What have you been creative with? Concrete shelves for luxury bathroom

5 years ago

I'm all for saving a buck or two. I was on the look out for a couple of concrete shelves to go in a large shower niche, sturdy enough to be able to actually sit on the bottom one if wished.

I nearly fell off my perch when I found out how much they were. Found just what I wanted in Amara, but £169, yes £169..................are they crazy, do people pay these prices??

So, the question here is, would you pay such prices and what have you been creative with to save money.

I am currently making my own now out of a concrete gravel board that cost £10, it will make two, so that's a saving of £328.

Will post the finished pics when done.

Featured Answer

Chris Goodchild

5 years ago

£169! We have terracotta panels that everyone here uses for shelving and roofing http://www.archiexpo.es/prod/cotto-senese/product-60219-800314.html

I have just bought 6 to make the roof on my battery shed for the solar power, 6 at 120cmx 30cm and about 40mm thick cost about €60, then for shelves just render over them.

I like the idea of using gravel boards though, I love finding alternatives to overpriced goods.

There is some great creativity in the is thread.

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Comments (33)

Sonia
5 years ago
Interesting post. Firstly no I wouldn’t pay that for a concrete (concrete!) shelf, or any shelf really. I’ve done a few upcycles of furniture, which have been very successful. Just the cost of a couple of pots of paint. When I see how much new painted furniture costs, I realise I’ve saved thousands! I’m not very handy, but I do like a bargain and love browsing vintage shops and picking up interesting accessories. One of my favourite things is old scaffold boards which can be made into interesting shelves and even tables. Even if I won the lottery tomorrow I’d still be browsing those vintage shops - so much more interesting than new!
Patrina
5 years ago
I like to upcycle as well, I hate seeing things going to waste that can be given a second life.
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I notice some fairly substantial upright timbers on the picture so I think the cupboard can’t come out as it’s holding up the stairs. So instead I would probably have the doors taken off and it made into a niche ( couple of shelves that are not as deep as the current underused cupboard) Separately I would put the bath taps at the opposite end and get a P-shaped bath, upgrade the single glazed window and get a slatted blind and then I would replace the toilet with a space saving version and get a vanity for storage. I would also think about the direction of any flooring to make the room seem larger and I would leave much of the room as painted walls as I think having floor to ceiling glossy tiles is a little clinical. Colour wise I think whites and blues also make a bathroom feel cold and so if you are having a change I would do the same trick as hotel spas and choose stone and earth colours softened with a little wood (shelves/vanity/blind), sumptuous cotton towels, dimable warm white LED lighting and some greenery too. Best of luck with whatever you choose.
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Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
I’ll be honest, I like having the original every time and always have went down that route with one exception, I seen a concrete pendant light that I really liked, two were going to cost me the best part of £500! So I thought, I could make a very similar one, so I did :-) turned out pretty well too, the one above the orange table ;-)
AMB
5 years ago
I wanted fitted floating shelves in the alcoves (four in each) of my Victorian terrace. The alcoves were different sizes so I would have to had them made to measure. I was astounded with the costs! In some cases it was over £800 for four shelves! Also, we noted that the walls are not straight so if we did buy shelves they would need to be shaved down to fit. What a waste of money!

So, my partner investigated...

We ended up creating 8 bespoke fitted floating shelves for approximately £80. We bought cheap white flush internal doors from B&Q. These doors are actually made of cardboard with a wooden edge so we just cut the doors into the correct sized and shaped shelves, then used some 2x4 wood to fix as battens for the shelves (with some very large strong screws). The shelves were then fitted to the battens by carving out the cardboard inside. They were finished off with a coat of paint, et voilà!
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Original Author
5 years ago
Loving all the canny cleverness, I thought it was just me being a skin flint. I just don't like feeling like i'm being ripped off. I also love making things, so that helps, you get more of a sense of achievement when you do it yourself. Well done everyone.
E D
5 years ago
I've been creative with cork.

Prising it out of a wine bottle....
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Lol @ed, you know when it’s empty you have a candle holder too!
Patrina
5 years ago
E D I can always depend on you after a day staring at spreadsheets. You crack me up :-)
Sam Potter
5 years ago
Scaffolding board shelves including a flip-up desk space £12 (£2 each). Plus screws I already had from another project.
Gabby Wong
5 years ago
That’s brilliant Sam! I just looked and our local reclaim centre sells them for ~£1/ft!

Also MATH, love the alternative shelves! How did you support them? Are they sturdy enough to be sat on?
Sam Potter
5 years ago
Beano: your concrete shade is awesome. How did you make it?
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Hi Sam :-) was a bit awkward but basically got a large funnel at approx 24 cm dia and a smaller one at @ 12cm, I cut the end of the smaller one and fixed a piece of 5mm dia aluminium (hollow) rod to it and put gale round it to secure it to the cut cone (where the end had been cut off) and slid that down the inner of the larger cone (the one with the original spout still attached) I drilled a 5mm dia hole in a piece of wood and pushed the aluminium rod into that so that supported the inner cone and the outer cone spout was cut flush so it would sit on the wood just around the aluminium rod and fork a kind of seal, just a matter of pouring the concrete in and waiting to set!
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Just slide a larger dia stainless rod over the top of the casting to hide the inner support rod, it will be held upright by the cord from the ceiling :-)
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Actually forgot I’d made this two out of old Canada Dry boxes :-)
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Funny enough, another couple of diy jobies! Mirror and a shelf for the en-suite wetroom basin
Sam Potter
5 years ago
Beano, how ingenious! I definitely want to try that.
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
No probs at all, just ensue an electrician wires then up for you and tests for safety if you do :-)
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Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Beano's a man with talent. Storage boxes fantastic, my sister bought one like that in Henley, I would be embarrassed to tell you what she paid for it. Concrete lamp holder ....inspired. Shelf awesome.

You should start making and selling.
Sonia
5 years ago
How clever are you Beano? That storage unit is beautiful and I love the bathroom shelf. A man of talent.
rachelmidlands
5 years ago
Great thread MATH:) certainly wouldn’t pay (How Much!) that price for a concrete shelf. However when I see great works done by people that have spent time creating something ingenious and lovingly hand crafted I would happily pay the money, providing I think that it’s something that I couldn’t do myself. Love everyone’s creations on here. @Beano, I’m intrigued by the drawer unit, is the frame made from welded steel? My hubby wanted to build a frame for his home brew beer taps, spent ages trying to design it then asked my advice. Since we want to re decorate the lounge at some point (dilemma for another day) I said why don’t we use that old naff argos bookcase, just happened to be the perfect size. The lines run down the back through a small hole in the floor and down to the rigged up chest freezer in the cellar (wouldn’t want a warm beer:)). Hey presto, a bar in a bookcase! Not the final design as these taps aren’t that great so next design will be a wall mounted one.
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Shucks! I’ve gone red! Lol, I just like to try stuff, sometime I think it be rubbish but it turns out ok I guess! Anything that anyone wants to know just to say and I’ll do my best to help out :-) I’m from an engineer and electrical background and I’m constantly thinking, when I see something, I could make that differently and that would be cool :-) Math- you could possibly make a small formwork for your shelf and cast it with its support in position in the casting, think you can get release spray that you can spray the support bar with so it will release from the mould :-)
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Hope that all makes sense :-) obviously you create the shelf ( formwork box) to the exact size you want and the metal bracket to suit, but that how I’d have a go, only outlay would be the bracket but if you have a mate that can weld, a bit of flatbar and some round bar welded, bobs your uncle, you have a bracket, then a bag or two of cement and sand = a few shelves :-)
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Original Author
5 years ago
Finished the concrete shelves in the bathroom. We settled on concrete gravel boards in the end and made two shelves for £10. I took the grinder to them, to shape and smooth. Super pleased with them
Main Bathroom renovation · More Info

Main Bathroom renovation · More Info
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Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
That's really interesting Chris. We're currently looking for alternatives to put on the top of a Lava wall ( Lanzarote ). We want to go up around 50cm on the highest point and then bring the front up to meet that height, preferably all round. Don't want to use block and render as it's a around 400m in total, so that would be a lot of painting and upkeep. Currently looking at composite decking type stuff, but worried about sun damage.

The obvious is more Lava, but the wall is very thick and it would cost a fortune. It' around 300mm deep.
Danielle H
5 years ago
@beano I'm guessing you were originally looking at the Foscarini Aplomb lights?! Absolutely stunning... as is the price! Your version are very convincing!

I got creative with my bedside tables and an occasional table. Upcycled a couple of Ikea tables and made from scratch a little table from wood cut offs from my house renovation. Couldn't tell it wasn't metal and marble until close up!
Chris Goodchild
5 years ago
MATH the terracotta panels ( Ladrillos panelas) are very brittle so I doubt if topping a wall with them would be that good they are okay in suspended ceilings, shelves and similar but on a wall top you would definitely need to render them quite thickly.

The dimensions you give work out to 60 cubic metres so I see why you want an alternative to blocks, casting concrete or using lava. I had a google for Spanish concrete panels along the lines of gravel boards, don't know if you speak any Spanish so it's more or less 'panelas de hormigon',

I can't find anything useful on Spanish Google at the moment but next week I have to go to my local builders merchant so I'll ask him if he has any ideas.
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Lol @ Danielle H, yes you right, as they were for my bedroom and I probably would have them that long I decided to try my own, as you say, very close fro a fraction of the price, I’ve 4 original foscarini lights in the house, expensive but really worth it at the end of the day, well to me anyway.
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
Btw you table look fantastic! Really liking the grey and black one!
Danielle H
5 years ago
@beano I’m an interior designer and supply foscarini, they are beautiful products and actually a nice company to deal with! Flos lighting is also beautiful, sometimes you can find it in home sense stores (don’t tell anyone I told you that!!)
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
I know where to get my lights then!! Ive a couple of o space light above my dining table, love them! I’ve the flos ic t1 black table lamp! It’s a stunning lamp, love the dimmer on it, I know there are copies available but I like the original in anything I plan on keeping, as said, cheated in the concrete ones as I know I’ll only have the a short time before I prob redo the room.
Danielle H
5 years ago
@beano so jealous you’ve got the black IC, I love that light. Loved the original then when they brought it out in black I was sold! I think authentic pieces are worth saving up for, I’ve bought copies in the past but I know they’re not real even if none of my friends or family do. My goal in life is to own a piece of B&B Italia. A Michel sofa ideally!
Anthony (Beano)
5 years ago
I’m a moroso lover, I’ve the lowland bed ad the lowland sofa coming in the new year, can’t wait! When I was on holidays I was in a stunning interior designers in riva del garda, they had a B and B bend sofa in purple! It was stunning but massive, near 4 mts from what I remember, bought a chair there.