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January 8, 2014

Rustic DIY Towel Organizer

Thanks For Sharing!

 

We had a very basic towel rack in our bathroom. But to solve the storage/organization problem, I built a Rustic DIY Towel Organizer for our bathroom. It holds our clean towels and ones that are in use. It’s been the perfect solution and it was really easy to put together.

DIY TOWEL ORGANIZER FOR YOUR BATHROOM
Don't have time to fold your towels? Make this DIY Towel Organizer with a rustic farmhouse style! Perfect for your Fixer Upper Bathroom!

 

DIY Towel Organizer! Love this idea. via @tarynatddd

No more stacks of towels on the closet floor, yay!

DIY Towel Organizer! This easy bathroom project will take you no time. Don't worry about folding those towels anymore, just hang and go!

DIY Towel Rack Before and After

Yup! Pretty glad I got around to making this project happen. Love a good before and after :)

DIY TOWEL ORGANIZER TUTORIAL

DIY Towel Rack Wood Pieces

I started with two pieces of  Whitewood Planks, one 10″w and another 8″w (It was the cheapest wood I found with the finish I wanted). The top shelf measures  10″ X “1 X 22″ and the lower piece that measures  8″ X 1″ X 22”. You could use two pieces the same size, I just wanted a smaller piece for the bottom part because I thought it looked better with the size of brackets I used.

TIP: Before deciding the length of your shelf, first find the studs on your wall. With a shelf this heavy, I recommend securing it to studs. So the length of your shelf may depend on how far apart your studs are. Mine measured 16″ a part, so I added 3″ on either side of the brackets and made it a total of 22″. 

DIY Towel Rack ConstructionI secured them together at a 90 degree angle. The 10″ board will be used to place the towels on and the 8″ board is for the hooks. I used a combination of wood glue and nails. (P.S. I LOVE my Ryobi Cordless Nailer, it’s so easy to use and is the perfect tool to have around for small projects. I love not having to bring out the air compressed whenever I want to use it).

DIY Wood Rack Barnwood StainAfter the glue dried, I stained the pieces using a couple of different stains. I really wanted a barn wood look so I started experimenting with different stains I had on hand. I ended up using a thin layer of Minwax English Chestnut  and then did a dry rub of Rustoleum Kona.

DIY Towel Rack FinishI waited 24 hours for the stain to dry then did two coats of Minwax Satin polyurethane.

IMG_8393I knew I wanted black iron brackets and I ended up finding these at Target. Only $9.99 for both brackets!

I secured the brackets to the top shelf first, but waited on the lower ones.

DIY Towel Rack

Now it’s time for installation. I found the studs on the wall and marked them. Then, I matched the brackets up with the studs. Because I was going through an extra board and into the studs, I didn’t use the screws that came with the brackets. I recommend 2-2 1/2″ screws for both sets of the lower holes!

The last part was putting on the towel hooks. I bought these black hooks at Lowes to really finish off the look.

DIY Towel Organizer!

And that’s it! I love my new DIY Towel Organizer!

Need some more organization ideas? Try these from some of my favorite bloggers. Tons of printables to help you get organized in the new year!

Bombshell Bling 52 Mantels 4 Marrs, One Venus Crazy Little Projects Smart School House Dimple Prints Giggles Galore The Cards We Drew That's What {Che} Said Design, Dining + Diapers HTML Map

1. 10 Must Have Cleaning Supplies from Bombshell Bling

2.Chalkboard Labels For Kids from 52 Mantels

3. Menu Planning Printable from 4 Marrs One Venus

4. Organizing Printable from Crazy Little Projects

5. Blog Organizer Printable from Smart School House

6. Chore Printable from Dimple Prints

7. Chalkboard Command Center from Giggles Galore

8. Infant Clothing Size Dividers from The Cards We Drew

9. Free Daily To-Do List from That’s What {Che} Said

10. DIY Towel Organizer from Design, Dining + Diapers

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

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Filed Under: ALL POSTS, DIY Home Decor, DIY Projects, Furniture Builds and Makeovers, Organization, Sponsored

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily says

    January 8, 2014 at 8:15 am

    Love how this turned out! Thanks for the tutorial!

    Reply
  2. Lisa B. says

    January 8, 2014 at 8:53 am

    I would choose the 2014 life planner -inspire -make the days count, for my son who will be going to college this fall!

    Reply
  3. Carrie A. says

    January 8, 2014 at 9:07 am

    I feel your pain! Our linen closet barely holds all of our extra towels, too! I love how you built this yourself! Love it!

    Reply
  4. Ruthanne G says

    January 8, 2014 at 9:18 am

    My bathroom is so cute except for how our towels are stored. This is such a great look! Thanks for the tutorial.

    Reply
    • Ruthanne G says

      January 8, 2014 at 9:20 am

      I would love a life planner. And I love all the patterns it would be so hard to choose!

      Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    January 8, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    I love the way this turned out, Taryn!

    Reply
  6. Angela says

    January 8, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Just love this organizer. I am going to be saving this idea for future when I can actually put nails in the walls!

    Reply
  7. Loretta says

    January 8, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    Signature stripes is my favorite, but it was pretty close with quite a few more…Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  8. Melissa says

    January 8, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    I love the towel organizer.
    I would definitely want to get the life planner. Thanks for this giveaway!

    Reply
  9. Lisa M. says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    I love the life Planner and I can’t decide which design. I love anything with my initials tho.

    Reply
  10. JaneEllen says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    Great project, Taryn. Love stained look, like how two stains worked to give it great look. You sure are one talented gal. I’ve never attempted to make a shelf (have mr. control freak who will not allow me to use his tools.)then it’s getting him to make what I want and how I want.
    I usually love a painted look but stains look smooth and nice to look at. We have a storage problem in our bathroom, none except under sink. Bought a cubby organizer at Target on sale this past weekend to store towels and toiletries. Because whomever had our house before/ordered it/didn’t have good insulation put in, if we put some toiletries under sink they freeze. Pretty stupid ordering a house for CO then not having good insulation put in, duh.
    The longer we’re in this house the more we realize what things they didn’t do, not good for us, makes higher utility bills, colder in winter/hotter in summer. Thank heavens for our ceiling fans, they’re a life saver in summer.
    Will have to see if hubs will make one of these shelves, will help immensely. Great post.
    Finally got him to put a hook up for our towels right by shower door so in winter we don’t have to freeze getting our towels. We have to run a heater in bathroom in winter.
    Your tutorial was great Taryn, very nicely done, you’re a gem gal. Happy days

    Reply
  11. Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Beautiful, Taryn! Our towel bar just broke in the bathroom, and I was going to just buy another to replace it, but now you have me thinking… ;) Thanks for the inspiration, girl! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

    ~Abby =)

    Reply
  12. [email protected] says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Great Idea Taryn! I could sure use some extra shelf in our bathroom.

    Reply
  13. Donna says

    January 9, 2014 at 3:48 am

    Love this idea and it looks great too!!

    Reply
  14. Mariah Leeson (@Giggles_Galore) says

    January 9, 2014 at 8:16 am

    I love the simplicity of this project that packs a big wow factor, especially for a towel rack!

    Reply
  15. Katelyn says

    January 9, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    I love this so much, such a great job!! I’d love for you to come & link this up at Link’n Blogs Link Party! Hope to see you there! http://learningcreatingliving.blogspot.com/2014/01/linkn-blogs-7.html

    Reply
  16. Amy Huntley says

    January 10, 2014 at 7:33 am

    Love this!! It turned out great!

    Reply
  17. Wendy F says

    January 11, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    This is so great!

    Reply
  18. Shannon [Our Home Notebook] says

    January 11, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    Really love this project. It’s beautiful and I’m sure it makes such a difference in your bathroom too.

    Reply
  19. Shannon - AKA Design says

    January 12, 2014 at 5:58 am

    I think I first saw your towel organizer on Pinterest, but just came over from Tatertots and Jello. What a beautiful rustic design, Taryn!!! xo, S

    Reply
  20. Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above says

    January 13, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    I love the towel rack. It is so cute.
    Debi @ Adorned From Above

    Reply
  21. Suzan says

    February 3, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    Loving it – great job !!!

    Reply
  22. Val says

    February 4, 2014 at 10:00 am

    Hi Taryn, just stopping in from the Show Me What Ya Got link party. I just love this shelf; so rustic and pretty! I like the idea of matching the brackets supports to the studs. Thanks for sharing your tutorial, and have a great day!
    Val @ artsybuildinglady.blogspot.ca

    Reply
  23. Leslie says

    February 4, 2014 at 6:29 pm

    Love! This turned out so well… I could really see a towel organizer like this in my home. I may use your tutorial! ;) Thanks so much for sharing!!

    Reply
  24. Lorene @Remodelaholic says

    March 28, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Taryn, this is fabulous! I work with Cassity over at Remodelaholic.com and we would love to have you share this as a featured guest. If you’re interested, drop me a line at [email protected]. Thanks!

    Have a great day,
    Lorene

    Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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