Rustic Wood Bath Caddy Instructions
After we finished the build on our master suite including a good size bathroom, I immediately started on decor. I dreamt of all the interior designs, researched like a madwoman on Pinterest of all the great ideas. And it all set around me looking forward to the bathing in the hundred-year-old claw-foot tub, which we resurfaced to a beautiful beaming white enamel.
I needed some sort of table top to spread across the top of the tub for easier access to bathing products, book holders, iPad holder and my drinks when I was bathing. So I did some more research and found metal and wooden bathtub caddies especially for clawfoot tubs ranged from $40 and up. Frugal Nelly over here didn’t want to spend that money after spending an unseen amount on the master suite build. So I took it upon myself to make a rustic wood bath caddy for nearly free.
After much searching through our outdoor shed, my husband and I found and pulled out a beautiful piece of wood that was reclaimed from an old barn some time ago.
How to make bath caddy
I measured the width of our clawfoot tub first, then the wood plank to make sure I got the appropriate size. I wanted it to go about 2-3 inches past the sides. And walla, I found it.
I sanded the wood because it was nothing but splinters waiting to happen. Make sure you sand with the grain and not against it.
The rustic grains in the wood were absolutely beautiful, and I didn’t want to lose it, but I wanted to change the color. And so I pulled out my trusty wood stain that I use for everything and rubbed it with the grain with a rag. Dark stains are my favorite and this color was mahogany. I stained both sides, front and back, including the narrow edges.
When I got the color of stain, I desired on the wood; I let the wood dry throughly. Overnight is the best. Next, I sprayed Thompsons Clear Water Seal over every inch of the wood. I sprayed 3 even coats with an hour of dry time in between each coat. Be sure to reseal the caddy every year to every other year depending on your usage.
I then glued two large pieces of felt to the bottom of the wood plank. The felt is a cushion and barrier between the wood and the top of the clawfoot tub. It makes it much easier to slide the caddy back and forth with no worries about damaging the tub.