When you have a small bathroom, every inch of the place is important, and you want to utilize the space properly. For getting the best out of your bathroom space, it’s the most convenient option to build over the toilet storage for storing your toiletries, towels, and other necessary items.
Luckily, making a useful storage cabinet isn’t very costly, and you can get plenty of unique designs for building both open and closed cabinets. If you choose to build the storage all by yourself, you can customize the height and width of your cabinet.
Here, we will tell you how you can easily build a storage cabinet for your bathroom. We will also tell you how much you need to spend on this task. So, let’s dive right in.
How Do You Build Over the Toilet Storage
If you have any previous experience of making wooden products, you can easily create a toilet storage cabinet without any professional help. You can also make your over-the-toilet cabinet look alluring by using different materials and designs.
Below we have provided a step-by-step process of making a basic wood-made storage cabinet. Have a look.
Tools and Materials to Build a Bathroom Over the Toilet Storage
Here’s a list of tools and materials you’ll need to successfully build a solid storage cabinet –
| Tools | Materials |
| 1. A table saw | 1. 1-1/4-inch and 3-inch screws |
| 2. Drill machine | 2. Construction-grade 1×4 plywood (Pine) |
| 3. Clamps | 3. Shelf supports |
| 4. Hinges | 4. Bifold closet doors |
| 5. Edge trimmer | |
| 6. Hammer | |
| 7. Utility knife |
Project Directions
Go through the steps we have provided below and follow them properly to make a proper bathroom cabinet.
- Step 1: Make a Basic Box
We are using 1×4 plywood for this process. You can use a table saw to cut the pieces according to your needs.
Take two plywood pieces at a time and attach them by using glue or screws. You can use a hammer to complete the task. Lastly, join four pieces of plywood together in the shape of a box. You’ll need 4 of these box-shaped frames for making your cabinet.
- Step 2: Assemble the Cabinet
To assemble the cabinet, you need some screws and wood dowels that provide additional strength to the parts. It’s better to purchase precut wood dowels. Otherwise, you can go for long dowels and then cut them short.
Now, take your drill machine and then make 1/8-inch pilot holes and countersink holes for inserting the screws. Add the top and bottom portions of the box-shaped frames and then attach the sides. Instead of screws, you can also use glue to attach the frames.
After that, make 3/8-inch dowel holes and place the dowels inside to ensure maximum strength.
Remember that the resulting box should have a perfect square shape. Take the diagonal measurements to check. If all the measurements are equal, then the box is surely square-shaped.
- Step 3: Drill Holes for Shelf Support
Once the box is done, you need to drill holes to fit in the shelf supports. Take a brad-point bit and attach it to your drill machine. Then, make several 1/4-inch shelf support holes. You can use a pegboard scrap for positioning the holes.
- Step 4: Prepare Cabinet Doors
We recommend you buy bifold closet doors directly as it will save you from a lot of hassles. However, you can make doors for your cabinet at your home using pieces of plywood.
Use your table saw for creating two equal pieces. Each piece should be 11-15/16 inches. You can change the length as per your needs. While cutting the wood pieces, you should use a guide to make straight cuts. Use a 3/4-inch scrap of plywood and smoothen its edges to use it as a guide.
Then, take the doors, mark them and align the marks with the guide. Clamp the guide in place and then cut. This way, you’ll get straight and smoothly cut cabinet doors.
- Step 5: Mount the Hinges
For mounting the door hinges, you’ll require 3-inch screws. Use the screws to set the hinges with the doors. Take a self-centering bit and use it to drill the screw holes for placing the hinges perfectly.
When you’re done, place the two doors against the frames of your cabinet. Make sure there is a short gap of 1/8-inch between the two doors.
- Step 6: Position the Doors
Clamp the doors into their positions and place the hinges in their place using some screws. You need to place the hinges inside the cabinet to get a perfect fit.
Don’t worry if the doors aren’t in perfect alignment. This happens when the shape of the box isn’t a perfect square. You can fix the shape while hanging it on the wall.
- Step 7: Prepare the Crown Molding
To prepare the plywood crown along with its base frames, you need to measure the top of your cabinet box first. Then, use a miter saw and set it to 45 degrees angle. Now, cut your crown molding to the proper size.
You can also addsome shorter side pieces to make the crown stronger and more attractive. When you’re done with the cutting process, nail the crown molding with the box frame. You can also glue together the side pieces only if they fit.
- Step 8: Finish the Process
Once you have placed the molding crown, your job is pretty much done. You can use a drill and some screws if you want to add a back panel. Also, one or more middle shelves can be attached with glue to make the cabinet more practical.
You can use a utility knife or edge trimmer to get rid of uneven edges. To make the cabinet attractive, spray your preferred paint. Finally, hide the wood dowels and screw holes using some wood filler.
- Step 9: Install the Cabinet
You’ll need a helping hand for installing the cabinets on your walls. It’s better to remove the doors of your cabinet to make the process easier. Locate the studs of your walls first and then drive two or more 3-inch screws from the top portion of the cabinet.
Now, you can rehang your doors and check their fit. Nudge the bottom of the cabinet left or right for aligning the cabinet-frame with the doors. Once you’re done, drive two more screws from the bottom of your cabinet. And the task is done.
If you don’t want to take hassle of building over the toilet storage, it’s better to buy one. Check our universal guide to find the best over the toilet storage in the market.
Here you go: https://toiletsexpert.com/best-over-the-toilet-storage/
Possible Cost of Building Over the Toilet Storage on Your Own
The cost will depend mainly on the material you’re using. Although we picked pine plywood for our guide, you can also pick maple or other plywood to cut down the costs.
For getting all the necessary tools, you need to spend around 140$ or more. Overall, the total cost can be anywhere between $25 and $3000. However, you can make a medium-sized cabinet by spending $500 or less.
Final Words
So, now you have detailed information on how to build over the toilet storage all by yourself. Make sure to follow all the given steps properly to get the best results. Remember that the cost will vary dramatically depending on the size and material you use.
