DIY Wooden Bath Tray with Phone Holder

Are you looking to add some beautiful functionality to your bathroom? This DIY Wooden Bath Tray (with Phone Holder) is the perfect addition! It turns a plain bath tub into the perfect place to relax and unwind. I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs, and I am excited to share this DIY Wooden Bath Tray with you today. The best part about this tray is the added mount to secure your phone (so you can browse the web or watch a video while you’re relaxing.) Keep reading for all the details on how to make this bath tray yourself!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

One board at least 48″ long. (I used brazilian cherry)
Orbital sander
Drill
1 ½” Forstner Bit
Drill bit (sized for hardware screws)
Pocket Hole Jig
Pocket Hole Screws
Wood Glue
Speed Square
Two Drawer Pull Handles
Cell Phone Tripod Adapter
Polyurethane
Ruler
Paintbrush
1″ wood screw

Instructions:

1. Prep the wood

The first step in this project is to cut your wood pieces. This diagram shows the measurements for my bath tub tray, but you will need to measure your tub and adjust the measurements accordingly.

Next, sand your wood pieces. If your wood is fairly smooth you can use a 180 grit then 220 grit. For rougher wood, use a coarser grit sandpaper first.

2. Drill holes

Use a forstner bit to drill shallow holes the size of tea light holders. The candles will sit into the groove making them less likely to slide off the tray.

Use a ruler to mark where you will place the handles.

Use a drill bit the size of your drawer pull screws and drill your holes as marked.

Next, take your two small pieces and drill pocket holes into one side. This is a quick and easy way to attach the bottom pieces of your tray. If you don’t have a pocket hole jig you could use other methods of joinery.

Attach the bottom boards to the bottom of your tray with wood glue and pocket screws. Be sure you size these to fit just inside each side of your tub. This will prevent the tray from sliding anywhere.

3. Finish with polyurethane

Finally, finish the entire DIY bath tray with polyurethane. You may want to use a poly that is made for exterior environments because you need a strong water-resistant finish. I applied three coats, letting each dry completely and sanding lightly with 220 grit sandpaper in between each layer. This gives you a beautiful smooth finish.

4. Add Handles and Phone Holder

Use your drill to attach the handles.

Attach the cell phone tripod adapter to the center of the tray with one screw.

Completed DIY Bath Tub Tray

Your project is finished! Add a washcloth, flower, candles, bath bombs and a glass of wine! They tray turned out so beautiful you’ll want to take a relaxing bath immediately.

Be forewarned your bath times may extend longer than normal.

This DIY Wooden Bathtub tray was easy to make! You should build one for yourself immediately.

Bonus: Your phone holder can turn so you can view things vertically or horizontally! Netflix binge watching? Bring it on.

If you like this project, please share it on Pinterest so others can enjoy it too. Thank you for reading!

Hi, I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs. Here are a few fun stats about me: I ~~like~~ love chocolate and peanut butter (together of course.) If you like stats, I have been crocheting for about 16 years, crafting for 20, and woodworking for about 4 years. I found a passion in making and being creative and began documenting my projects online at Hazel + Gold Designs.

When not working on projects, I enjoy spending time with my husband, four children, perfect dog, and ornery cat. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Read all of Sheri’s tutorials.

~Find more of Sheri’s projects here ~

Liked this project? If so, you’ll love this DIY Scrap Wood Laptop Stand:

Or this DIY Farmhouse Style Serving Tray:

May 29, 2019/0 Comments/by Sheri

bathroom, Saving Etta

Saving Etta: Upstairs Bathroom Reveal

Today I’m revealing the last bathroom in the Saving Etta house. This bathroom is a departure from the more modern master bathroom and the shared downstairs bathroom. In the upstairs bathroom, I pushed the vintage look and added some feminine touches to create a bathroom I wish I could use every day!

Before I take you into the bathroom, I want to thank all the Saving Etta sponsors. As you all know, I’m very particular about the brands I work with and I can honestly say my sponsors are the cream of the crop when it comes to selling products for your home and lifestyle.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Progression of the Upstairs Bathroom:

The upstairs bathroom is off the second floor loft area right above the master bathroom. All the bathrooms in the house are approximately the same size.

Shortly after the roof was finished, we started installing the water lines, tubs, and waste lines in the bathrooms.

Once the plumbing and electrical rough-in inspections passed, the water and mold-resistant purple drywall was installed on the walls.

Then the PermaBase cement board was installed in the tub and shower area and it was time for tile!

After the tile floors were installed, we began putting in the fixtures. The vanity and vanity lights were set in place.

About the Combination Light and Exhaust Fan:

You may have seen me mention the Broan integrated light and exhaust fan in the downstairs shared bathroom reveal post. I thought you might like a few more details about this unique exhaust fan that hides in plain sight.

When completely installed, it looks like a regular recessed light.

If you look at the rough installed recessed light exhaust fan, you can see the housing is actually square like a standard exhaust fan.

A baffle clips inside the fan housing to hide the metal box.

Because the recessed light fan can be installed inside a shower, it requires a special light bulb made for damp locations. (The light bulb is included with the fan/light kit.)

The bulb simply twists into the socket.

And the result is a light and exhaust fan in one. No need to cut extra holes in your ceiling!

Ready for the rest of the tour in the upstairs bathroom?

The upstairs bathroom is located at the top of the stairs one room away from the upstairs bedroom. The entire upstairs consists of the bedroom, an open room at the top of the stairs, and the bathroom. It makes the upstairs area feel like a separate apartment.

Inside the bathroom, the undeniable star is the floor. The tile I used was Jeffrey Court Floral Terrace (can be purchased at Home Depot). My tile setter was so relieved when he saw the floral pattern is already embedded into each sheet.

He told me about a job where the client made him pick out little white hex tiles and insert black ones for the flowers. I can’t even imagine how much extra time it would take to complete the patterned floor. Then again, based on the time Young House Love put into this beach house bathroom floor, I can image it.

My second favorite element in this bathroom is the weathered bathroom vanity.

It’s the Fairmont Design Rustic Chic 36″ vanity in Weathered Oak. Lucky for me, I was able to purchase the display model at Ferguson Kitchen & Bath for a great price. The marble top had some minor scratches, but my countertop fabricator was able to buff out the scratches.

I love the weathered oak look and am hoping to recreate it for some projects in my own house. I’m thinking about making some test boards to try white wax, white-washing, and maybe even something crazy like joint compound! But, I’ll report back on this experiment at a later date.

In my quest to save some money, I scoured local yard sales and thrift shops for an elegant mirror.

Luckily, I stumbled upon this gold framed mirror at a local thrift store. I think I paid $13 for it. The gold paint was chipping, but I didn’t let it deter me.

All it needed was a little sanding and brushing gold enamel paint over the high parts of the frame.

I love the vintage and elegant style it adds to this bathroom.

Speaking of vintage, the light fixtures on either side of the mirror add more vintage charm and additional lighting.

Now let’s talk about that pretty toilet. (Yes, I know toilets aren’t usually something you want to stare at.) But, this Heritage Vormax toilet provided by my friends at Wilkinson Plumbing Supply will certainly impress you.

The American Standard Heritage VorMax toilet has been designed to stay clean longer and reduces the dreaded under rim build up. Watch this video for more details:

Pretty cool, huh?! If you live in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, check out the Wilkinson Supply showroom and ask them about the American Standard Heritage VorMax toilet (and don’t forget to tell them I sent you.)

The bathroom door sports the beautiful Schlage Hobson Knob that completes the vintage look.

For the tub surround, I chose larger subway tiles. The Jeffrey Court 4″ x 12″ subway tiles are a classic choice that will keep this bathroom stylish for decades. I love the look of the larger tiles, plus it helped speed the installation.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the upstairs bathroom.

We’re nearing the end of the Saving Etta room reveals. Do you have a favorite room yet?

Here are the previous Saving Etta Room Reveals:

Source List:

Jeffrey Court Fresh White 4″ x 12″ Subway Tiles

Jeffrey Court Floral Terrace Mosaic Tiles

Fairmont Design Rustic Chic 36″ vanity in Weathered Oak

American Standard Heritage VorMax Toilet

Plygem Mira Window

Schlage Hobson Door Knobs

Shower Head & Tub Spout Set

Sink Faucet

Shower Curtain Rod

Gray Damask Shower Curtain

Shower Curtain Rolling Rings

Recessed Light Exhaust Fan by Broan

Wall Color: Emmie’s Room by Magnolia Home Paint

Door Color: Cupola by Magnolia Home Paint

See you soon with more Saving Etta updates and I’ll have a few home improvement tutorials as well.

Disclosure: I received materials and/or compensation from the sponsors of the Saving Etta project. These were the upstairs bathroom sponsors: Ask for Purple, Plygem, Broan-Nutone, Schlage, Wilkinson Supply Co., Magnolia Home Paint, KILZ, Jeffrey Court Tile. I was not told what to write. All opinions and words are my own. As always, I will notify you if you are reading as sponsored post or if I was compensated. Rest assured I am very particular about the brands I work with. Only brands I use in my own home or that I’ve had a positive experience with will be showcased on this blog.

May 17, 2019/5 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

bathroom, Home Decor, Saving Etta

Saving Etta: Downstairs Shared Bathroom Reveal

The downstairs shared bathroom in the Saving Etta house was designed to function as an en suite bathroom to one of the bedrooms, but also to have a second door opening to the main hallway for guests or for anyone to use. I can’t take credit for the architectural plans in the Saving Etta house, but I can take credit for the fun design choices I made when putting in the finishing touches on the house. (All product sources are listed at the end of this post.) The downstairs bathroom was one small room where I had lots of fun with the floor tile.

Stripes! From the beginning I knew I wanted to use classic tiles in the bathrooms. And possibly tile a border in one bathroom. If you’ve seen Mandi’s daughter’s bathroom in The Merc you’ll appreciate why I wanted to add a border to the floor.

But, if you’ve ever tried to design a border using little hex tiles, you’ll quickly learn that you can achieve a straight line from left to right, but when you try to create a straight line 90 degrees from the first stripe, it looks like a squiggly line. Bummer. However, sometimes it takes road blocks in your path to help you find a more creative solution you like even better.

I used Jeffrey Court mosaic tiles (available at Home Depot) in white and black to create this unique look. And my tile setter did a phenomenal job with the installation.

Before I take you further into the bathroom, I want to thank all the Saving Etta sponsors. As you all know, I’m very particular about the brands I work with and I can honestly say my sponsors are the cream of the crop when it comes to selling products for your home and lifestyle.

Bathroom Before:

As you learned the other day, the original house only had one bathroom and it was definitely not anything pretty.

After the back of the house was removed, we began to build back in the same footprint. As you can see in the photo below, the wall on the left was the original back wall of the 1900 portion of the Saving Etta house.

After framing, I had my drywall contractor install Purple drywall throughout the bathroom. If you don’t know why it’s important to use purple drywall in kitchens and bathrooms, you’ll want to read this post.

The transom window over the tub lets in a ton of natural light, but no peeping eyes! It’s obscure glass from Plygem’s Mira window line.

The Downstairs Shared Bathroom Reveal:

You’ve already seen the mosaic hex tile floor. Continuing with the black and white striped theme, I made sure to stage the bathroom with a striped shower curtain (could you ask for a more perfect match?) Of course, who can deny the beauty of the glass door knob. These Schlage Hobson knobs were used throughout the house and they are undeniably gorgeous and equally amazing to touch.

The vanity I chose for this bathroom was a wonderful surprise. The price was a steal compared to the master bathroom vanity. When it arrived, I expected a cheap quality vanity, but was relieved to find it had strong construction, adjustable hinges, and came complete with a quartz (marble look-a-like) countertop and integrated sink. In contrast, the vanity in the master bathroom didn’t come with a top or sink. You can read more about that vanity and my opinion of it here.

This vanity is heavy, so I was thrilled that the delivery from Wayfair included placing it in the room of your choice at delivery.

One lesson I learned from this bathroom was to double check measurements during framing. My plumber was the first to point out that the bathroom width was 6″ wider than the tub. After some creative brainstorming, I decided to take the easy route and add some framing on either side of the tub to make up the difference.

Obviously the tub surround turned out okay, but it wasn’t without challenges. Especially because I made the mistake of paying my drywallers to install the cement board. I learned after they left what a sloppy job they did. My tile installer had to perform some miracles to plumb and straighten the walls. I’ll definitely leave that task to the tile setter next time (and save money not paying for the same project twice.)

Time to talk dirty. Well, not exactly, but I want to share with you another inexpensive fixture that surprised me. The toilet!

It is a very modestly priced ProFlo toilet that really performs well. In fact, I’ll probably get the same toilet for our master bathroom. It doesn’t have any fancy features or look special, but frankly I just want it to work well under pressure (if you know what I mean.)

Speaking of things I will use in my own bathroom, I must install another Broan Exhaust Fan and Light. This low profile recessed light doubles as the exhaust fan! Talk about hard working.

Want to hear something funny? After my drywall installers finished the job, I discovered they had sealed the junction box for the vanity light into the wall. My electrician and I were able to find it and cut a hole. Then I realized I had forgotten to purchase the light fixture for this spot. Luckily he had enough work to keep him busy while I ran to purchase a light fixture for over the sink.

I’m so happy with how this bathroom turned out. It’s the perfect bathroom for the homeowners and their guests.

What are your favorite features? Would you change anything? Is there anything you learned while renovating your own bathroom? Please share!

Sources:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Black Hex Tiles by Jeffrey Court

White Hex Tiles by Jeffrey Court

Transom Window by Plygem

Burholme 49″ Black Vanity Set

Faucet by Moen

Toilet by ProFlo

Bronze Cage Vanity Lights

Schlage Hobson Door Knobs

Shower Head & Tub Spout Set

Shower Curtain Rod

Black Striped Shower Curtain

Shower Curtain Rolling Rings

Recessed Light Exhaust Fan by Broan

Mirror

Wall Color: Emmie’s Room by Magnolia Home Paint

Door Color: Cupola by Magnolia Home Paint

Disclosure: I received materials and/or compensation from the sponsors of the Saving Etta project. These were the bathroom sponsors: Ask for Purple, Plygem, Broan-Nutone, Schlage, Magnolia Home Paint, KILZ, Jeffrey Court Tile. I was not told what to write. All opinions and words are my own. As always, I will notify you if you are reading as sponsored post or if I was compensated. Rest assured I am very particular about the brands I work with. Only brands I use in my own home or that I’ve had a positive experience with will be showcased on this blog.

May 3, 2019/0 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

bathroom, Before and After, Saving Etta

Saving Etta: Master Bathroom Reveal

This is a master bathroom reveal I’ve been dying to share with you. The master bathroom in the Saving Etta house acted as a room I could experiment in and test some ideas for my own personal bathroom (that is currently stuck in 1978). I used a lot of elements I had pinned for my own bathroom ideas. Many of them looked amazing, but a few of the elements I learned are not as amazing as I thought they were. Regardless, I am thrilled with how the master bathroom turned out.

But, before we move to the reveal, I need to give a big thank you to the Saving Etta sponsors. As you all know, I’m very particular about the brands I work with and I can honestly say my sponsors are the cream of the crop when it comes to selling products for your home and lifestyle.

The Bathroom Before:

When I bought the Saving Etta house, there was only one bathroom. And it was one sad excuse for a bathroom. The size was decent, but the condition was abysmal. The leaking roof had done a number on the ceiling and walls.

There was so much mold in this one room, that I closed the door and sealed it up with plastic while I began demo in the other rooms.

In fact, I much preferred the port-a-potty to the indoor bathroom (which should explain how awful Etta’s original bathroom was.)

While demo progressed, I put together a mood board for the new Master Bathroom. You can see more inspiration photos and sources in the Master Bathroom design plans.

Demolition and New Framing:

This is the last time I laid eyes on that poor sad original bathroom. I never touched anything in that room. There wasn’t anything worth salvaging. Even the tub was in rough shape.

As soon as the back of the house was removed, work began on building the new addition in its place. But, once framing started, things really began to take shape. My plumber installed the shower pan for me.

The drywallers installed the Purple drywall in the bathroom (this drywall should never mold!)

There was some debate between my subcontractors about water-proofing the shower in the master bathroom. I finally added some thick plastic and caulked the seams around the shower niche to prevent any future issues with moisture.

Then PermaBase cement board was installed over the plastic by my drywallers.

This is one thing I learned from this experience. Next time I will let the tile setters install the backer board for the tile. Apparently my drywall installers did a very sloppy job and I ended up paying my tile setters to fix their mistakes.

For my own personal bathroom, I’m planning on trying some of the Schluter materials instead of the cement board. In fact I’ll be taking a two day class in a few weeks to learn proper installation techniques.

Once the tile floor went in, and the walls were painted Wedding Band gray from Magnolia Home paint, we were able to move the vanity and the toilet into the bathroom so the wood flooring could be installed in the rest of the house.

The Master Bathroom Reveal:

Ready to see the final reveal of the master bathroom? I can’t wait for you to see this! The style I steered toward in this small 5′ x 8′ bathroom is modern farmhouse.

I kept the elements clean, but also timeless. The rainfall shower head (with exterior mounted plumbing) appealed to my sense of a classic look.

The exhaust fan looks underwhelming, but let me tell you, it ROCKS! Really!

Inside the fan is a bluetooth speaker from Nutone. All you have to do is pair up your bluetooth device with the fan and you can rock out to tunes in the shower. My only complaint is the speaker won’t work when the fan switch is turned off. But, luckily the fan is ultra quiet.

Okay, I know, the shower niche tile is a real show stopper. It’s from Best Tile, but I’ll have to find out what it’s called.

Even though I added a shower niche, I insisted on putting in a soap tray in the corner.

Now for the other tile choices that will knock your socks off. The floor has a beautiful marble hex tile from The Builder Depot.

This tile is most likely coming into my house! Although, I may look at the honed version of the same flooring.

The black and white tile theme continues into the shower floor. I couldn’t resist these 2″ black marble hex tiles for the shower floor.

I’m sure you spotted the drain cover. How could you miss this fun fixture in the shower?

This is a custom brass drain cover from Designer Drains.

Ignore the silver screws, later I swapped them out for the correct brass ones.

Let’s talk about the vanity. I love the look. The vanity has one operational drawer with a plumbing cut out to avoid the p-trap.

The drawer is perfect for storing things out of site. The bottom shelf allows the homeowners to add baskets and towels for more storage.

But, here’s what I don’t like about the vanity. To be completely honest, it was super lightweight (think balsa wood) and cost way too much for the materials to be so lightweight. I was really angry I paid so much for it, especially because I could have made it myself a lot better quality. Once the quartz countertop was installed, it weighs down the vanity, so it doesn’t feel so lightweight. If you like the look and want this vanity for your home here’s a link.

If I had the time I could have built a better vanity. This is definitely something I will do for my own bathroom.

Once the sink and countertop were in, the vanity felt more substantial. And I do love that countertop! I used the same marble look-a-like quartz countertop as was used in the kitchen.

The last thing I want to show you in the master bathroom is the privacy film I added to the Plygem Mira window. It’s a product from Stick Pretty and I love how it lets light in but not the view of nude bathers.

I’ll be sharing the tutorial for installing the privacy film soon. It came out great!

What do you think? Do you love the master bathroom at the Saving Etta house?

Sources:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Wall color: Wedding Band by Magnolia Home Paint

Floor Tile: Carrara Venato Polished Hexagon Nero Strip Marble Mosaic Tile by The Builder Depot

Shower Floor Tile Nero Marquina Polished Black Marble 2″ Hexagon Mosaic by the Builder Depot

Octopus Drain Cover by Designer Drains

Shower Wall Tile: White Subway Tiles by Jeffrey Court Tiles

Hanging Cone Pendant Lights from Houzz.com

Bath Exhaust Fan from Nutone

Sensonic Bath Fan Speaker Accessory from Nutone

Rainfall Shower Faucet Set from Rozin

48″ Farmhouse Vanity

More Saving Etta Fixture Sources Available Here

Disclosure: I received materials and/or compensation from the sponsors of the Saving Etta project. These were the bathroom sponsors: Ask for Purple, Plygem, Broan-Nutone, Schlage, Magnolia Home Paint, KILZ, Jeffrey Court Tile, Wilkinson, Designer Drains, The Builder Depot. I was not told what to write. All opinions and words are my own. As always, I will notify you if you are reading as sponsored post or if I was compensated. Rest assured I am very particular about the brands I work with. Only brands I use in my own home or that I’ve had a positive experience with will be showcased on this blog.

April 15, 2019/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

bathroom, Home Decor, Saving Etta

Downstairs Bathroom Plans at Saving Etta

Thank you so much for your feedback and comments on the master bathroom mood board for Saving Etta. While preparing for the plumbing, I had to start picking out all the fixtures. If you’ve been following me on Facebook and Instagram, you know that I ran into a little issue with the tub in the downstairs bathroom. The space was wider than the tub. I asked for your opinion and a lot of you wanted to keep the tub centered on the window.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Ultimately, we framed out two walls on either side of the tub. At the foot of the tub, I will be installing a shampoo niche like this one. I bought it off Amazon because the price was much better than local stores.

One thing I forgot to mention on the master bathroom mood board is the addition of one of these beauties in the shower:

I stumbled across Designer Drains while on Instagram one day. Their beautiful drains are a wonderful way to upgrade the standard shower drain. In the master bathroom, the floor tiles will be black, which will make the brass show up nicely.

Back to the downstairs bathroom. In this bathroom, I’m using an exhaust fan by Broan that looks (and performs) just like a recessed light. It will be installed over the tub to provide adequate ventilation during hot steamy showers (my favorite.)

For the bathtubs, I turned to Wilkinson (our local plumbing supply house), to talk to them about bathtubs. Emily told me I couldn’t beat a Bootz tub for price and quality. At under $200 each, these tubs don’t break my budget. Plus, they have a finish that makes it feel like a cast iron tub, when in actuality they are super lightweight.

The idea for this bathroom is simple. White subway tile walls, maybe black hexagon flooring and some small hex tiles to accent the back of the shampoo niche. One of the photos I was drawn to on Pinterest is Aniko’s bathroom makeover from A Place of My Taste. You really need to see what she started with! As much as I’d like to use color in a bathroom, I think I should keep the tile and fixtures neutral to appeal to more buyers.

What do you think? Do you like the fixtures I’ve chosen for the downstairs bathroom? Is it too much black and white? Do I need to add some color?

These are links to the material sources:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links.
There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Black Hex Tile

White Subway Tile

Small Black & White Hex Tile

Bronze Wide Spread Bathroom Sink Faucet

Wall Mounted Light Fixtures

Bathroom Vanity with Marble Top

Bath Exhaust Fan/Light

Mirror

Disclosure: Broan, Designer Drains, and Jeffrey Court are sponsors of the Saving Etta project. They will be providing complimentary products for the project.

June 4, 2018/11 Comments/by Brittany Bailey