Floating Terra Cotta Pot Shelf Bathroom Organization

16 Materials
$13
2 Hours
Medium

Do you find yourself having a cluttered space in the mornings when you're getting ready for the day? This project is perfect for you--it will allow you to organize your sink/vanity area, so mornings are a breeze for to get ready! My sister-in-law, Brianna, needed an organization overhaul for the vanity in her bathroom and this cute floating shelf solved her problem while adding a touch of decor to her space. We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

BEFORE: Bree didn't have any shelving around her vanity to hold her beauty essentials, so her vanity ended up looking busy and cluttered.

SUPPLIES:


Click HERE to get all the materials listed below!


  • 5/4x8' common board (If your hardware store has something shorter than 8' feel free to grab that! Unfortunately, the only length available at my Home Depot was 8'.
  • 3 (4") terra cotta pots
  • Dewalt 20v max drill
  • 2 1/2" TimberLOK screw
  • 3/4" paddle bit -3/16" drill bit
  • 3 5/8" hole saw
  • countersink drill bit
  • Dewalt Right Angle Attachment
  • Measuring tape
  • Paint brush (There's a 2" brush in this photo but I ended up using a 1" angled trim brush.)
  • Behr Premium Plus Interior Semi
  • Gloss Enamel Ultra Pure White Paint & Primer in One
  • Not pictured: -fine grit sandpaper -Dewalt miter saw -Behr Premium Plus Ultra Interior Satin Enamel Stain-Blocking Paint & Primer in One (color: French Colony) -Irwin Quick Grip clamps (optional but recommended)

STEP 1: Cut and sand wood First, I squared off the end of my board to ensure a nice, clean final piece of wood. Then, I measured in and marked at 15", and cut at my mark.

Next, I knocked off the edges with a piece of fine grit sandpaper. Make sure to get the edges good--once the entire shelf was finished and up on the wall, I realized I could have done a better job at sanding the edges smooth.

STEP 2: Measure and mark for holes Once my wood piece was cut and sanded, I found the half way point of the board and marked in from the left at 2 3/4" and also from the right at 2 3/4", then at 7 1/2" (the middle).

STEP 3: Clamp board to work surface (optional) This step is optional but highly recommended. I took two clamps and clamped the board to my work surface to ensure that it was stationary while I drilled the holes.

STEP 4: Drill holes for pots Finally, it was time to drill the holes for the terra cotta pots to fit into. I used a 3 3/8" hole saw attachment for my drill, ensuring that the drill bit on the inside of the hole saw was directly on my marks.

STEP 5: Paint shelf Once all three holes were created, I applied a coat of white paint to the board/shelf. I let that dry completely, then applied a second coat. Make sure to get all the nook and crannies of the wood, especially on the inside of the holes and the outer edges.

STEP 6: Drill hole for shelf and attach to wall Next, I made a starter hole for the screw that would mount the shelf to the wall. I did this by using a 3/4" paddle bit--this will create a divot that will allow enough space to drill the screw into so that the screw isn't jutting out and restricting the middle terra cotta pot from sitting nicely in the hole. Do not go all the way through with the paddle bit--you only need to drill in about 1/4" or so.

After the divot was created on the inside of the middle hole, I took a 3/16" drill bit and pre-drilled a hole through the back of the shelf (make sure it's on the back side of the divot you created).

Next, I manually tightened the screw into the middle hole from the inside, just enough that my right angle attachment would be able to fit in order to mount the shelf to the wall.

Lastly, I used my right angle attachment to drive the screw into a stud in the wall by Bree's vanity mirror. I'm not sure how else to do this without a right angle attachment--that little gadget was a game changer!

Here is a final shot of the shelf with the terra cotta pots in it all nice and pretty. I know the shelf is a little closer to the shower than the vanity (not centered) but I was forced to mount the shelf this way because I had to mount it in a stud.

To go with Bree's bathroom colors, I decided to paint the outside of the pots with a pretty blue/grey color I had on hand for another project--the color is called "French Colony" and I think it really tied the shelf organization shelf with the rest of the bathroom. Now Brianna has a cute little place to store her beauty essentials so that her vanity stays nice and clean, free of clutter. She can also easily remove the pots if need be.

Click HERE to get all the materials listed below!

Suggested materials:
  • 5/4x8' common board   (Home Depot)
  • 3 (4") terra cotta pots   (Home Depot)
  • Dewalt 20v max drill   (on hand)
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 13 questions
  • Haley Haley on Aug 26, 2017

    Is that one screw enough to hold the shelf onto the wall? Doesn't the shelf slide on one side if not carefully balanced

  • Krystal Krystal on Jul 15, 2018

    What color gray did you use on your walls, I love it.

  • Donado1017 Donado1017 on Feb 23, 2019

    Great idea. Where did you find mirror?

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2 of 182 comments
  • Wendy Mason-Cruz Wendy Mason-Cruz on Mar 03, 2019

    Really awesome idea! Great project and you really did a nice job! It's beautiful! Fantastic use of space!

  • Vic64306796 Vic64306796 on Sep 05, 2022

    Awesome projects!

    and you can add other shelves below it to make the top one more decorative and the others more functional for the sink area!

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