DIY Bathtub Tray for Spa Day
DIY Bathtub Tray for Spa Day
In my son’s new house he has a beautiful, vintage, claw foot tub. The kind of tub that’s made for stretching out, putting your feet up, adding bubbles, maybe even a glass of wine and reading a good book.
He wasn’t aware yet, but he definitely needed a bathtub tray and I had the perfect board to make it out of.. a discarded dining room table leaf.
All I needed from him were the tub measurements, specifically, the inside tub width and the outside tub width.
Just because I was waiting for the measurements did not mean that I couldn’t get started on my project.
I removed the old scratched finish on top of the leaf with a medium grit sandpaper followed by a fine grit.
The veneer on the bottom of the table leaf was falling off in sheets so that side just needed a slight sanding to get rid of any remaining glue.
Stain your wood the color of your choice. This is just one coat of a dark walnut. Depending on how porous your wood is, results will vary.
Once your stain is dry seal the wood with a least 2 coats of polyurethane. I’m using Varathane polyurethane in a satin finish. Easy to apply with a brush and it cleans up with water.
I cut strips of wood off an old 2×4 to give me my edging. Sand well.
The new edging is slightly wider than the thickness of the table leaf so you can perch your Ipod or Kindle on the tray without fear of it falling in the water.
The handles were from Amazon, left over from another project. These are the 7 3/8 inch length handles with 5 inch holes.
Finally got my measurements so I could finish up. Width of the total bathtub was 30 inches so I had plenty of the table leaf leftover to use for the under tray bumpers.
I used a nail gun to attach the trim to the sides and screwed on the handles from the underside of the tray.
The inner measurement of the bathtub I’m working with was 23 1/2 inches. You’ll need the tray bumpers to sit just inside that measurement ,… maybe give an extra 1/4 inch for a little wiggle room.
Screw these bumpers to the bottom of your bathtub tray.
The tray has been delivered and all ready for a nice soak.
For the kids and those times you’re not reading your favorite novel, I added an extra large screw eye to the end of the tray so it could hang when not in use.
The only thing I’m missing now is a pillow to go along with my new bathtub tray.
Now that you’re all pruney, don’t stop now, continue your drink and your book back in bed with a reclaimed wood bed tray. 😀
Until next time, Stay inspired.
Copyright © 2024
Had my master bath remodeled last year. I had the claw foot tub from my childhood home reglazed and installed. Looks like the same faucets that I had installed. If you use a mirror and look at the tub bottom you should see the year it was made. Mine was 1924. My parents bought the home in 1962. Although l’m the last in my family I transferred the title to my niece after my brother died. Love your page with so many great ideas. Thank you