His & Her Towel Hangers

Thank you The Wood Connection for having me as a guest blogger today! I personally have enjoyed doing this project and I am super excited for all of you to take this and tweak it to fit your needs and your space!

 My bathroom space is kind of sad... a sad, sad beige. I refuse to paint any room until I can find about 3 items to go into the space that inspire me so I can start to bring the room together. I have finally reached 3 items! I found a shower curtain about 9 months ago, and with these new Facebook Group Yard Sale Site type things, I found a really cute metal cabinet. The following project is my 3rd item of inspiration, so I will be on my way to painting the space. (which will bring a new blog post as well ;)


This is the layout of my master bath and the conversation one has with self about towels while in this space:

I have 5 kids. I think it is because I have 5 kids, I seem to have this problem with towels staying put. More particularly the towels in my bathroom, and specifically the ones I might need to use in my bathroom. I have noticed when my kiddos get in their tub, I ask if they have a towel, and then in a minute or so towels are miraculously produced. It is not until later I find out where said towels come from. (and it doesn't matter that they have hooks in their bathroom with towels on them.) 

This is how I find out about missing towels. The scene is so clearly laid out... You are in a rush and charge into the bathroom. You turn the water on to get it hot, run into the closet to strip down, and then go back into the bathroom to grab the towel that you PUT ON THE HOOK YESTERDAY, and it's gone! Then I open the linen closet door to grab a new one, and there is a 50/50 chance there may or may not be cleanly folded ones there. (okay, realistically it is like 30/70...70% chance there are no clean towels there :) 

You are standing there- naked-and no towels to wrap around yourself to even go check the 10 baskets of clean laundry you have not had a chance to fold. True story...

So, I have come up with a solution. His and Her Towel hooks out of convenient reach! (enclosed with barbed wire, and a security system.... )

What you will need to grab at Wood Connection (and like a dozen other things, because I can never just shop for ONE project, right?)

• 2 Large Slat Signs
• 2 Banner Fancy Shapes
• 4 in Monogram Tag Letters to spell: HIS and HERS
• 8  wood plugs
• Wood Glue
• 2-3 colors of coordinating paint (not pictured, because I have it from previous Wood Connection projects :)
• 2 self tapping sawtooth hangers
• Sandpaper or sanding block
• Foam paint brush

You will also need to grab the following items from a Home Improvement Store:

• 2 Hooks
• Small container of DAP Lightweight Spackling Compound (Stock Photo)
• Drywall Anchors

Other things you will need from around the house:

• Drill
• Drill bit matching the hardware for the hook
• 3/4" Butterfly Bit (Stock Photo)
• Large Grit Nail File

To get started use the DAP to fill in the pre-drilled holes on the banner tiles. This stuff is so awesome cause you can just use your fingers (not necessarily and on this project) it will not shrink when it dries. Use a flat edge putty knife or pan scraper to fill in the holes. While that is drying, lightly sand down the slatted boards, and lightly sand the edges of each letter. By now the banner shapes should be dry and you can sand their edges and the filled holes if needed. I always grab a rag, spray a few times with a water bottle and wipe off. This gets any leftover sawdust off so you don't get the roley-poley chunks in your paint.

Can you see the wood grain through the color wash?

To paint the slatted, boards I color washed them. In case you do not know what color washing is- it is mixing 2 parts paint to 1 part water. It allows the wood to take on the color, but you can still see the wood grain through the paint.  It also takes less sanding when distressing. Begin painting the slatted board, you may need to use a bristle brush to get down in the cracks. Set aside to dry.

Using your second color, paint the banner tiles and wooden plugs. Because by nature I am a bit lazy, I tend to find ways to make things easier and faster. So I used mounting putty (or you could use tape rolled on itself) to stick the wooden plugs to my table to paint them. Set those aside to dry.

I measured in one inch on the corners of a piece of paper...

...and used it as a jig to mark a center point for the butterfly bit by lining up the marks on the adjacent corners. The corner of the paper is where you make your mark.

Determine the depth of the plug...

You can mark the bit with tape or a sharpie marker (use rubbing alcohol to remove) so you know how far to drill into the slatted board (top of hole lined up with line on drill bit). Remember that the point of the bit will go all the way through the sign (not the winged part, just the pointy tip) so drill with the sign on a piece of scrap wood, or hang the edge of the sign off the table to drill.

The plugs should fit flush with the sign now.

Turn the sign over and center the saw tooth picture hanger on the top center. Use a hammer to tap hanger into the wood securely.

To assemble, center the letters above the banner tile as a whole on the slatted board and glue in place with the wood glue. At this stage I like to seal the wood, specifically since it will be in the bathroom with moisture.  Polycrylic works great for this type of project, and what I used. This has to dry along with the wood glue before the next step.

This pic just shows how you would compare the screw to the drill bit.

Once dry. Center your hook on the banner tile and use a pencil to mark the center of the holes for the screws. Using a bit that is slightly smaller than the screw shaft width, drill pilot holes. Attach the hook with the screws. Do not over tighten as you don't want to strip the wood.  

Find the space on your wall, use the dry wall anchors if needed and hang up your project! I used mounting putty to secure the bottom to keep it in place. Your are all finished!

Thanks so much for reading... don't forget to go to my blog and make a comment. I will randomly choose one comment to win a $25 gift certificate to The Wood Connection. (how easy is that?)
Good luck!