What's inside
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This small bathroom cabinet fits beside a toilet or under a narrow wall space, with a closed upper compartment for toiletries and an open lower shelf for towels or a basket. The finished cabinet is about 24 inches high, 20 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. Adjust the width to suit your room, but keep the depth modest: a cabinet deeper than 10 inches can make a small bathroom feel cramped.
Contents
Project overview and materials
This is a beginner-friendly project if you can make straight cuts and drive screws without splitting the wood. The cabinet uses a plywood carcass, a solid-wood face frame, a hinged door, and a separate shelf. Plywood is more stable than a wide solid-wood panel in a damp room, and it is easier to keep square.
| Part | Finished size | Suggested material |
|---|---|---|
| Side panels | 24 × 8 inches, two pieces | 3/4-inch plywood |
| Top and bottom | 18 1/2 × 8 inches, two pieces | 3/4-inch plywood |
| Fixed middle shelf | 18 1/2 × 7 1/4 inches | 3/4-inch plywood |
| Back | 20 × 24 inches | 1/4-inch plywood |
| Face-frame rails and stiles | 1 1/2 inches wide | 3/4-inch pine or poplar |
| Door | Approximately 19 1/4 × 15 1/4 inches | 1/2-inch plywood or a glued panel |
The dimensions assume the face frame covers the plywood edges and the door overlays the opening. Measure your actual cabinet before cutting the door. For materials, a 3/4-inch sanded plywood sheet is usually a better choice than construction plywood, which often has voids and rough faces.
Tools and supplies
You need a circular saw or table saw, drill, 1/8-inch drill bit, countersink bit, clamps, tape measure, square, sander, and a way to cut a straight edge. A pocket-hole jig makes the face frame and cabinet assembly easier, but ordinary screws work if you drill pilot holes carefully.
Buy 1 1/4-inch pocket-hole screws for the 3/4-inch parts, 1-inch screws for the 1/4-inch back, wood glue, two small butt or concealed hinges, a knob, and a magnetic catch. For a damp bathroom, choose a water-based polyurethane finish. It dries quickly and does not leave the strong solvent odor associated with many oil-based finishes.
Cut and prepare the panels
Break down the plywood with a sharp blade and a clamped straightedge. Support the sheet on foam insulation or scrap lumber so the cutoff does not pinch the blade. Make the side panels exactly the same length; even a 1/8-inch difference will show when the top and face frame are fitted.
Mark the inside faces of both sides. The bottom should sit flush with the lower edges. Position the fixed middle shelf about 9 inches above the bottom, leaving an open lower area roughly 8 inches high after the face frame is installed. Drill a row of shelf-pin holes instead if you want the shelf height to be adjustable, but a fixed shelf makes the cabinet stronger and faster to build.
Ease sharp plywood edges with 150-grit sandpaper. Do not round them heavily, or the face frame will not sit flat. If the plywood edge has visible voids, fill them before finishing; paint will not hide deep gaps without extra sanding.
Assemble the cabinet box
Apply glue to the top and bottom edges of the side panels. Clamp the top and bottom between them, checking that the front edges are flush. Drive two or three screws through each side into each panel. Predrill every hole near a plywood edge. Without pilot holes, the plies can bulge or split, and a screw that feels tight may not be holding much wood.
Install the middle shelf between the sides. Use a scrap block or a pair of matching spacers to keep it at the same height on both sides. Check the cabinet for square by measuring diagonally from corner to corner. If the two measurements differ by more than 1/8 inch, push the box into square before attaching the back.
Spread glue on the rear edges and fasten the 1/4-inch back with 1-inch screws or brads. The back locks the box square, so do not skip this step even if the cabinet will sit against a wall. Keep the back flush or slightly inset; a protruding corner can prevent the cabinet from sitting flat.
Build the face frame and door
Cut two vertical face-frame stiles to 24 inches and four horizontal pieces to fit between them. Use one rail at the top, one at the bottom of the open shelf, and two around the door opening. A simple layout leaves the lower shelf opening about 18 inches wide and the upper door opening about 18 inches wide.
Assemble the frame with pocket holes on the back or with glued butt joints and brads. Check both outside corners for square, then glue and clamp the frame to the cabinet front. Keep the frame flush with the sides and top. A slight overhang at the bottom is acceptable, but an uneven overhang will make the cabinet look crooked against the wall.
For the door, cut the panel only after measuring the finished opening. Leave a 1/8-inch gap on the hinge and latch sides and a 1/16-inch gap at the top and bottom. A 1/2-inch plywood door is the simplest option. A solid-wood panel looks better but can expand across its width in humid weather; leave room for movement if you use one.
Sand, finish, and install
Sand the visible surfaces with 120 grit, then 180 grit. Break the edges lightly so they accept finish evenly. Apply two or three thin coats of polyurethane, sanding lightly with 220 grit between coats. Seal the underside of the bottom, the shelf edges, and the back as well as the show faces. Unsealed edges are where bathroom moisture usually causes swelling first.
Install the hinges with the door supported on shims. Set the magnetic catch opposite the hinges and add the knob. If you use a small cabinet hinge set, confirm its overlay and screw size before drilling. Cheap butt hinges are fine for this small door, but concealed hinges give more adjustment when the opening is slightly imperfect.
Anchor the cabinet to a wall stud or use suitable hollow-wall anchors. Do not rely on the cabinet’s weight, especially if storing bottles on the upper shelf. Leave a small gap behind the cabinet if the wall is damp or uneven. A plastic tray on the lower shelf is cheaper than repairing a swollen wood shelf after a leaking bottle.
Where to spend and where to save
Spend money on flat plywood, a sharp saw blade, and a decent finish. Save on the wood species: pine or paint-grade poplar is adequate because the face frame is narrow and bathroom furniture rarely needs expensive hardwood. If the cabinet will be painted, sanded construction-grade plywood may be acceptable for the hidden back, but use better plywood for the door and visible sides.
A mixed-grit sandpaper assortment is inexpensive and avoids trying to finish the project with one worn sheet. Let the finish cure for the product’s stated time before loading the cabinet; water-based coatings may feel dry within an hour but remain soft underneath for several days.