DIY wooden ladder

As part of out bathroom makeover in the One Room Challenge, I made a very simple wood ladder. The purpose of this piece was to be decorative, but it also served as a storage place for towels and baskets.

I got so many requests to show the details of this project so I thought I’d share them with you today.

This ladder isn’t just for bathrooms – I think it would work for any room as a place to hold towels, magazines or small blankets. And the bonus is that it leans against a wall and no hanging is needed.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Four 6′ wooden garden stakes: You can find these in the garden section any home improvement store.
• Wood stain – I used this acrylic brand.
• Rubber chair leg tips
• Sandpaper
• Drill & screwdriver
• 1.25″ wood screws

I used two of the 6′ pieces as the sides with the pointed edges as the bottoms. Then I cut 4 pieces each 19″ long from the remixing 2 stakes. These will be the ladder slats. I originally only cut 3 pieces but after I assembled the ladder, I noticed it needed an extra piece at the bottom as a support. Be sure to measure your area and adjust the width of your ladder accordingly.

Next, sand all of your cut pieces and the 2 side pieces. The garden stakes are usually very rough so they’ll need careful sanding. Stain each of these pieces and let them dry fully.

Once the pieces are dry you can assemble the slats. I used 8 wood screws but I could only find them in silver. Since I was using copper in this bathroom, I used metallic spraypaint I had from previous projects and sprayed the tops of the screws so finish matched.

Then, measure where you want your slats to go. I positioned my top slat 6″ down and then the next two were 8″ apart. Once you measure these spots, drill a hole in the outside edges of the sides and screw your slats into position.

For the bottom slat, I positioned this one 10″ from the bottom – this was the best spot to make the ladder more stable and it also didn’t interfere with the plumbing around the toilet. You’ll have to gauge the exact positions of your slats depending on where your ladder will be going.

Once all the slats are screwed in tight, I added these rubber chair leg tips onto the bottom pointed edges of the ladder. These help prevent the ladder from sliding.

Now your ladder is ready for display. You can add so many things to this ladder – both decorative and useful. I added this metal wire basket that I found at HomeGoods. It was meant to attach to a wall so it already had the hardware and holes for securing. I just drilled the screws into one of the slats. If you find a basket that doesn’t have drill holes, you can simply add hooks or screws into the slats and hang the basket from those.

I also added some decorative pieces such as these frames and plants. Both were hung with leather cord I found at Michaels. Easy to hang and change when needed.

This ladder could also hold towels, magazines or books over the slats. And I love that this wooden ladder is a very versatile project that can be used for so many different purposes in so many different spaces.