vintage ladder towel rack

We’re finally finishing up that tile in the bathroom, and we said to ourselves, “Selves… we need something a little different than your average towel holder for the towels around the bathtub.” Because when one just finished up a bunch of tiling in a bathroom, the first thing they think about is towel racks in the form of old ladders, right?

We wanted to snatch up a vintage ladder, but couldn’t seem to find one the right size or price. So of course, we decided to whip one of our own up.

Our ladder is pretty large at 24 inches across, and 8 ft tall. We used dowels for the rungs, and two 8 ft. 1 x 4’s for the support. Of course, you can’t climb this ladder, but it looks pretty swell up against the wall holding pretty little accessories… if we do say so ourselves.

Decide where your rungs will be spaced, and go ahead and mark that on your support sides, along with the centermost area so you’ll know where to use your drill bit. This will be how you make the places for the dowels.

The key with this, was so the sides showed no screws and the dowels could go right in.

So once we made the initial places on those spots…

We erased the pencil marks, and stained all the pieces. We used our fave Cabot color again {in cinnamon}.

When we were finished, we went back with a 1 inch self feed drill bit {or whatever fits the end of your dowel} attached to our RYOBI drill and made each hole adequate enough for the dowels to fit in. {You can do this before you stain – ours took two because we had the wrong size drill bit at first}

Now for the fun part.

We took each dowel, and using a mallet started by placing a smidgeon of wood glue, and hammering the dowels in each one. It made a snug, perfect fit.

This is the best I could do sans makeup on a Saturday morning. I mean, how does one pose with dowels? I had angry concentration face in the action shots, so I went with the classic awkward sideways smile option. Embarrassing, no?

When we were finished with the first side and dowels, we went back with the second support, and simply placed a little bit of glue at the top of each dowel. We then added that side of the ladder on top. We wiped away any excess glue that seeped out {this is where staining beforehand comes in handy, because it won’t affect your finish}.

Once it was dry, we went back and lightly sanded the edges for a worn, subtly distressed look.

It was ready to be used!

With our ladder, we left the bottom-most rung at a higher height, so it can straddle the bathtub and still work in an area with limited space. You could also add hooks from behind at the top, to anchor it to the wall if needed. We may be adding that extra little touch, just in case. I can see it now… Malone swinging dramatically on a ladder ever so precariously like some Disney movie fodder from the 60’s. I’m definitely getting a Bedknobs and Broomsticks meets Mary Poppins vibe.

Though when all of this is finished, I’m bestowing the hallway bathroom for kiddo use, and we’re taking over our master bath. I told Jamin when this tub is installed, I’m living in it. He can bring me dinner and books and my laptop, and I’ll just keep it warm forever and ever amen. The blog will be all, “today the kids came to visit me and brought me more bubbles.” And I’ll start making bubble crafts. I’m never getting out. I’ll be like that lady who was glued to her toilet. They can crane lift me from the roof and I’ll be featured on CNN and The Steve Harvey Show.

Bucket list completed.

Incoherent fantasies about disappearing into a gigantic bubble bath in my incomplete bathroom never to be seen again aside, it’s a fun, super affordable option to those traditional towel holding options.

I love run on sentences. And lamp.

Updated: towels from here!

Have an inspired day!