasis on the edges. No sharp edgies for us, thanks!
3. Time to stain. You could also stain afterwards, but since it was just three pieces of wood, I did it before we assembled. We used Honey and I applied one coat. I use a paintbrush or sponge brush and then an old rag to wipe off and get a really pretty color saturation.
4. Let your seal dry completely for at least an hour and then add the polyurethane so that it's able to hold up to water and humidity. I had a fun time applying this because it toppled over and stained our driveway, HEHE. Use gloves and a brush or sponge brush. They also have a spray version and IF, IIIIIF you get it anywhere, acetone helps remove it. I let this dry an entire day before touching it, haha!
5. Now we assemble! We measured how thick the tub was and added about 1/4" to each side so it would slide on nicely, then secured those "sandwich" pieces with our brackets using a drill and some 1/2" screws. Like we mentioned, wood glue could also work, we just wanted ours really sturdy since our cat hops up on the tub. That's it!
6. Now enjoy :)
