DIY A Beautiful Small Storage Closet For Your Bathroom

Very few bathrooms have enough storage, and even if they do, it is not always pretty. Exposed shelving can look messy, and free-standing storage cabinets waste space compared to built-in options. It might seem like enough to simply provide designated spaces for things, but you may want to rethink bathroom countertop organizers, no matter how chic they are, because they take up valuable real estate in a small bathroom. If you need better bathroom storage but want to make sure you have a clean end result with a built-in style, you should try building a small but beautiful DIY storage closet for a corner in your bathroom.

To create a small closet in your bathroom, you will need quite a few materials and tools. You will need 2x4 wood planks for framing, drywall, a couple of sheets of plywood, paint, caulk, edge banding, sandpaper, polyurethane, and hardware. The details of exactly how much you need will depend on the size of the space you plan to fill with this closet, which will vary based on the size and shape of your bathroom. Additionally, you will need tools including a saw, power drill, orbital sander, measuring tape, hammer, level, square, and paintbrushes. Materials for drywall taping and mudding are also required. Finally, you should have the necessary safety equipment for working with all of the tools and materials, including long sleeves, gloves, a dust mask, protective eyewear, and headgear. Optionally, you might gather some things to help you organize your completed closet like hooks and bins.

YouTuber Welcome to the Woods explains the building process. Start by creating a frame for the side wall of your storage closet using 2-by-4 wood planks. Remember to add studs every 16 inches to support the drywall that will be installed here. Make sure to measure the angles throughout the process to ensure a sturdy and aligned result. Then, wedge the frame into place in the bathroom and secure it to the wall and floor. Next, add drywall to the frame and tape and mud the seams. Once this is done, measure and cut plywood for the interior of the closet and secure it to the walls (you could opt for drywall here as well). This is also a good time to install the plywood shelves at whatever height you choose and sand everything down.

Next, you can create the face frame using 2-by-4 pieces. You will need to decide how many doors you want your closet to have. To make the face frame look more finished, consider applying edge tape at this point. Then create the doors, measuring them to fit your face frame. Sand and apply polyurethane to the face frame and doors for added durability (remember bathrooms are humid spaces), and measure and mark where the hardware will be installed before putting the face frame in place on the closet. Then, add hardware and attach the doors. Finish up by adding trim, filling holes, caulking where needed, and painting the walls. Now that you have a new built-in closet, you can start organizing.

As you design your new closet, make sure you have a good understanding of your bathroom space and storage needs. You do not want your bathroom to feel too small with the added storage or for your closet to not fit everything you need it to. The closet is highly customizable, but you must plan ahead to ensure there is room for a robe to hang from a hook or a broom to stand up underneath the lowest shelf or your thoughtfully selected storage bins to fit on each shelf level. Make sure the shelves are easy to reach for frequently used items, and think about what you would store at the top of the closet to make use of the space that extends all the way to the ceiling. If you are looking for ways to organize the items on the shelves, check out 15 items you can use to organize your bathroom.

Once the hard part of this DIY is over, it is time to explore a key step to keeping your new closet tidy and in good condition. This paramount tip is to find the best shelf liners for protecting your cabinets and drawers. Especially in a bathroom where you are storing soap, cleaning supplies, and beauty products, it is important to protect your new shelf from liquid damage. Shelf liners also prevent wear from the friction of moving things on and off the shelves, which will likely happen frequently in a bathroom.