One of my favorite ways to pamper myself is to draw up a warm bubble bath. Paired with relaxing music, a few candles and a good book – this is the perfect environment to reenergize. In the past, I placed a lot of faith in my ability not to get my book wet or drop it in the tub, and luckily I never had any major incidents! However, this always caused a small amount of stress in what was supposed to be a relaxing experience. So I scrolled around the internet and found the perfect solution – a bath tray!

Instead of paying $30+ to order a bath tray online, I decided I would try to make one myself. Bonus: I was able to customize the tray to fit perfectly in our tub! After taking a few measurements Ian and I set off to the hardware store to pick out our supplies.

If you look at the project and think it would be difficult to complete – you are wrong! This DIY is as easy as it gets. (It doesn’t even require nails!) All you will need is a saw, some wood glue, wood stain and resin. That’s it! While the staining process will require some patience, the end product is well worth the wait.

Here’s how you can make your own bath tray!

DIY Bathtub Tray

Materials:

• 1×8 wood board
• Saw
• Wood glue
• Wood stain
• Oil-based Minwax Polyurethane

How to:

• Measure the full width of your tub as well as the width of the sides of your tub. These measurements will be used to place 2-inch wood stoppers under the bath tray in order to keep it in place
• Cut two 2-inch pieces of wood from the board
• Cut the board to the width of your tub measurement
• Use a ruler and mark off the width of the sides of your tub under the wood board
• Place wood glue on the inside of these markings and secure the 2-inch wood pieces down to dry
• Leave overnight to dry
• Sand the bath tray and begin the staining process
• Once you have achieved your desired stain color seal with a coat of polyurethane
• Let it dry overnight then you are ready to use your bathtub tray!