While adding a bathroom shelf to an upper alcove, I had some spare wood lying around and decided to build a toilet tank topper since I was giving my bathroom an update.
A toilet topper box or basket can be used to store extra toilet paper, books, or other bathroom accessories in an easy-to-find spot for guests – and is a great way to add some personality to an otherwise boring part of the bathroom.
In this post I’ll walk through what materials you need and how to build a toilet tank topper for your own bathroom!
Materials for Building a Toilet Tank Topper Box:
- Wood
- Ruler or Tape Measure
- Tablesaw or Chopsaw
- Wood Glue
- Nails
- Hammer
- Clamps
- Stain
- Brush & Rags for Stain
How to Make a Toilet Tank Topper Box:
- Measure your toilet tank lid to create a custom topper made to fit your toilet
- Mark your wood where you’ll be making cuts for your tank topper
- Cut the wood into 5 pieces – 1 for the bottom, 1 for the back, 1 for the front, and 2 for the sides
- Sand the edges lightly to smooth
- Assemble your tank topper by brushing wood glue onto the edges, then applying clamps to hold in place while drying
- Hammer nails into the corners for additional strength
- Once dried, sand the faces of the tank topper so the wood is smooth – you can also sand the corners to give a worn or rustic look
- Leave your topper unfinished, add stain, paint, and/or polyurethane/polycrylic
I used Minwax’s Special Walnut stain and a matte (non-shiny) polycrylic that matched some shelves I was adding into the bathroom.
- Place your tank topper on your toilet and to keep toilet paper in an easy-to-reach spot for guests
- You can also style your tank topper with books, candles, or other bathroom accessories!
