From scrap wood to master bath shelf

Yesterday, the hubs and I celebrated 14 years of marriage! Although our sailing has definitely not always been smooth and there have been moments when we’ve both wanted to jump ship, I can honestly say I’m more deeply in love with this man today than I have ever been before. It’s clear to me every day why God brought us together and I’m blessed beyond measure to have such a beautiful family.

Matt

(As you can see from the photo, some other people in our family are pretty fond of him, too.) 🙂

Speaking of bringing unlikely things together, today I wanted to share a no-cost project I whipped up for the master bathroom using leftover materials and found objects.

It began with these sad-looking wood scraps:

Shelf-before Corbel-before

I found the white shelf remnant in our garden shed behind some boards. I think that poor shelf has been hauled around with us through eight or nine different moves, never finding a place in our actual home. Obviously, life in the garden shed has not been kind.

The castaway corbels were leftover pieces from the top of the half wall we tore out. That half wall once separated our living and dining areas before we installed the hickory floor.

My goal was to create a master bath shelf by using the damaged shelf and corbels together.

Because the corbels had a bunch of leftover Liquid Nails stuck to them, I used my miter saw to shave off about 1/8″ from the tops, so the shelf would sit flush on them. Then I simply caulked all the cracks in the shelf and primed and painted both the shelf and corbels, using leftover white primer and semi-gloss paint.

Priming-and-painting-shelf

After everything dried, I pre-drilled holes, then screwed the corbels to the bathroom wall where studs were located. (A countersink drill bit is helpful for this project, as it recesses the exposed screws, allowing the holes to then be filled with wood putty, painted, and ultimately hidden.)

Finally, I placed the shelf on top of the corbels and accessorized with stuff I had around the house. The vintage soaps are part of the “Barkley Collection” (aka the truckload of Avon products I got for $1 at an estate auction).

Master-bath-shelf-side

Master-bath-shelf-environ

Master-bath-shelf

I plan to add a smidge of glue between the shelf and corbels to make sure that shelf stays put. But first, it looks like I need to shift the shelf to the right a bit. 😉

What do you think of my no-cost bathroom shelf made from repurposed scrap?

I’m linking this up to My Repurposed Life and Love of Family & Home.

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22 Responses

  1. Carol says:

    The shelf is beautiful!

  2. teresa says:

    It really adds alot to that wall. I love that you used otherwise useless items and gave them new life. Very pretty.

  3. Theda says:

    Happy Anniversary! Great looking shelf!

  4. Dawn Rene says:

    It amazes me how much one can continue to add to a project after it is “completed!” What a cute addition something so small can make to a room. Good job, as always.

  5. Happy anniversary, Susan! I hope that you can celebrate and enjoy!

    Terrific shelf — I love when old items get repurposed beautifully!

  6. Dianne says:

    Happy Anniversary! Nice shelf. And your cute daughter is the spitting image of you!

  7. Patty says:

    Happy Anniversary. You are so dad-gum talented, I bet there is nothing you can’t do. Your shelf is beautiful, in fact the whole bathroom is beautiful, you have done a beautiful job on the whole thing.

    • Susan says:

      That is so sweet, Patty. There are certainly many things I can’t do … and a lot of things I think I can do, but don’t do well. But still, thank you so much for the kind words.

  8. Cindy says:

    I love it! And happy anniversary!

  9. Doreen says:

    I love the fact it looks like it was all designed originally together. Proves,once again, that good taste and classic style never goes out of style. And you’ve got it in spades, honey!

  10. Donna Gibson says:

    I like the new shelf. It is definitely an idea I had in mind for some fancy woodwork that I saved from our remodeling days from my old front white wooden porch that was replaced with a 40′ vinyl porch. There were some fancy loops in the corners and I’ve been thinking for years of what to do with it. Maybe a nice shelf will do the trick. I was thinking of a small serving table for the front porch using them as legs or a side design, but I like the idea of a shelf too. I mean, it’s been over 20 years I’ve been holding onto those wooden pieces, which Don wanted to get rid of. I like to hoard things like this, just like the old wooden window frame, to create something with it. So, those pieces will be my next project. I just created a new flower garden and found an antique pedestal that probably could sell for $200 in an antique store, and he was asking $25, and I talked him into $10. It was a steal! I posted photos on facebook yesterday. Love all this creating and getting ideas for the home. Been doing much like you for many years, and it is yard sale season! Great job!

  11. Dorth says:

    Congratulations on your anniversary. I love your shelf!

  12. Heather says:

    It is GORGEOUS! You have such a flair for ‘pretty’. How is your picture sealed? I would love to hang an artwork in my bathroom, but am afraid of what the steam will do to it.

    Happy Anniversary to you two. It is such an honour to have 3 in a marriage. You, your spouse and the Lord. Those three strands are so much stronger than 2. With your attitude, it will continue to get better and better, and you will love him more and more.

    • Susan says:

      Thanks so much for the sweet words, Heather. I just have all the pictures in the bathroom behind regular frames and glass. We have a fan and a window in our bathroom, so we don’t have too much trouble with moisture. I haven’t experienced any problems thus far.

  13. gail says:

    I love using “found” items to make a free and useful new item! 🙂

    catching you susan!

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