Shelves in the bathroom above the washing machine

Installing a washing machine in a bathroom can be challenging as space can be quite limited. Very often you have to give up additional furniture in favor of a washing machine, and therefore the question arises where to store jars, laundry detergents and other bathroom accessories. There is a way out if you use the space above the washing machine for shelves.

Ideas

There are a lot of options for shelves above the washing machine, it all depends on the available space and imagination. You can make shelves in the bathroom yourself, or you can buy ready-made ones and fix them yourself. We offer several shelf ideas.

The photo below shows one of the simplest options for shelves above a washing machine. Such shelves can be made of wood or MDF and mounted on metal brackets. It is better to design the color of the shelves in accordance with the main color in which the bathroom is decorated.

One of the most beautiful options are shelves in a niche. This method is well suited when the room already has a niche in which you can put a washing machine. If the size of the bathroom allows, then a niche can be made. The good thing about the niche is that the machine is protected from moisture from the back and sides. To make a niche, a metal profile and plasterboard are used, onto which tiles are then glued. The shelves themselves are made of MDF, glass or also plasterboard.

The photo below shows an MDF shelving unit with a niche for a washing machine. If the previous option is almost impossible to do yourself without the skills, then this option is very simple.

And in the next photo you see a version of ready-made shelves made of metal guides, the so-called rack. The rack is easy to assemble and install in the bathroom. Therefore, if you don’t want to do something, you can simply buy something that has already been done.

Preparation of materials

Let's look at an example of how to make a shelving unit in a bathroom. You can make such shelves yourself without significant financial costs. To prepare the materials, you need to draw up a drawing of the rack, which will reflect its exact dimensions in height, width and depth. Dimensions will depend on the size of the washing machine. The width of the rack should be 3-4 cm larger than the width of the machine, the standard width is 59-60 cm, which means the rack will be 63-64 cm wide. The depth of the washing machine should completely fit into the niche of the rack, and as for the height, it is at your discretion. The optimal height is 2-2.5 m, firstly, there will be more shelves, and secondly, it looks more attractive. A structure that is too tall will be unstable and bulky.

For work you will need the following material and tools:

• Chipboard with PVC coating;
  

  Important! PVC coating can withstand the humidity that is typical for a bathroom. But laminated MDF will swell and deteriorate due to humidity.

• self-tapping screws;
• metal corners;
• 4 legs;
• tape measure and marker;
• screwdriver or screwdriver.

Assembling the rack

According to the drawing, it is necessary to mark the material and cut out the parts. For a rack measuring (HxWxD) 2.5 x 0.45 x 0.64 m, the following parts are needed:

1. two side panels measuring 247x45 cm;
2. lower jumper measuring 67x10 cm;
3. 4 shelves measuring 64 x 45 cm;
4. roof measures 67 x 45 cm.

For your information! You can immediately order parts of the required size; using special equipment, the material will be cut efficiently and inexpensively, this will simplify the process of assembling the rack.

In the picture below you see the rack we are describing only with doors. Chipboard parts are assembled together using screws and corners. First, the roof and lower lintel are attached. Then the first shelf is attached at a distance of 85.5 cm. And then three more shelves are attached at a distance of 38.5 cm from it. Finally, the legs are screwed to the side walls, and the rack for the washing machine is ready. You will learn where to install such a rack and machine from the article How to place a washing machine in the bathroom.

Making a glass shelf

If there is no room to install a rack, but a shelf above the washing machine is needed, then it is best to make a shelf out of glass. The shelf itself is bought at a hardware store, and your task is to secure it correctly. For shelves, take glass with a thickness of at least 4 mm and cover it with a special film.

To fasten glass shelves, use an aluminum profile or decorative holders. To fix them in the bathroom on a tiled wall, you need to use a drill without a hammer drill mode to make holes at the required height above the washing machine. Then insert the dowels into the holes made, and then insert the holders into them. All that remains is to fix the glass shelf and that’s it.

So, a shelf above the washing machine can become not only additional space for bathroom accessories, but also an element of bathroom design. Even if the shelves were not thought through during the overhaul, glass shelves will easily fit into any interior. They're easy to make yourself, good luck!

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