Add Usability To Your Bathroom With Shelves

The addition of shelves can add space, usability and a feature point to your bathroom. They also make for excellent book cases; for those intriguing little guides and sketches on life that we all like to read every now and then.



Whilst 'mini libraries' are excellent additions, we do not all have the space for such luxuries of course. However, bathroom shelves also free up space on other counters, make things look tidy and are an excellent area to store all those essentials for grooming, beauty and washing of course.



Installing bathroom shelving for yourself is quite straightforward, and doesn't take a great deal of time. Whilst free standing units can purchased too, you can achieve far greater maximization of space by creating them yourself, and there is of course the feeling of achievement having created something with your own hands.



The first thing you need do, before heading out to buy the materials, is measure where you intend to hang the shelves. This is not only a matter of measuring the length of course, but also the width and height between each Shelf. The width will be driven by the space available, and also what you wish to store, though somewhere between four to six inches should be ideal.



The height should be very much led but by what the shelf contents will be. It is also wise to leave a little additional space regards the height; it can be immensely frustrating to find that a new shampoo bottle does not fit into the space you have for it.



Armed with all the vital measurements, you can head out to buy your lumber for the job in hand. However, it may be worth considering other materials than wood; such as glass or plastics which will not retain moisture. However, wooden shelves over pressed wood will be better in this regards, and there are many water resistant paints and stains available for finishing.



The single most important aspect to putting up your own shelves is of course their installation to the wall. If badly installed, they will be unable to hold your items of course, come loose or fall off completely, and could well cause injury and will most likely cause damage to your dry wall. With this in mind, it is only sensible to use wall studs to attach the brackets to.



Once you have placed the studs in the wall at the required measurements, you can screw the brackets in. At this point, it is useful if you have someone to help. Start by setting just one bracket and attach the shelf, holding the shelf, use your level to determine exactly where the second bracket should be placed.



If you intend to hold heavy items on the unit, it may well be worth having a third supporting bracket in the middle of the shelf. With the addition of hooks here too, you could create additional space for the hanging of face cloths, towels and air fresheners.



Other options for bathroom shelves can be beneath the sink or, a wonderful option is to have something installed in the shower so everything is always close to hand.