DIY Bathtub Tray

Hello!
Here’s a quick DIY Valentine’s Day gift for the sweethearts in your life that love to soak in the bathtub.

Notes: You can easily make this out of scraps or even pallet wood. If you have thinner boards, you can attach them together from the back/underside of the tray to get your desired size. To keep the tray as light as possible, I recommend using 1 x boards and any size from 6″ to 12″ in width but build with whatever you have on hand or as you wish. That’s the beauty of building….every piece is unique!

Here we go….
Measure and cut your board{s} to the width of your tub – edge to edge. I allowed an extra inch or two for overhang…personal preference.

Give the board a good sanding then pretty it up with your favorite finish. I stained the sanded wood then painted over it – once dry I used my sander to give it an aged, distressed look.

I added decorative handles to mine but you could certainly leave these off.

My husband taught me an easy trick on where to drill my holes to attach the handles. Grab a pencil or some chalk and mark around the circle where the screw fits into the handle. Lay it in place then press and slightly rock back and forth to leave the mark on the board. Voi la’! Worked like a charm!

I could have stopped here but I’m gifting this to my daughter for Valentine’s Day so I wanted to add something special. She enjoys a glass of wine during her relaxing soak. I figured out a way to secure the wine glass while sitting on top of the board.

I hope I can explain this well…maybe the visual will help!.
I cut a piece of wood to fit the size of my board & wide enough to cover the base of the wine glass. Next, I used my saw to make two slits wide enough for the wine glass stem to fit through. Be sure to leave at least +/- of an inch attached on the other end. {The area in between the cuts will be removed} I drilled a hole using a 1/2″ drill bit. This is a resting place for the glass. Remove the cuts and you are basically left with a horseshoe or “U” shape. Sand all edges smooth then finish as desired. The “U” needs to be raised up enough for the base of the glass to slide under it. I used rubber grommets similar to these. I attached the wine glass slide from the underside of my tray, placing the grommets over the screw so it was sandwiched between the “U” and the tray itself. Once secured it provided enough lift for the wine glass to slide in and out easily. Whew! That sounds like a lot but it was rather easy.

And here it is! The tray is the perfect size to hold all of your bath needs within easy reach. And yes, I’d consider WINE a NEED! 😉 {This isn’t the best photo but I wasn’t in the mood to clean my tub for a photo op! #reallife I hope to have a prettier picture soon!}

I’ll give you this pretty pic in the meantime….I made this tray {but don’t have a tutorial} for a friend as a housewarming gift. Its the same style as the one above, I just came up with a different method for holding the wine glass. I actually prefer the “U” shape design. It was easier to make and more sturdy. #trialanderror But my friend loved it so I’m happy that she is happy!