Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Hide A Cracked Tile With A DIY Shelf

Aw yeah, it’s hall bathroom time, baby. We have about five phases of updates that we plan to share as we go, so here’s phase one. We’ve been hiding something in our hall bathroom. What? You thought that giant empty frame was just there because it looked good? Nah.

Hall Bath 11 After

To better understand this skeleton in the closet atop the toilet, might I refer you to this 20-month old post by Sherry entitled “Sometimes I Go Crazy.” It’s about how Sherry got a wild hair and busted out one of several extraneous towel bars that were un-centered/overkill/everywhere in our hall bathroom.

Bathroom Trim 4

Thankfully we were able to cover up the resulting tile scab with some new trim, so we considered it a success.

Bathroom Trim 6

Not quite so successful? Sherry’s attempt to bust out a weird soap dish above the toilet. So we’ve been living with this craggy eyesore for nearly two years, shrugging it off as “oh, we’ll just dremel out a tile or two and replace them someday” (like we did here).

BathShelf 1 Before

But then we came up with a better idea – something that would be functional and decorative – and cover that lumpy mess. A chunky floating shelf (to rest art, cute toiletries, etc). See, form + function + ugliness shroud = awesome.

Note: we somehow accidentally deleted a few of the early photos of this project, so bear with me as I try to explain this somewhat logically. I know, I know. Deleted photos? That’s like a class 1 blogging misdemeanor. Tell it to the judge.

Anyways, covering up the existing damage involved making some more. This time in the form of pilot holes to help us hang our homemade shelf.

BathShelf 2 Drilling

We decided to create a chunky, shallow shelf that was built following a plan similar to what Ana White shared on our blog for recreating the floating shelves in our old dining room. It involved building a “sleeve” over which a box (aka, the shelf) can rest and therefore appear to float on the wall. Since our shelf wasn’t going to hold much weight, I made mine much less heavy duty than Ana’s plans called for.

BathShelf 3 Attaching Brace

Here’s the shelf itself. It was made from some simple craft pine from Home Depot. It was eight bucks total for the wood (the top was a thin piece of wood that was leftover from Clara’s dollhouse). But you can see that I just used the Kreg Jig to make a flat plank with wood pieces shooting out as the “sleeve” (which I drilled into the tile and secured using a masonry bit) and the box was just made like you’d make a box (again with the jig). As for the measurements, it’s 6″ tall, 21″ long, and 3″ deep.

BathShelf 4 Showing Backside Of Shelf

I didn’t put a bottom on it since you’d never see that side of it… unless you were actually inside of the toilet tank. And if that’s your view, you’ve got far worse problems than seeing the underside of our shelf.

BathSehlf 5 Placing Shelf

So here you can see how it the shelf box fits nicely over the “sleeve” AND completely covers up the ugly, busted up tile. Plus, this $30 fish print that Sherry snagged from Joss & Main is a nice shot of color too. Thank goodness it now has a spot to rest! It’s actually a great height with the mirror, so it looks nice and balanced – like Bubbles (that’s the fish’s name) was meant to be.

BathShelf 6 Done Unpainted

We went back and forth about whether to paint or stain the shelf and, if so, what color to pick. Not knowing yet what color the walls would be we didn’t want to go too bold (we have big plans for a pretty bright window shade along with other colorful accessories like the fish art). So Sherry concocted a plan to whitewash it by dampening the whole piece with water first (just so the paint would glide on better) and then wiping some liiight gray paint over it with a paper towel (the color was Collingwood by Benjamin Moore – we had a test pot leftover from this project). She just smeared it around until it was her desired lightness and all pretty much the same tone (not blotchy or darker in some areas).

BathShelf 7 Painting

Here’s the result. We liked that it still had some of that wood grain texture, but wasn’t as orange as it was originally (the orange tones looked weird in our black and white bathroom- didn’t want to go Halloween with it, ya know?).

BathShelf 8 Painted

So here’s the whitewashed shelf back in place, with the fish painting still acting as our touch of color in the room. But not for long. We have plans to cover the walls with a pretty bold color along with bringing in a bold patterned fabric for the shade and framing out the window and adding bright hardware to the vanity. In the words of $herdog, we got plans, yo. So this is just step one of a dozen. As usual. So it looks kinda bland right now, but we think it’ll all make sense after a few more upgrades…

BathShelf 9 After Close

Happily, this little homemade shelf is much better solution for us – especially since it is far more functional than the soapdish was to us (have you ever noticed that toothbrushes of today don’t even fit in them?).

BathShelf 10 After Far

And after having done this, I think it’s the push we need to finally put some paint on those walls (spoiler alert, we’ve already started!). And I promise to keep better tabs on the photos. Promise. And if the old shelf ones turn up I’ll add them into this post retroactively! Until then, it’s just a fish on a shelf hiding some broken old tile. Haha. Just a normal day at our house.

What did you guys do this weekend? Any cover ups going on?

Psst- Being in NY, CT, and NJ for the past few days, we witnessed the damage of Sandy firsthand – it’s bad up there guys! Sherry’s grandma still doesn’t have heat or power, there’s hardly any gas to be had, and most people along the coast were hit the hardest (her brother lives in Jersey City and the first floor of his apartment flooded). We’re sending lots of love to everyone up there and will definitely be sharing more when we post a tour update at the end of this week.

Comments

  1. Megg F says

    I love projects that take care of old uglies. Great idea on removing the old stuff, why would anyone want a toothbrush holder over the toilet anyway?! The germ-a-phobe in my is dying…

    Reply

  2. Carole says

    Ummm… how gross would it be to have your toothbrush hanging over the back of the toilet? icky

    The shelf however looks fab! We have our own crazy bathroom to redo ourselves. Cause the floor to ceiling pink flower wallpaper art the prev owners put up just isn’t our style atm.

    Reply

  3. Karen F says

    such a clever idea! I won’t even ask why they thought a soap dish above the toilet was a good idea to begin with!

    p.s. it was so great meeting you in Ridgewood! I was so excited to meet you that I COMPLETELY forgot to sign YOUR book! I may send you an email, maybe you can DIY my note into your book :) I haven’t had a chance to read the book yet – waiting until I get power back so I can really savor it! but the parts I was able to look at while I was at Bookends = LOVE. great job! xx

    Reply

  5. Carly Cleghorn says

    Thanks for mentioning Sandy! Keeping the dialog up while these 5 million odd folks are still waiting for power and heat to come back is important for those of us who weren’t directly effected.

    Reply

  6. tae says

    your red adirondack chairs are on super sale on joss and main today! could score a great deal to match the ones you bought this summer! good luck with your book tour!

    Reply

  7. Heidi says

    Well, since you asked: Thursday we closed on our first house (big fixer upper); Friday we got the keys; Saturday we started by power washing then scraping off the exterior lead paint, found a huge hole in siding, ripped it off, ripped off roof- discovered no flashing at joint and patched with tarp; Sunday tore off more lead paint, tore off brick on side of house for future foundation repair and french drain and continued repair to ripped off siding hole in house. My husband and I are officially a home repair home owners!

    Reply

  8. Esther says

    Can’t wait to see what colour you choose! I love how easy it was to whitewash that shelf, what a great alternative to staining!

    Reply

  10. Sonya says

    Got your book over the weekend, so excited to start going through it! It’s funny the odd sense of pride I have in it, I bet a lot of readers feel the same way, though…

    Reply

  13. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    You guys must be exhausted! Book signings and shelf makings. I am always impressed by your energy to continuously tackle projects.

    Back to the post. It looks great! I would have never thought to put a shelf over the mangled tile. And I am in LOVE with that fish print!!

    Reply

  14. Jess! says

    My 1955 bathroom has the exact same wall and floor tiles.
    I did a blue/grey wall colour, and kept the black/white motif, then added a ruby red shower curtain and towels. It sounds crazy but looks amazing, I promise!

    Reply

  16. E.D. R. says

    Just wanted to say that my birthday was yesterday, and I got your book as one of my presents. They ended up being all color coordinated with the blue of your cover, which is kind of funny as my husband is completely the last person to color coordinate! Am loving the book, congratulations!

    Reply

  17. Sami says

    My family in Elizabeth, NJ haven’t had power or heat since last Monday!! Here’s hoping it gets turned back on today :)

    Reply

  18. Brandi Harrison says

    Great solution to cover up that tile!

    BTW – I got my book in the mail on Saturday!! Serious squealing going on at the mailbox! I did a quick flip though and fell in love with about 10 project, instantly! Now I’ve decided to slow down and read it cover-to-cover so I don’t miss a single thing! I’m already on page 39!

    You guys did an amazing job creating a book that’s a great representation of who you are. I feel like I know you guys and now I get to have you in my hands all the time!! (too weird?) I just love that your ideas are unique, practical, and a real inspiration springboard! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the long nights and red pencils that you went through – it was all worth it!

    Reply

  20. gena says

    Really wanted to get up to Ridgewood and see you guys last week… AND get two books signed for Christmas gifts for the kids. Alas, as you said, it’s BAD up here and there was no way to get gas and we still were on generator and, and, and… So, I’m so sorry to have missed you – next book, for sure!

    gena

    Reply

  21. Nora Rose says

    Boston is fine! We’re having our NJ relatives come stay with us but I hope you guys make it safely back up to Boston. You can get gas in Hartford rather than southern CT where my sister waited 4 hours coming out of Hoboken…

    But I loooove that fish art~

    Reply

  23. Lisa says

    I just got your book in the mail and it is perfect timing since my sister just moved into a rental and your ideas are so perfect for a lot of what she needs to do. :-)

    Reply

  24. Cher says

    I just got home from vacation and am terribly jet lagged so I decided the best way to cope would be to install my new kitchen sink faucet. 12 hours later, the faucet is installed but unusable, as the drain pipes collapsed the second I touched them, and the whole kitchen smells like sewage. I’ve got to have it fixed by Saturday, since I’m coming to your book signing in Chicago visit this weekend- and you guys are still invited to my housewarming party Saturday night! You want to house crash a home the TMNT would be comfy in, right?

    Reply

  25. Kate Leonard says

    Hi Sherry & John,

    It was so exciting to meet you guys at Ridgewood this weekend! While we did (luckily!!) get power back earlier in the week, our cable/internet was still out. Not being able to see whats going on around you when you’re in the middle of all this is the weirdest feeling. Especially when the overall mood here has been so stressful.

    Buuutttt then I went to your book signing! And met you guys who totally cheered me up and forgot about what was going on outside for a little while. Then I went home and read your book cover to cover this weekend and LOVED it! And was so inspired!!! And as soon as I got my use-what-you-have materials together to start working on a project… the cable/internet came back on. And I didn’t even care! Thank you so much for making my weekend happy and normal in an incredibly uncomfortable time in our lives. I appreciate it more than you know.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, you’re so sweet Kate- it was awesome to meet you and I’m so glad you enjoyed the book during that uncomfortable time!! We appreciate you more than you know :)

      xo
      s

  26. Brandi says

    We have the exact same bathroom in our Richmond rancher… Only our tooth brush holder and soap dish are right above the sink, under the mirror. Now I want to knock ours out and put a little shelf there!!! I’m so excited- especially because ours are black and stick out horribly against the white tile behind it… How did you knock the holder out without doing more damage? I feel like if I tried this we would end up having to demo the whole bathroom by the time I was finished. Ha!

    Reply

  27. Amanda S. says

    I like the shelf and I like the art, but I don’t like them together because both look so boxy/chunky. Maybe you could put something thinner on the boxy shelf and move the chunky art to a more elegant shelf.

    Reply

  28. Bethany says

    hey guys! totally rando-question: that backdrop on Clara’s 29 month pic is so inspiring! have you ever painted anything in that bold orange hue!?!?!

    Reply

  29. Care says

    The idea of your grandma ( and all those other people! ) without power – and much worse – just breaks my heart :(
    I immediately stopped reading and went and donated to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected.

    Reply

  30. Anne says

    I have that same print from Joss & Main! It was such a steal and I am totally in love with it. Our fishie canvas lives in our bedroom.

    Reply

  31. Melanie says

    For anyone else interested the fish canvas is by Samantha Yanks. I haven’t seen it for sale anywhere else, so will just have to wait for it to come up again on J&M.

    PS – Sent you an email this morning I hoped you get before your visit to Boston this week. I know it’s probably buried with thousands of others. But it might explain my teary eyes when I meet you guys Wednesday!

    Reply

  32. Chelly says

    I love you guys, and your blog, but I must admit I am not a fan of the shelf. :(
    To me it looks like a cover-up, maybe it is the dimensions – so tall for such a narrow shelf – but it just doesn’t work for me.
    To each, his own, I suppose. Though, I think I would have liked it as a planter! A little patch of tall grass, or row of succulents, with the fish hung above it on the wall.
    One girls opinion.

    Looking forward to seeing what else you guys do with the bathroom.

    Reply

    • Lisa R. says

      I felt like something was a little off too…too think or something. I felt like the canvas should go on the wall and something else on the shelf too. Love the idea of some greenery in there Chelly…maybe cut out some holes and put in some little pots that would be easy to take out and replace or repot, etc.
      It will be interesting to see how it looks when all is said and done with the whole room. :)

      Oh, and I can’t wait to get my book! I got the same weather delay message as someone else mentioned…argh!

      Also, don’t forget to think about the folks in West Virginia/Maryland who were hit with the blizzard from Sandy..my mom and other family members there are still without power. Prayers out to everyone affected by Sandy!

  34. Nicole @ Liberty Belles says

    Those silly soap dishes never fit electric toothbrushes! or the fun, fatter manual ones (you know what I’m talkin about). As a dentist’s daughter who’s been using an electric toothbrush for way longer than any normal person, it’s been a huge pet peeve of mine forever.

    So yay for removing one and replacing with something way more functional & pretty!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thankfully we had a big glass picture frame leaning on the toilet for over a year and a half and it never fell, so a lighter canvas seems to be safe! Here’s hoping!

      xo
      s

  38. Momlady says

    First, I love you guys. Creative, enthusiastic,hilarious and real. Can’t say that emphatically enough.

    I don’t know why I feel so bad about it but this project is a fail for me. The shelf just doesn’t really relate to the tile. Sorry, sorry ,sorry.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No worries! Maybe it’ll make more sense to you when the rest of the room comes together! The fabric and the wall color will definitely change everything in the room, so we can’t wait for that!

      xo
      s

  39. heather says

    Looks good guys! We put in our six smaller windows on Saturday morning. That means we have *two* more windows to order and put in and we’ll have all the windows in the addition complete. Thankfully there are two of the original windows in there now, so we don’t have any heat loss. It’s all tight and ready for the snow flurries that started today!

    Reply

  40. SW says

    LOVE a good cover up. Most of the pics in our home are arranged to do just that–cover up flaws, old holes, etc. I don’t call it lazy, I call it ingenuity :)

    Reply

  44. renee says

    Your book just arrived and I teared up at the dedication (which is the first thing I read in a new book!)
    LOVELY xox

    Reply

  45. CohoesMom5 says

    I had a lightbulb moment when I saw the tape between the toilet and the wall. Now I know to put painters tape and cut down on my clean up time and not have to move heavy furniture out of the way to clean up the dust – or more likely, just leave it behind.

    Reply

  47. jeannette says

    i troll liz’s hardware bathroom cabinet pulls page the way normal people scan feelthy magazines.

    http://www.lahardware.com/welcome/category/19

    so i am very very very interested, not in a pervish way, in your “bright-colored vanity hardware.” slaver slaver slaver.

    as diamonds are pretty much cheaper than what i want from liz, i’m also playing with this:

    http://www.amazon.com/EasyCast-Resin-Knobs-Kitchen-Furniture/dp/B0045UWCHK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352140913&sr=1-1&keywords=easycast+resin+knobs

    keep us posted. in a non pervish way.

    Reply

  48. Allison @ Gold Stars Double Rainbows says

    Very clever! Lots of love to your family on the east coast! (And thanks for keeping us updated as – embarrassingly? nah, not really! – YHL is often the first place I check when I have internet access here in Paraguay so it’s nice to get a little “world news” as well! =)

    Reply

  49. SM says

    I like the shelf and I like the artwork but for me, the artwork is way too big for that space. I think it competes with the mirror and dwarfs the shelf. Just my opinion though!

    Reply

  50. Lindsey says

    Great idea! Can’t wait to see what else you do!

    Question about the book… *Oh, I got my copy on Saturday. Congratulations on a beautiful and very fun and useful bundle of pages. I just love it.* Anyway, I was wondering if you will be posting a video of the presentations you give at the signings or elsewhere? I can’t make it to a signing, but would love to see some live footage.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, that would be fun! Maybe we can get someone to tape it! We definitely plan to post the PPT presentation so folks can see the pics/tips that we outline.

      xo
      s

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