Add DIY Tile Shelves To Your Bathroom For Extra Storage And Style

It seems like no matter how hard you try, there will always be clutter in the shower. Whether it's a stray shampoo bottle, a bar of soap, or your razor, there just never seems to be enough room for all of your essentials. Cheap stick-on shelves can feel tacky, diminishing the aesthetic appeal of your bathroom as a whole. The solution? Custom built-in shelves that look fantastic and provide some much-needed shower storage. With just a few extra pieces of tile, you can create small corner shelves that match the tile in your bathroom.

Tile shelves offer a practical and durable solution to your bathroom storage needs; unlike bamboo and metal caddies, they're completely waterproof and rust-resistant. They are secured directly into the grout, eliminating the risk of slipping that occurs with stick-on shelving, and they're completely customizable to your shower, allowing you to create the perfect home for all of your bottles and soaps. You can blend your new shelves seamlessly into the existing aesthetic or mix and match your tile colors and textures. For additional functionality, install multiple sizes to maximize your bathroom storage. Incorporating these shelves can add a custom touch to your bathroom, and the installation process is fairly straightforward. It involves creating shower shelves out of leftover tile and inserting them between the grout lines of your wall tiling. You can install these shelves on dried or wet grout, making it perfect for any shower refresh. To get started, you'll need a few extra pieces of tile, an angle grinder, tile mortar, grout, a Rondec to cover sharp edges, and a sponge for installation and cleanup.

The first step in installing your custom shelves is deciding on the right style for your shower. Pre-made shelves are available for purchase that make installation easy, providing a range of sizes and shapes from rounded to larger triangles. For additional customization, you can create your own shelves out of leftover tiles. Using an angled grinder, cut square tiles into two triangles of equal size. Add mortar between the two sides and then the Rondec, a finishing edge that helps prevent chipping, on the 45 degree angle. Insert a few washers on the smaller sides of the triangle, leaving them sticking out about a 1/4 inch. These will give your shelves a place to sit in the grout. Allow the entire thing to dry before installing it in your shower.

For a simplified installation, insert your shelves between two tiles while the grout is still wet. This can be the perfect project when installing new shower tile. Simply line your shelves up between the grout joints. Insert the washers into the fresh grout and give the shelf a generous grouting itself, filling any openings that might appear. If you're adding these shelves to previously dried grout, the installation is a bit more complicated. Take a drill and create an opening in the tile joints. Use a simple grout removal tool (like this one from Carreuty) to create a slit for the tiles to sit in. Clean the notches and fit your shelves into the newly created opening. Add a bit of fresh caulk to seal the shelves and finish by placing your assorted shower items on them — once they're dry, of course.

When installing tile shelves, it is important to understand that there are some limitations to consider before getting started. Most prefabricated, rounded shower shelves are made of natural stones like granite and marble or materials like resin and plastic. These are better options if you're looking for smooth, rounded edges, unlike tile which may leave you with a less polished result.

Beyond shape, there are plenty of ways to personalize your newly installed shower shelves. The easiest way is choosing the right tile for your shower, whether it's a neutral color to accent a relatively natural bathroom landscape or a bold accent to help bring attention to those smaller features around your space. Once your tiles are installed, you can also use an epoxy, acrylic, or latex based paint that is designed for shower interiors to further add contrast. Adding multiple shelves in differing sizes can be an excellent way to completely individualize your shower storage, allowing you to create dynamic shelves that cater to your needs. Smaller shelves might store razors, bars of soap, and other miscellaneous shower clutter while larger shelves are perfect for bulk bottles like shampoo and conditioner.