SIMPLE BATHROOM SHELF AND MAGAZINE RACK

In between the drying of the glue on the bench project I decided to finish a small shelf project I have been wanting to do for the last 3 years I have lived in my place. I live in a condo association and like most of them, the units are all cookie cutter. In this one they had decided to use glass block instead of windows in the kitchen and bathroom.

Anyway the toilet area is in a nook in the bathroom which has a weird shape and right above the toilet is the glass block. On the other side of the glass block is the exit porch for my condo and my neighbors. Although the person is distorted when viewing through the glass block, you can still distinguish a person and their body parts. A curtain would actually be ridiculous looking. So I decided on a shelf with a small curtain on the bottom shelf and a picture frame on the mid shelf (top shelf is for storage). The condo had veneer counter tops as original install for both the bathroom and the kitchen. The color (and I like colors) is a pale mid pink (who knows the thought on that, especially the same color in the kitchen). It makes it tough to match a good color especially to make it sex neutral (I am a man! and I know real men wear pink - and I do, but for this purpose it makes it difficult). Unless you want to change the counter top, which makes this project something else totally and more expensive.

The shelf before painting and the glass block showing

Back to the project. I measured and made a box with some 10" by 0.5" (I bought a 10 ft plank and used some I had around) and put a shelf in the middle. I then screwed into the side walls (studs) for stability and strength. I made sure when I screwed into the walls the screw heads were in good. I then puttied over them. Once all dry. I sanded and painted ... one word about paint (ok more than one)

Shelf after install, paint and accessorized

If you have plans to paint in the future and want the best paints for the least cost then you need to be patient and flexible. If you go to your neighborhood DIY store like Home Depot or Lowe's and you visit the paint area, just ask the attendant to point you to the miscolored and sale paint shelf. It was either the customer didn't want it and claimed wrong color, or just a simple mistake. The best part is that 90% of the time the base paint is usually a high caliber (like self primers or stain blockers) and the colors aren't bad. There are some that you would wonder, but if you like projects like me, it may work on a shelf or table, maybe just the bookends, but anyway ... Like this project, I went to HD and visited the shelf and I found a pink to match the counter tops (WOW what a find) and a deep dark brown for the bench project I am also working on.

Trying my best at decorating

This was two high quality paints that ranged from $30-40 and I got them for $7.00 each. One was a self primer semi gloss and the other was a stain blocker, self primer semi gloss. This was a good find and great savings. I used very little pink on this shelf project, especially because of the high quality paint that didn't need a second coat. I still have about 90% of it left and who doesn't like pink, right!

I hope you liked this simple project. It shows how a simple addition like a shelf, nicely painted or stained, can make even a little nook seem perfect for thinking or reading. I actually took an old wooden brown magazine rack and I painted it a dark metallic spray paint color and now it looks great. Just waiting for it to dry for a cpl of days before adding magazines.

Used to be brown and wood and now it is upgraded and new

I should have taken the before and after for this rack, but I jumped the gun and painted it. It took one full can of paint. I did about four coats of paint. The first one very light. Light coats on most things will allow a the thin layer to attach itself better than a thicker one to the item being painted. The second coat should be thicker than the last but still a light application. The third should cover better and get into the nooks and crannies with it so that the fourth coat finishes it all with a shine. I was able to get it all done except for the very bottom. But the next time I have some black I will coat that too just to keep the new feeling.

I hope you enjoyed these little projects. It is a nice feeling when you can spruce up your living area and do it inexpensively, but great looking, like you bought it all. Sometimes its just something as simple as a new paint job or sanding and staining. It's not hard. And it's awesome when you get compliments on it. But the best is when you spend nothing but your time or very little and you sell it for a nice profit. Those are the projects I like real well. It's all about your time and your creativity.

This project is finished. Check out my other ones. Thank you for your visit.