Our bathrooms in our home are very spacious, but they’re also very boring. They are both very plain and builder-grade. We’ve recently begun to look at them to see how we might add some character without spending a lot of money on them.

We do eventually plan to replace the tubs, tub surround, and flooring, but that will be a costly renovation, and it just isn’t in the budget right now. Instead, we are comparison shopping and trying to decide just what we want when the time comes.

At the present time, though, we can add just a little farmhouse character to our baths without breaking our checkbook.

We have decided to add some sort of rustic shelving, swap out that builder grade mirror for a more farmhouse-styled one, maybe paint or re-stain the vanity, and upgrade that cheap light fixture, but until we do that, we’ve opted to add some rustic shelving. These are the shelves you’ve seen on Fixer Upper, and all over Pinterest. And they’re the perfect project for adding a little industrial farmhouse to your home.

Adding rustic shelving is super easy, and not that expensive. Here’s what you’ll need to get started to make two plumbing pipe shelves.

2X10 pine board

4 3/4 in galvanized pipe nipples

4 3/4 in floor flanges

4 3/4 in pipe caps

your choice wood stain (I used Minwax Walnut)

black spray paint

microfiber cloth

sandpaper/orbital sander

I didn’t take step by step pics of the prep work, because it’s monotonous and self-explanatory. First, measure the area where you want your shelves to hang. Once you know your needed dimensions, you can cut your board to the appropriate lengths. Remember to measure twice and cut once! Next, use sandpaper, or an orbital sander to sand your boards smooth. Afterward, wipe the sawdust from your boards with a microfiber cloth.Then, apply the wood stain using a rag or brush. Allow each coat to dry at least 24 hours. Using your black spray paint, paint the galvanized pipe parts black. Allow 24 hours to dry.  For best results, use a spray paint with a primer included.

 

After your boards have dried, measure the area once more you want to hang your shelves. Use a level to make sure your boards are level, and mark the wall where you’ll screw the floor flanges. I highly recommend hanging your shelves on a stud to make them more sturdy, but if you can’t, then you’ll need to use dry wall anchors.

 

After you’ve screwed the flanges to the wall, then you can assemble the pipe nipples and caps.

Repeat this step for each side of your shelves. Then, you simply lay your shelf boards attop the pipes, and you’re done!

Yes, you can totally see where I filledi n the giant holes left behind by the towel bar. They were huge and required lots and lots of spackle.

But, here’s the (mostly) finished product.

I love how these shelves add so much rustic charm and character to our bathroom…plus, they add some much needed storage. Our vanity in this bathroom is rather small and there isn’t much counter space.

Have you made any rustic pipe shelves lately? If so, I’d love for you to show me!

Have a wonderful week.