Small Wooden Bathroom Tray
Wouldn't you just love to enjoy a relaxing bath? If you've decided it's time to pamper yourself and get away from daily stresses, then you'll love this DIY bath tray. We'll show you how to make this wooden bath trayusing boards from pallets, so you can enjoy a drink, film or your favourite book while you soak!
A hot bath is a great way to relieve the stress of the working week. It also has many health benefits such as eliminating toxins, increasing blood flow, improving the lymphatic system and helping prevent skin diseases. What's not to love?
Wooden Bath Tray DIY Tutorial
Tools and materials
The tools you will need to make the wooden bath tray are as follows:
- Mitre saw or mitre box and saw
- Screwdriver
- Nail gun
- Sander
- Chisel
- Hammer
- Pliers
- Screw clamps
- Brush
You will also need the following materials:
- Pallet boards
- Wooden strips measuring 1000 x 340 x 200mm, 1000 x 180 x 180mm, 1000 x 450 x 90mm
- Coach screws
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- Non-slip sticky tape
- Tinted varnish
Cost, time and difficulty
The approximate price of the materials is less than £50 As a guideline, this link will take you to a ManoMano shopping basket in which you can find some of the materials used.
This DIY project is perfect for beginners, and you'll soon realise how easy it is to complete. You won't need more than a morning or afternoon to complete the project.
Step by step bath tray from pallet boards
One of the great things about this wooden bath tray is that it recycles the boards from used pallets. You will need one, two or three boards, depending on their size. If you don't have any pallets boards, take a look at this link in which we explain where to get pallets for free or cheap.
Step1: Separate the boards from the pallet
In this case, we have used the base of a pallet. To separate the boards from the blocks follow these steps:
- Attach the pallet to the workbench using screw clamps.
- Insert the chisel between the block and the boards.
- Strike the base of the chisel using a hammer until the pallet comes apart.
- Use the chisel as a lever to remove the blocks.
- Hit the nails back through to the other side using a hammer.
- Use the pliers to remove the nails completely.
Finally, use the wood putty to fill in the holes left by the removed nails.
Step 2: Sand the boards
Pallet wood is usually pretty rough. To smooth it down and prevent splinters, sand the entire surface with a sander. This also allows you to smooth down the areas filled in with wood putty.
Step 3: Cut the pallet boards to size
The next step requires you to cut the pallet boards to fit your bathtub, In our case, the tub measures 68cm wide, therefore the boards were cut to this size. You can use a mitre saw or cut them with a handsaw.
Note that one of the boards will be cut at an angle of 45 degrees. This creates a slot to insert and hold a wine glass.
Step 4:Join the pallet boards to create the tray
To join the boards together, attach some wooden strips to the underside, as described below:
- Cut a couple of 180 x 180mm strips to the same length as the width of the 3 boards together (in our case, 22cm).
- Measure the interior width of the bathtub and position the strips of wood to fit. In our case, the interior width is 54cm, thus this is the distance between the two strips.
- Attach the two strips using a nail gun.
- As one of the boards has a gap of 18mm to allow you to insert the stem of a wine glass, you will nail on two more wooden strips measuring 450 x 90mm on either side of the slot.
On the top side, position a strip measuring 680x 340 x 200mm on the edge of the tray opposing the slot. Attach with coach screws from the underside. Lastly, use wood glue to stick on a strip measuring 450 x 18 x 18 with the edges cut at a 45 degree angle. This piece should be at a distance of 30mm from the strip on the edge. This creates the ledge for the tablet or book.
Step 5: Varnish the tray
The next step consists of varnishing the tray. Remember that, although it won't be used under water, the wood needs to be coated to protect it from the moisture of water vapour created during the bath.
To varnish the tray, we have used a walnut stain varnish.
Step 6:Attach non-slip tape
Finally, stick non-slip tape to the edges of the tray's underside. Such tape is sticky on one side and rough on the other. This should prevent the tray from slipping when positioned over the bath tub.
This is what the bath tray looks like once you've completed all of the steps above.
Tips on running the perfect bath!
Below are the key steps to make the most of a relaxing bath at home:
- Take at least 15 minutes for yourself. Choose a suitable time to avoid interruptions.
- Light the bathroom with soft, warm light.
- Pour bath salts and essential oils into the bath water, to increase the feeling of calm
- Enjoy your favourite drink and a good book or series on your tablet. With a wooden bath tray like this, it's easier than ever.
If you have enjoyed this DIY project, don't miss our other projects using pallets!
How to Build a Chicken Coop
Pallet Bar – Wood Pallet Projects
This article was written by:Bricoydeco and translated. Mari Luz authors the blog 'Bricoydeco', she is a DIY fanatic, lover of recycling and customising furniture. Her passion is giving a second chance to turn once forgotten things into unique pieces!
Source: https://blog.manomano.co.uk/diy-pallet-project-bath-tray/
