Cement Toothbrush Holder

by Amanda C, Hometalk Team

5 Materials

$10

3 Hours

Medium

If you need a place to rest your toothbrushes (or some pencils) than look no further! Rather than buying one of those old plastic cups, why not make one?! This piece works great if you are going for a clean geometric look. You can make any shape you want by simply taping cardboard together and pouring quick cement into your created mold. This is a fun and easy way to create a unique piece for your bathroom.
The price listed is for the ENTIRE box of cement which you only use a super small portion of, so this really only cost probably $1-2.

cement toothbrush holder, bathroom ideas, concrete masonry, crafts, how to, organizing, small bathroom ideas

SUPPLIES:

-Rapid Set Cement

-Cardboard

-Scissors

-Sanding Block / Paper

-Pencil

-Ruler

-Cup for mixing (Not pictured)

-Box Cutter (Not pictured)

STEP 1: Cut out cardboard

Cut out cardboard pieces in your desired shape. I decided to make a diamond sort of feel so I cut out a bottom piece and 4 sides. The dimensions are listed below:

-Bottom Diamond - Length: 5.5" / Height: 3.25" / Sides: 3"

-4 Rectangular Side - Length: 5" / Width: 3"

STEP 2: Tape the pieces to make a mold

Tape your pieces together so that you have a 3D mold for your cement to be poured into. Make sure there are no cracks between pieces so that your cement doesn't seep through.

STEP 3: Create toothbrush molds

Now it is time to create molds for the toothbrush holes. For this you will cut 4 rectangular pieces that are 3/4" wide by 6" long.

STEP 4: Tape it together

Now simply tape your rectangular pieces together to create a rectangular prism.

Tape over one end so that there are no cracks.

STEP 5: Make three of them

Repeat step 4 two more times so that you have 3 rectangular prisms.

*if you want more holes in your toothbrush holder you will need to make a larger outer shell in step 1.

STEP 6: Mix your cement

Mix your cement with water according to the directions on the box. (Normally 4 parts cement to 1 part water) in a disposable cup.

Now pour the mixture into the diamond mold you made in steps 1 and 2. Do not fill it to the top quite yet. Half way should be fine for now.

STEP 7: Place the toothbrush mold into the cement

Now grab your toothbrush hole molds created in step 4 and place them into the diamond shape pressing them down toward the bottom of the cement mixture, but not so far that it touches the bottom.

Once all the molds are in laying side by side, you can pour more of your cement mixture in around them to make sure and fill any gaps. Be sure to leave space between each of the toothbrush holder molds so that cement can rest between them.

Now set your piece aside and allow it to dry.

*I know all my holder molds aren't identical, but I kind of liked that.

STEP 8: Cut away the molds

Once you have allowed your cement to set you are ready to cut away the molds and see the results. Using a box cutter to cut through the cardboard you can simply peel it away from the piece. Getting the holder molds out is more tricky, but I found that grabbing them with a pair of scissors and twisting over and over pulls them out.

STEP 9: Sand it down

Once all your cardboard is removed all you have to do is sand down the piece to get it nice and smooth. If there are any holes or gaps or really uneven parts that you can't seem to sand down, simply mix up a little bit of cement and wait until it starts to harden just a bit and touch up any of those spots by applying a bit of cement and smoothing it over with a credit card or flat piece of plastic. You will need to sand down any added cement once it dries as well.

*Be sure to dust the piece off once you have sanded it completely.

Now you just add your toothbrushes and BAM! New holder!

The great part about this piece is you can customize it in so many ways! You can make whatever shape you want, you can paint it or add some gold leaf (which I might end up doing)... the possibilities are endless!

If you are not a fan of the gray, as I mentioned earlier, you can paint it, or you can also buy add in colors from the hardware store and mix it in with your cement mixture before pouring it into the mold!

Another great thing is that all my toothbrushes fit! Have you ever bought one of these and the holes are too small for your toothbrush? Not a problem with this guy!

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Rapid Set Cement (Home Depot)
Cardboard (Had on Hand)
Sanding Block / Paper (Dollar Tree)
Box Cutter (Had on Hand)
Ruler (Had on Hand)

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Frequently asked questions

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3 questions

KT on Aug 19, 2016
Very cool.... but what about cleaning it? In my experience toothbrush holders can get pretty grotty... are the holes open at the bottom so you can clean it?

3
Coolfurniturelady on Jan 19, 2017
Could you use plastic wrapped pieces of Styrofoam or wood dowels instead of the cardboard for the sleeve insert?

1
Donna Marie on Jan 19, 2017
Did you put anything on the underside to keep it from scratching your sink?

3

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2 of 44 comments

Elizabeth @ Creating Rustic Charm on Jan 22, 2017
What a great idea!

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Emilyaustin348 on Apr 18, 2020

I love this idea! It would look perfect in my rustic bathroom. Thanks! 🙂
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