No More Basic Toilet Paper Holders: A Fun And Unique Alternative You Can DIY

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Chances are when you're thinking of savvy ways to bring art into your bathroom, you're pondering which sea-themed print to hang above the towel rack, not which toilet paper holder design you prefer. And yet, if you're a DIYer with an interest in sculpture, creating a fun, unique TP dispenser might just be the bathroom art project you didn't know you wanted to take on. It's a simpler undertaking than you may think, too. The only thing a project like this requires is a bit of air-drying modeling clay, some paint, and the ability to sculpt clay into a curly cursive capital L.

Unlike a standard holder, which has a tension rod between two brackets, this toilet paper holder you need for your quirky bathroom aesthetic is crafted from a single piece of self-hardening clay. To make it, you'll need something like Sculpd Premium Air-Dry Modeling Clay. Additionally, this bathroom storage project requires you to get some acrylic paint. You'll also need something like Mont Marte Premium Gesso Universal Primer as an undercoating and some varnish for a top-coat. 

For sculpting this new toilet paper roll holder, your hands will be the most important tools, though certainly not the only ones. If you already have some basic clay sculpting tools, you should find what you need in their midst. In particular, you'll need a clay cutting tool. If you don't have purpose-made tools, there are alternatives, including knitting needles or plastic utensils. You'll also need some hooks — their size depends on how big you make the holder.

Start by rolling a lump of wet clay back and forth until a long coil forms. Make it about as thick as your thumb, give or take. You're going to roll it out so that it's long enough to twist the clay coil into a cursive capital L-shape. A standard toilet paper roll is about 4 to 5 inches long, so make the horizontal bar of the L longer than this by about 2 inches. In the end, the upright or vertical part of the L should be almost as long as its horizontal counterpart. However, you'll fashion a loop at the top and bottom, so don't forget to account for this extra clay when rolling out your coil. As you form the loops, make them large and roomy enough to hold the hooks you bought. Finally, trim off any excess clay at either end of the holder.

Let your sculpted clay L dry for up to 72 hours. Then use a paintbrush to give the toilet paper roll holder a coat of gesso. Once that dries, paint the holder. After the paint dries, brush some varnish onto the sculpture. This will shield your piece of functional bathroom art from potentially damaging humidity. It'll also protect the L-shaped holder from dings. To mount the holder, your best bet is to attach two hooks to the bathroom wall. Position the hooks so that they line up with the loops at the top and bottom of the L. Then hang the toilet paper holder on the hooks as you would coffee cups on cup hooks. Just one thing to keep in mind: The longer the tip of the hook, the more securely the TP dispenser will stay on the wall.

Air-dry clay can be a peculiar craft material. For one, it's easy to leave fingerprints on the surface. Hardened clay is also susceptible to breaking. You can solve these problems in a couple of ways. First, dust cornstarch on the clay while it's still pliable to get rid of fingerprints. Apply the cornstarch lightly to the air-dry clay, then brush off the excess with a soft paintbrush. It probably goes without saying that wearing a pair of rubber gloves as you sculpt will help prevent fingerprints, too.

The holder could bang against the bathroom wall as toilet paper is removed from the roll, resulting in cracks or breaks. To mitigate this issue, you could use a wire armature to give the L more interior strength. The holder will be quite solid with a hidden wire interior. Build the clay shape around some pliable wire, like Anezus 12-Gauge Aluminum Wire, until the wire is completely covered, then refine the object from there. If you go with this option, you may need to squish the clay substantially to bend it into an L-shape. This may leave the finished holder looking lumpy, though if you're creative, you could make the finish part of your final design.

Finally, consider sticking something like Yelanon Felt Furniture Pads to the back of this quirky toilet paper roll holder before you hang your bathroom art (so there are no regrets). They'll act as crash pads, cushioning the holder whenever it bangs against the wall. This addition could potentially lengthen the life of your new sculptural bathroom fixture, so it's worth a try.