That’s right friends, two projects for one.
I woke up on Saturday morning and decided it was time to spring clean. And by spring clean, I mean move every single piece of furniture and art in my little space to a new place. I just really wanted needed a fresh start.
The productivity carried over into me finishing two projects I’ve wanted to do for a long time: hanging a shelf above my bathroom door for some much need storage space, and hanging a plant.
The best part? The updates I made to my bathroom cost less than $20.
Here’s how…
Above-The-Door Shelf
Materials Needed
(1) Melamine Board cut to desired length of shelf; purchased from Home Depot
- Why Home Depot? Because you can get a 3/4 in x 12 in x 48 in long piece of melamine board for $16.97. They’ll try to tell you that you have to purchase the whole board, but if you whine a little, they’ll cut the board to what size you need and only charge you for that part. I paid $12.
(1) set of shelving brackets from Target
- Why Target? Because I got these brackets, originally priced for $10, on clearance for $4.99. They brackets come with dry wall screws and regular screws. Target ALWAYS has DIY stuff on sale because no one ever shops at Target for power tools and screws.
(1) good power screwdriver, fully charged
- It’s important that your power screwdriver is fully charged and has a sharp bit because melamine board is pretty thick.
Step 1: Hold melamine board above the door with brackets, and mark with a pencil where the screws will go in both the wall, and the shelf. It might be helpful to have a partner for this and/or a stepladder, but I did without both by standing on my toilet and balancing the board on my crown molding. If you don’t have crown molding, definitely get a partner to help you.
Step 2: Screw the brackets to the shelf. This is the hardest part. I was literally sweating. The screws that came with the Target brackets weren’t the best quality (read, not super sharp) so they were a bitch to screw into the melamine board. But worth it, because it was SO CHEAP.
Step 3: Skip the dry wall screws. Did you know that studs (the posts that support your roof) are usually found next to door frames? I didn’t. I spent a good twenty minutes trying to get a drywall screw into the wall (read, a stud) before I Googled why the hell it wasn’t working. Since you are securing the brackets into studs, the shelf will have plenty of support.
Step 4: Screw the brackets into the wall. TA-DA! You have a shelf.
That’s it. Seriously…so easy! Minus all the sweating, cursing, and balancing on my tiptoes on the lid of toilet.
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Hanging Planter
Materials Needed
(1) hanging pot/planter (I found the one pictured above for $1.99 at Goodwill), preferably with a plug in the bottom to let access moisture out when you water it
(1) plant that can survive life in a bathroom (aka not a lot of sunlight and a lot of moisture) … Disclaimer: I’m pretty sure this plant is a hasta. I really have no idea though. But a hasta would be a good choice for a bathroom plant because they like the shade and can deal with humidity/moisture.
(1) plant hanger hook (I found two of them for $1.49 at Target but the ones linked are similar and cheaper!)
(1) good power screwdriver, fully charged
Moisture control potting soil (I had some leftover from a few weekends ago) … this is recommended, but totally optional
Step 1: Use the power screwdriver to start a hole in your ceiling. You might wanna wear safety goggles if you don’t already wear glasses (like me) because dust is going to fall all over you. It’s cool — you’ll feel like a real DIYer.
Step 2: Use your hands to screw the hook into the ceiling. Mine went in after about 5 minutes of steady cranking. If you’re hanging a really heavy plant (more than 5-10lbs) you’ll want to screw into a rafter, which will take longer/make you sweat more.
Step 3: Hang the planter.
It’s that easy. I read online that you’re not supposed to water plants in the bathroom too often, if at all, because they get so much moisture from the steam. We’ll see how it goes.
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What are some projects you’re working on/looking forward to this spring?
DANIELLE ALEXANDER 