How to Make a DIY Mason Jar Organizer for Bathroom

If you have extra mason jars in your kitchen that you were thinking of throwing away, you might want to see how other people repurposed them for other uses. There are so many creative ways you could use them in your kitchen, bathroom, or around the house. You could use these jars for organizing small items or use them for house decor. For this tutorial, I made a simple DIY Mason Jar Organizer for the bathroom, to keep small items organized and readily available. 

You also might be interested in my other bathroom projects like a Floating Shelf or a Wooden Towel Bar.

Note: Lumber dimensions are listed as nominal size.  See lumber sizes for actual dimensions vs nominal.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page as well as links in “tools for this project” and “material list” sections are affiliate links.

Step 1 – Cut 1×12 Board

The instructions below on how to make one mason jar organizer, although I ended up making two of these. So if you’re planning to build more than one organizer, then you’ll need more material than what’s listed on this page.  

This bathroom wall organizer could be made from any type of wood or any size. It also depends on the mason jars that you have. If you have scrap boards or even smaller pieces that could be attached together to make one larger board, that will work just fine. Since I had a few 1×12 scrap boards, I used that to make this project.  

Take a 1×12 board and measure 16 inches from the edge of the board on the top and bottom. Then take a ruler or anything straight and draw the line across the board. To make the cut you could use a miter saw or a skill saw. If you’re using a skill saw, clamp the board to the workbench so that it doesn’t move and then make the cut. 

Step 2 – Mark the Location for the Jar Straps

For this project, I’m using three mason jars that are 3 1/4” round and 5” tall. The jars are attached to the board with two different U-shaped straps. I was not able to find the exact straps on Amazon but I do have a link in the materials list that shows similar straps. The smaller 3” strap will be placed around the top of the jar and the larger 3 1/2″ strap at the bottom. 

Determine the location and the height where the jars need to be placed and where the strap goes.

To place the 5” tall jars in the center, draw a horizontal line across the board that is 4” from the top and another line 4” from the bottom. Then mark the screw locations for each strap along the upper and lower horizontal line. Using either a scratch awl or a nail, push thru the marks making a dent in the wood. This will help you place the jars in the center once the board is stained. 

Step 3 – Sand the Board 

Take a random orbital sander and sand the board on both sides including the edges and corner. First, use an 80 grid sand disc to remove any uneven spots and then use a 250 grid for making a smoother surface.

Step 4 – Pre-stain the board 

If you’re using softwood like pine it’s a good idea to use pre-stain before applying the stain. Pre-staining the boards will prevent the stain from being blotchy. 

You could either use a brush or just a shop paper tower to apply pre-stain. Follow instructions on the container for best results.

Step 5 – Stain the board

After the pre-stain, wait for about 20 min and then apply the stain. Again you could use a brush or a shop paper towel to apply the stain. I used Briarsmoke stain to stain the board.

On a small project like this, I usually use a paper towel and then throw it away once I’m done. This way I don’t have to clean the brush. Since the pre-stain and stain are oil-based, you cannot clean the brush with water. The brush needs to be cleaned with paint thinner. 

After the stain, I wanted the boards to have a brown tint to it. So I soaked a cloth in water and dipped it into the brown paint. Then I applied the paint on the board in strokes following the grain. Using a wet cloth allows you to make the paint as dark or as transparent as you want. 

Step 6 – Apply Polyurathane to Seal the Wood

Let the stain and paint dry completely before applying polyurethane. I usually wait one day, especially when it’s humid or cold. 

Use a bristle brush to apply polyurethane to reduce bubbles. After the first layer of polyurethane is cured, run thru the board with a 320 grit sandpaper and apply a second coat to better seal the wood. 

Step 7 – Attach D-ring Hangers on the Back

Flip the board to the backside and measure 3″ from the top. Then measure 2” from the left and the right side. Take D-ring picture frame hangers and attach them with 1/2″ wood screws at those measurements. Make sure that both hangers are attached exactly the same distance from the top; otherwise, the board will not be leveled when hung on the wall. 

Step 8 – Spray Paint the Straps

Sometime you could purchase the straps from Amazon with the color that you want, but if you don’t like the color, you could easily spray paint them. 

Place the straps on the cardboard and spray paint using the color you want. 

Step 9 – Attach the Straps and Mason Jars to the Board

Hold the jar against the board between the nail marks you made in step 2. Then place the upper strap over the jar and drive in the screws on both ends of the strap into the nail marks. Next, attach the lower strap to the board. Repeat the process for the remaining two jars.  

Step 10 – Attach the Jar Organizer to the Wall

Hold the jar organizer board against the wall at the elevation you want it to be attached. Then make a small pencil mark on the drywall at the top corners of the board. From the pencil mark, measure 3” down and 2” from the left and right side. Basically, you’re transferring the D-ring hanger measurements from the board to the wall. 

Next, screw-in the drywall anchors into the drywall to match the hanger locations of the board. Now you could hang your DIY Mason Jar Organizer on the wall in your bathroom.