Goodbye Clutter: Add Countertop Space To A Small Bathroom With An Easy Wooden DIY
Very few of us have bathrooms with 8-foot-wide vanities. It's nice if you do, but for the rest of us, we're often stuck with postage-stamp-sized counters. Limited real estate on the counter presents problems for both storage and workspace. When it's time to put on your face or plug in the shaver, you can add extra counter space to your bathroom with a removable top for an open drawer. TikToker @onehandymomma came up with an ingenious temporary counter extension with a piece of plywood that matches the surface area of their fully-opened bathroom drawer. A couple of small metal brackets hold the board in place while still making it easy to lift off and close the drawer.
A small piece of plywood is easy to customize to your particular drawer, but it's worth seeing if there's a wooden cutting board in that size. Since it's pre-cut and sanded, this option can save you a lot of time and work. As long as the board is narrow enough to fit through the drawer opening, it can be longer than the fully opened drawer. (You can slide it through the opening a few inches, precluding the need for brackets on that end.) However, there's a trick to come that'll help you make an oversized board work.
You can make your countertop extension from a piece of plywood or a wooden cutting board. Set aside a drill, a screwdriver, a tape measure, some wood stain, and a brush (optional). If you're working with plywood, grab some sandpaper, too. Lastly, purchase a 2- or 4-pack of 1-inch L brackets with screws.
Make a moveable countertop extension
Before launching into this simple project, you can use a board that's wider than your drawer for even more workspace. This also saves you a cutting step and/or leaves you with more flexibility with the size of the cutting board. Plus, this project can also give you extra workspace on a desk or maximize kitchen countertop space.
@onehandymomma This is my hack to give me extra countertop space when I need it! #hack #countertops
Sand off the rough edges of the plywood, if you're using it. Also, stain your board before adding the L brackets. You can even use brewed coffee to naturally stain wood. Let the stain dry fully before moving on.
For boards that match the size of the extended drawer, measure and mark where you'll screw on the two L brackets. If the screws are a bit longer than the board is thick, you can screw the brackets onto what will be the upper surface of the board's edges. To hide the brackets, or if you're going with the oversized board option, you can mount them on the underside of the board. Also, an oversized board will need four brackets to hold it in place. Drill pilot holes and attach the brackets so they sit over the edges of the open drawer. When you're not using it, tuck your countertop extender along the side of a bathroom cabinet so it's easy to reach while staying out of the way.