How To Make A DIY Sink Skirt For Rustic Charm In Your Bathroom

If you have exposed plumbing underneath your wall-mounted or pedestal bathroom sink, you know how it can detract from the entire bathroom's aesthetic, no matter how clean and well decorated it is. Pipes and fittings can clash with the room's design, drawing attention away from its more attractive features. This is especially true of bathrooms with older plumbing that may be rusted or corroded. Instead of your bathroom feeling like a relaxing space, it can look unfinished and cluttered, no matter what decorative touches you add. There is a way, though, to have a nice-looking bathroom despite your wall-mounted bathroom sink. This DIY bathroom upgrade involves making and attaching a sink skirt to cover your sink's unsightly plumbing. And since the sink skirt is making a comeback, it's the perfect time to take on this DIY. All you need for this project is some fabric, a sewing machine, sewing supplies, and some self-adhesive hook-and-loop tape.

Not only is this hack great for hiding exposed plumbing, but it can also be used to add a rustic touch to a plain-looking pedestal sink. In addition to hiding what's underneath your sink, you can also use the skirt to add storage under a pedestal sink for cleaning supplies or other items you don't want displayed out in the open. Because this is a do-it-yourself bathroom upgrade, you can customize your sink skirt however you like. And don't worry if you lack confidence in your sewing skills or don't own a sewing machine. There is a workaround that doesn't require any sewing at all.

To make your sink skirt, first measure the length around your sink, as well as the distance from where you want the skirt to start to the floor. Then, cut the fabric slightly longer and wider than your measurements in each direction — you'll want to bunch it along the top for a decorative finish, so you'll need the extra fabric for that and a hem along the bottom. Fold, iron, pin, and sew the fabric to form the hems. Next, you are going to sew three rows of basting stitches (stitches that are about a quarter of an inch long) along the top, pull the threads at one end to bunch the fabric, and tie them off. 

After the sink skirt is finished, it's time to attach it to your sink. For this step, attach a length of self-adhesive hook-and-loop tape that extends from near the wall at one side of the sink bowl to the other side. Then, remove the backing from the tape and stick on the skirt.

There are endless ways to customize this DIY with various fabric colors and patterns. If you have a minimalist bathroom, you can make a solid-color skirt. For a farmhouse rustic skirt, you could use flower-patterned fabric. While you can use the space underneath the sink skirt for storage by simply lifting the fabric, you could also make your skirt two pieces for easier access in the middle. For a no-sew option, you can use curtains instead of making the skirt yourself, or you can reuse a tablecloth in the bathroom as a sink skirt. This would save time and effort, though your color and pattern options would be more limited.