DIY Small Bathroom Makeover | Toilet Area

In a busy family home, the bathroom can often be the only place to escape for a little peace and privacy, so I thought it would be a good idea to make that space feel a bit more inviting. To do that, I gave our small bathroom a makeover, complete with DIY charging station.

Here’s how it’s done:

TOILET AREA TUTORIAL

SUPPLIES: 

●      3/4" thick, 4x8" MDF sheet

●      Fast-drying caulk

●      Wood filler

●      Primer

●      Paint

●      TotalBoat Epoxy

●      Wireless charging pad  

HEXAGONS

First, we're going to make the hexagon pattern for the back wall. 

Take your 4x8" MDF sheet and cut into one-inch strips.

A table saw will make this easy. Don't have one of those? You'll get the same results using a circular saw and a clamp. 

You'll need lots of these small pieces to put your hexagons together, so use a miter saw to cut your one-inch strips at 30º angles.

To make this simple, cut one perfect piece, then clamp each strip next to it so that it cuts perfectly.

To add the hexagon pattern to the back wall, I had to first take out the toilet. I could then add the pattern to the entire wall, then cut out the required space for the toilet to fit back in perfectly.

If you're going to do this, there's a couple of things to keep in mind:

Be sure to flush the toilet one last time and turn the water off. Even after doing this, there might still be a few cups of water left in the bottom that spill when you move it.

Keep in mind that the toilet is heavy, so you're going to have to move it to somewhere that can support its weight. 

Next, use those MDF pieces you cut to start building your hexagons against the wall. 

I recommend stacking at least three pieces at a time and making sure they’re properly aligned before taking your nail gun and fixing them into the wall. This will prevent screwing up the alignment and having to start over.

Use fast-drying caulk to glue the hexagons to the drywall around the perimeter.

Fill in the brad nail holes with wood filler and smooth overusing a sander.

PAINTING 

Before painting, it's a good idea to prep the MDF with one or two coats of primer. To keep things neat, I recommend using a paintbrush for the insides of the hexagons and a small foam roller for outside.

When you're done, smooth everything out using a sanding block. 

I used a spray gun to paint our wall, but you can always do this by hand using a foam roller.

REINSTALLING THE TOILET 

I found our toilet fit back perfectly without having to cut out any of our new wall to fit the reservoir, but it was important to add a new wax ring before reinstalling it.

SHELVES

For the shelves, take a piece of eight-foot-long white ash board and cut two 40" long boards, one for each shelf. 

Use a table saw to trim the width to eight inches.

Then clean up the boards using a sander, going from  80 grit to 120 grit.

To mount the shelves, made 1 1/4" thick cuts in the wood and slot angle iron into the cuts, then use four screws to secure the angle iron to the wood.

Finally, mount the shelves and apply caulk for extra strength.

CHARGING STATION

The last piece of the puzzle is to make the charging station using leftover wood from our shelves. 

To make it look a little less bland, print a stencil off the internet and fix it to the wood using spray adhesive.

Use a plunge router with a v-groove router bit to cut the stencil out of the wood.

Fill the cutout area with TotalBoat Epoxy and leave to cure overnight before standing down.

Flip the shelf over and cut out a hole for a wireless charging pad. I used double-sided tape to attach the pad to the shelf but you can use whatever works for you.

With that completed, mount the shelf above a power outlet so you can plug the charging pad in, and you're done!