Easy DIY Bathtub Caddy – Cedar Woodworking Project

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There’s nothing like a nice long soak in a bath to scrub off the sawdust and relax all of the sore muscles a  girl can get while wrangling 8 foot sheets of MDF and kicking out some awesome built-ins. Plus its nice to focus on the GIRL side of being a sawdust girl now and then! The response to our original diy Cedar Bathtub Caddy was great and we have heard from a lot of people how much they have been enjoying them, but we have also gotten a lot of requests for an Easy DIY Bath Caddy.

Easy DIY Bath Caddy Plans

Here are two super simple and easy DIY bath caddy plans.  These can be done without a dado or scroll saw in sight. Sort of a way to dip your toes into the world of sawdust, and then take a relaxing bath!

Were were inspired by Anthropology’s bath caddies, but not thrilled with the price tags. So we came up with a plan… and then another one… and another one.

Now regardless of skill level, anyone can make their own bath caddy for less than 5 bucks!

Easy DIY Bath Caddy

What you need:

• 1 Untreated Dog Eared Cedar Fence Pickets 5 1/2″ x 5′  $1.64
• 2 Cedar Lattice strips 1 1/2″ x 4′ ($0.25 ea. lumber yard) = $0.50
• Waterproof Wood Glue (I estimated that I used about 25 cents worth) = $0.25
• Galvanized or stainless steel staples (I estimated that I used about 25 cents worth) = $0.25

GRAND TOTAL  =  $2.64   TOTAL SAVINGS = $165.36

With all the moolah you save you’ll have enough to take your favorite someone out for a fancy dinner, hint, hint.

Fence pickets are not the highest quality lumber, so try to find boards that are as straight and as smooth as possible. Avoid boards that have loose knots, are warped, splitting, etc. When I started on my second bath caddy I discovered that Home Depot does not always carry the cedar lattice, so I had to get my lattice from a lumber yard.  Most lumber yards that carry fencing will have both the lattice and pickets. You might want to make a few calls in your area to find who has what, and cut down on the run around.

Step 1:  Prep wood

It is easier to do the major sanding before cutting this lumber. Start with a very rough grit, 36 or 50,  to take off the scurf marks and really rough stuff. Then graduate up through the grits until they are nice and smooth. Cut all sides of the wood to give yourself clean edges and remove any loose knots or damaged wood.

Step 2:  Make Cuts

Here is the cut list for the caddy that I made, My tub has a strong oval shape so I have one handle that is 2 inches longer than the other. Measure the tub that you are making your caddy for and adjust as needed. Rip two strips of the fence picket that are 1” and cut to the desired width of your tub handles. Rip another strip that is 1 1/2” wide and cut it into two pieces that will be the length of the box of your caddy.  Cut the lattice into 7” slats. For a 22 1/2″ box you will need 12 slats, but adjust to your specs.

Decide if you want your handles rounded or square. I like mine rounded, but depending on the tub the square can look cool too. Square or rounded, make sure to sand all edges and surfaces and clean up any splinters from cutting.—Nobody wants to get a sliver in the bathtub!

Step 3: Assembly

Start by creating the caddy box. Staple the slats to the sides and make sure to get the box square and flat. I don’t recommend using brad nails on the lattice as it will split easily.

Use waterproof wood glue and galvanized or stainless staples, these will stand up to the water and humidity of a bathroom. If you don’t have galvanized staples you can just glue and use clamps and/or weights but you will need to wait for the glue to dry up quite a bit between steps—and you know how much I love waiting for glue to dry! It does give you a cleaner look without the staples though.

Note: when making this caddy I cut the ends at a 45 degree angle. I thought it would look cool, but after finishing I decided that I would much prefer for the box to just be square. This is why the final pics look a bit different from the plans.  I think it’s much better to do square ends, it will look cleaner and it’s a little easier.

Now glue and staple all of the lattice slats along the bottom of the caddy box. To get perfectly spaced slats cut scraps of wood to use as spacers (1/2 inch for given dimensions).

Step 4:  Attach Handles

Center the caddy box onto the handles, glue and clamp in several places or use weights to secure the box to the handles.

For this step I used glue only, as I didn’t want staples, nails, or screws in the top of my handles. If you want, you could nail or screw up from the bottom, but be very careful not to go too far up or get crooked and mar the face of your handles or box.  The wood glue alone will be plenty strong as long as you get it tight together while it dries.

Step 5:  Final Sanding

Once the caddy is dry, do a final sanding just to round off the edges of the slats and clean up any glue or clamp marks. You know, just make sure that it is nice and smooth everywhere because of that whole NO SLIVERS IN THE BATHTUB rule.

That’s it! Your caddy is ready for a nice hot bath.  No need to seal cedar as the natural oils act as preservatives, making the wood extremely long lasting and resistant to moisture.

Intermediate Bath Caddy

What you need:

• 2 Untreated Dog Eared Cedar Fence Pickets 5 1/2″ x 5′  $3.28 at lumber yard
• 2 Cedar Lattice strips 1 1/2″ x 4′ ($0.25 ea. lumber yard) = $0.50
• Waterproof Wood Glue (I estimated that I used about 25 cents worth) = $0.25
• Galvanized staples (I estimated that I used about 25 cents worth) = $0.25

GRAND TOTAL  =  $4.28    TOTAL SAVINGS = $163.72 Keeping the cash in your pocket!

Step 1:  Prep Wood, See #1 above

Step 2:  Make cuts

Rip two strips of the pickets 4” wide, then chop them to your desired length. Make a 4 inch by 3 1/2 inch cut out at each end of both pickets. These will form the arms and box for the caddy. Next cut 7″ slats from the lattice, you will need 14 for plan dimensions, but adjust per your specs.

Step 3:  Assembly

Attach the lattice slats with wood glue and staples. Start by attaching the 2 slats at each end and getting the caddy square.  Then space the rest along the bottom 1/2” apart (or adjust to your measurements)

Step 4:  Final Sanding—see step 4 above

Boom—done, told you they were super easy! No reason to spends wads of cash on a bath caddy.

Now if you want to pump up the relaxation value and add a book holder with this tutorial.

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