DIY Wall-Mounted Paper Towel Holder

Are your paper towels taking up valuable space on your counter? Make this simple DIY wall-mounted paper towel holder with storage shelf and curved details.

DIY Wall-Mounted Paper Towel Holder

Are your paper towels taking up valuable space on your counter? Tired of them rolling off the counter onto the floor? Can’t find them when you need to clean up a spill? Then make this simple wall-mounted DIY paper towel holder!

It has a shelf to keep your most-used kitchen items at your fingertips and the sides have attractive curved details.

It’s easy to make with a few pieces of scrap wood and a few common woodworking tools. The free plan includes all of the measurements, detailed instructions, and a template to lay out the curved details. Get the free plan now and build one today.

You may also enjoy these kitchen projects: DIY tiered spice rack, DIY wood spice shelf, and DIY cabinet organizer shelf.

Inspiration for This DIY Paper Towel Dispenser

As DIYers, we find inspiration for projects just about anywhere. Inspiration for this project struck when I was looking at a home for sale online. I’m not buying a house. I was just being nosy! 

I was scrolling through the gallery of photos and noticed a simple, attractive paper towel holder hanging on the wall. A few minutes later I had drawn a sketch. 

Here’s what I came up with. A simple, wall-mounted paper towel holder. Up top, there’s a storage shelf for handy access to the items you use most like napkins, spices, or kitchen gadgets. Below there’s space for a roll of paper towels.

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What Tools Do You Need to Make a Wall-Mounted Paper Towel Holder?

This homemade paper towel holder is easy to make for beginners or DIYers of any skill level. It’s a simple afternoon DIY project that can be made using basic woodworking skills and just a few common woodworking tools.

Tools like a tape measure, miter saw, pocket hole jig, and a drill. You’ll also need a saw to cut the curved details on the sides of the holder.  

Miter Saw

I used a miter saw to cut all of the parts to length for this project. 

Related: 7 Miter Saw Tricks Every DIYer Should Know

Pocket Hole Jig

You can use any pocket hole jig to drill the pocket holes for this project. The Kreg Jig 320 is an affordable, user-friendly option to drill the pocket holes for this project. 

Related: 9 Pocket Hole Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

Drill

The drill was used to make the holes for the dowel, drill the pocket holes, and to drive the screws that join the parts together.

Related: Impact Driver vs Drill: What’s the Difference?

It’s also handy to have a right angle drill attachment. The pocket hole locations on the front rail of this project could be tricky to reach with a traditional driver.

A right angle drill attachment is the perfect tool to drill in a tight spot or to drive screws in hard-to-reach places.

Related: How to Screw in Hard-to-Reach Places

Additional Saw

I used a scroll saw to cut the curved details at the bottom of the sides, but you might also be able to make these cuts with a jigsaw instead.

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How Do You Attach the Top?

Many times you’ll want to attach a table top to a base with table top fasteners.

The table top fasteners allow for wood movement caused by seasonal changes. If you don’t allow for wood movement the top could crack.

In many cases, I recommend not using pocket screws to attach a table top. Instead, I recommend attaching a top with table top fasteners that allow for wood movement.

Related: How to Attach a Table Top to a Base (The Right Way)

The top of this paper towel holder project is an exception.

The reason is, the wood grain of the top and the sides are oriented in the same direction.

Wood expands the most across its width.

The top and sides will expand across their width or from front to back of this piece. There are no fasteners or cross members that will prevent this movement. This should reduce the chances of the wood cracking or splitting.

Related: Mistakes with Wood Can Cause Your DIY Furniture to Crack

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What Wood Should You Use?

This easy paper towel dispenser can be made with just about any type of wood. This project doesn’t require much wood so it’s a great way to use up some scrap wood.

Related: How to Decide What Scrap Wood to Keep

Many times I use common pine to build my projects. Pine is relatively inexpensive and easy to work with.

I had some scrap pieces of pine 1×2s, 1×3s, 1×4s, and 1×6s, so I used those to make my holder.

Related: Beginner’s Guide to Wood Sizes

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How Do You Draw the Curved Details?

The curves on this paper towel holder could be tricky to draw by hand. Fortunately, you don’t have to. The free printable plan includes a template that takes the guesswork out of laying out these curved details.

Get your free plan, print the template, trace it on the boards, and then use a saw to make the cuts.

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How Do You Finish the Paper Towel Holder?

This paper towel holder could be finished in a variety of ways. It could be left natural, painted, stained, or a combination of paint and stain.

I wanted a stained look for my holder. First, I applied one coat of Vermont Natural Coatings’ Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Next, I applied one coat of their All-in-One Stain & Finish in the color Backroad Brown.

Related: How to Apply All-in-One (Stain and Poly in One)

Then, I applied two coats of their PolyWhey natural polyurethane in satin.  

Related: Why I Switched to This Polyurethane Alternative

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How Do You Hang the Holder on the Wall?

There are several ways to hang the paper towel holder on the wall.

Wall Anchors

One way to hang the holder is to drill two holes in the back rail. Then, position the holder where you want it on the wall. Make sure the holder is level and then insert an awl through the holes to transfer the locations onto the wall. 

Attach a self-drilling wall anchor at each location on the wall. Then, attach the holder to the wall using the screws provided with the wall anchors.

Picture Frame

A second way to hang the holder is to attach a sawtooth picture hanger on each end of the back. Then, drive two nails into the wall and hang the holder just like you would hang a picture frame.

French Cleat

A third way to hang the holder is to use one of these French cleat picture hangers. You can see how I installed one on this DIY medicine cabinet.

Related: How to Make a French Cleat

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Step 1. Make the Top

Cut two pieces of wood to length for the top. Apply glue to the edge and clamp.

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Step 2. Make the Sides

Cut two pieces of wood to length for the sides.

Print the template at the end of the printed plan.

💡 TIP: When printing the PDF template, be sure to set the scale to 100%.

I used tape to join the two sections of the template. The grid pattern helps to align the two sections.

I prefer templates to be rigid. So I applied some spray adhesive to a manila folder and placed the template on top. Then I cut out the template with scissors. 

The manila folder provides a lip for the pencil to trace around.

I used an awl to make a starting point for the drill bit.

Related: What is an Awl?

I used a Forstner bit to drill through one side just until the tip of the bit poked through the other side. Then, I flipped the piece over and drilled from the other side. Using this method makes clean holes without any tearout.

💡 TIP: I recommend using a Forstner bit because it drills a hole with smooth, clean sides and a flat bottom. This means less sanding is needed to smooth the holes.

You could drill these holes with a regular drill bit, a spade bit or a hole saw, but these bits tend to tear the wood and produce a hole with rough, jagged sides. This means more sanding is needed to smooth the hole.

Related: What is a Forstner Bit? (& How to Use It)

I used a scroll saw with this 10 TPI blade (teeth per inch) to cut out these curved details, but you might be able to use a jigsaw instead.

I made the cuts next to the pencil line. This way, I could sand to the pencil line.

It’s not necessary, but I used this portable spindle sander to smooth the curved edges of the side panels. The spindle sander makes quick work of smoothing any saw marks. If I didn’t have a spindle sander, I would have smoothed the edges by hand with sandpaper.

Related: 11 Secrets for Sanding Wood Projects Like a Pro

Next, I used a Kreg Jig to drill pocket holes at the top of each piece. Be sure to make a right and a left.

Related: How to Use a Kreg Jig

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Step 3. Attach the Rails

Cut two pieces of wood to length for the rails and drill pocket holes.

Apply glue to a rail, position it at the front, and clamp. These pocket holes could be tricky to reach. It’s helpful to have a right angle drill attachment. Attach using 1-¼” pocket screws.

Related: How to Screw in Hard-to-Reach Places

Apply glue to the remaining rail, position it at the back, and clamp. Attach using 1-¼” pocket screws.

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Step 4. Attach the Top

Position top flush with the back and center from side to side. Attach using 1-¼” pocket screws.

💡 TIP: I thought it was easier to apply the finish before attaching the top.

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Step 5. Finish the Paper Towel Holder

Cut the dowel rod to length.

See How Do You Finish the Paper Towel Holder? for more information.

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Step 6. Hang the Holder on the Wall

See How Do You Hang the Holder on the Wall? for more information.

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Video: How to Make a Wall-Mounted Paper Towel Holder

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Final Thoughts

Are your paper towels taking up valuable space on your counter? Tired of them rolling off the counter onto the floor? Then make this simple wall-mounted DIY paper towel holder!

Click here to get the free plan (including the detailed instructions and measurements) now!

Thank you for stopping by. If you enjoyed this tutorial, would you please take a moment and pin it to Pinterest? I’d really appreciate it!

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