How To Make a Bath Caddy
How do you make a timber bath caddy?
A bath caddy is a slatted tray that spans the bath, with curved arms underneath so it cannot slip in. It is a good first furniture-scale project because there are no screws in it at all — the whole thing is held together by Selleys Aquadhere Exterior, an industrial-grade cross-linking PVA adhesive that is weather resistant and produces bonds stronger than most woods.
The reason the exterior-grade adhesive is specified rather than the interior one is straightforward: a bath caddy lives in the steamiest room in the house and gets splashed. Aquadhere Interior is not water resistant and is unsuitable for wet or damp environments. Aquadhere Exterior is weather resistant and weatherproof, which is what this application needs.
Technical specification — Aquadhere Exterior
| Technology | Polyaliphatic cross-linking PVA |
| Classification | D3 exterior grade |
| Clamp time — softwoods | 30 minutes |
| Clamp time — hardwoods | 1 hour |
| Do not stress the joint for | 24 hours |
| Maximum strength | 24 hours (longer in cold, damp conditions or with dense timbers) |
| Application | Apply liberally to one surface only |
Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.
What you need
- Selleys Aquadhere Exterior
- Timber for 2 arms, 2 sides, the slats, a 3-piece device holder and 5 half dowels
- A hand or mitre saw, and a jigsaw for the curves
- 4 clamps
- Scrap timber to space the slats evenly
- Clear waterproof varnish
- Safety glasses and gloves
- A damp cloth
Measure and cut
- Measure the bath. Take the width across the bath as well as the lip, so the arms hook over correctly.
- Cut and sand everything. Cut all the timber, then sand every piece smooth. You will need 2 arms, 2 sides, the base slats, 3 pieces for the device holder and 5 half dowels.
- Cut the curves. Trace the curve onto the arm pieces and cut it with the jigsaw. The curve is what stops the tray slipping into the bath, so it is worth taking time over.
- Dry fit the whole thing. Piece the caddy together so you can see where everything goes and check your measurements before any glue comes out.
Assemble the frame
- Glue the cross section to the arms. Apply Selleys Aquadhere Exterior to both sides of the cross section, attach it to the arms and clamp. Note Selleys' own direction here: adhesive should be applied liberally to one surface only when bonding two surfaces together.
- Square the structure as you go. Use the first base slat at either end, glued along the underside of the cross brace and at each end onto the underside of the arms, to act as a squaring brace. This should hold the structure firm while the glue sets.
- Allow 24 hours to dry.
Fit the slats
- Turn the frame over. Once dry, turn the frame upside down and lay the slats on the base, using your scrap timber to set equal gaps.
- Glue and clamp each slat. Apply Aquadhere Exterior to the first piece and clamp it into place. Add your scrap timber spacer, then the second slat.
- Clamp, do not just tape. Apply adhesive to each side of each slat and hold it while you work. Selleys' note on this project is direct: each slat should be clamped as soon as it is glued, or it will start to dry too early, and tape will not provide enough clamping force.
- Flatten the assembly. Once all the slats are glued, lay a length of timber along each side and clamp in four places to hold everything flat. Check that the slat gaps have not shifted.
- Allow 24 hours to dry. Maximum strength is usually achieved in 24 hours, but it may take longer in cold or damp conditions or with dense timbers.
Make the device holder
- Assemble the three pieces. Apply adhesive to the joining sections and clamp, or clamp and add weights.
- Allow 24 hours to dry, and do not put any stress on the joints during that time.
- Attach it. Once dry, apply adhesive to the base of the device holder and attach it to the top of the caddy where you want it to sit. Clamp or weight it to get maximum bond strength.
Finish it
Finish with a clear waterproof varnish and allow it to dry. This is not an optional decorative step on a bath caddy — the varnish is what protects the timber from the water the caddy will sit above every time it is used. The glue is weather resistant; bare pine is not.
Why the clamping instructions matter more here than on most projects
Two published limits explain the emphasis on clamping. The first is time: on softwoods, Aquadhere Exterior's clamp time is 30 minutes, and on hardwoods 1 hour. A slat glued and left to sit unclamped is drying against nothing for that whole period, and a PVA bond made without contact pressure is a poor one.
The second is that this is a cross-linking PVA, not a gap-filling adhesive. The bond it makes is stronger than most woods — but only where the two faces are actually touching. Clamping is what delivers that contact across a long, thin slat that is never perfectly straight. It is also why the method spends a whole step laying timber along both sides and clamping in four places: it flattens the assembly so every slat is bearing.
Do not stress any joint for 24 hours after clamping. On a caddy assembled in three stages, that means three overnight waits — the project is spread across days rather than done in an afternoon.
Limitations — what Aquadhere Exterior will not do
- Not recommended for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion in water. A caddy that spans the bath is fine; one that sits in the water is not.
- Not suitable for joints subjected to constant high stress. It is not a structural adhesive.
- Avoid contamination with iron and steel. The adhesive will stain brown or black if contaminated with rust. Keep it away from rusty clamps, nails and offcuts — a rust smear on a clamp jaw will mark a pale timber caddy permanently.
- Susceptible to staining from tannins present in many wood species. Worth knowing if you are building in a high-tannin timber rather than pine.
Clean up
Wipe excess glue off with a damp cloth while it is still wet. On a project you intend to varnish clear, this matters — dried adhesive on the surface seals the timber and shows through the finish.
Common questions about making a bath caddy
Why use the exterior glue rather than the interior one?
Aquadhere Interior is not water resistant and is unsuitable for wet or damp environments. Aquadhere Exterior is weather resistant and weatherproof, which suits a bathroom.
How long do I clamp each joint?
30 minutes for softwoods, 1 hour for hardwoods. Then do not stress the joint for 24 hours.
Can I use tape instead of clamps on the slats?
No. The project notes are explicit that tape will not provide enough clamping force, and that each slat should be clamped as soon as it is glued.
Should I apply glue to both surfaces?
Apply it liberally to one surface only when bonding two surfaces together.
How long until the caddy is at full strength?
Maximum strength in 24 hours, though cold or damp conditions and dense timbers extend that.
Do I have to varnish it?
The method finishes with a clear waterproof varnish. The adhesive is weather resistant, but the timber itself needs protecting from the water it sits above.
Can the caddy get wet?
Splashes are what it is built for. The adhesive is not recommended for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion, so do not let the caddy sit in the bath.
Why does my glue line look brown or black?
Aquadhere Exterior stains brown or black if contaminated with rust, and it is susceptible to staining from tannins in many wood species. Keep rusty tools and fixings away from the glue.
How do I get even gaps between the slats?
Use a piece of scrap timber as a spacer between each slat, and check the gaps again after clamping the assembly flat.
What keeps the caddy from sliding into the bath?
The curve cut into the arm pieces, which hooks over the lip of the bath.
Is the glue strong enough without screws?
The adhesive is described as producing bonds stronger than most woods. It is not designed for joints under constant high stress, and it is not for structural work — a bath caddy is neither.
Can I build this from a dense hardwood?
Yes, but clamp for 1 hour rather than 30 minutes, and allow that dense timbers can take longer than 24 hours to reach maximum strength.
Why use the exterior glue rather than the interior one?
Aquadhere Interior is not water resistant and is unsuitable for wet or damp environments. Aquadhere Exterior is weather resistant and weatherproof, which suits a bathroom.
How long do I clamp each joint?
30 minutes for softwoods, 1 hour for hardwoods. Then do not stress the joint for 24 hours.
Can I use tape instead of clamps on the slats?
No. The project notes are explicit that tape will not provide enough clamping force, and that each slat should be clamped as soon as it is glued.
Should I apply glue to both surfaces?
Apply it liberally to one surface only when bonding two surfaces together.
How long until the caddy is at full strength?
Maximum strength in 24 hours, though cold or damp conditions and dense timbers extend that.
Do I have to varnish it?
The method finishes with a clear waterproof varnish. The adhesive is weather resistant, but the timber itself needs protecting from the water it sits above.
Can the caddy get wet?
Splashes are what it is built for. The adhesive is not recommended for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion, so do not let the caddy sit in the bath.
Why does my glue line look brown or black?
Aquadhere Exterior stains brown or black if contaminated with rust, and it is susceptible to staining from tannins in many wood species. Keep rusty tools and fixings away from the glue.
How do I get even gaps between the slats?
Use a piece of scrap timber as a spacer between each slat, and check the gaps again after clamping the assembly flat.
What keeps the caddy from sliding into the bath?
The curve cut into the arm pieces, which hooks over the lip of the bath.
Is the glue strong enough without screws?
The adhesive is described as producing bonds stronger than most woods. It is not designed for joints under constant high stress, and it is not for structural work — a bath caddy is neither.
Can I build this from a dense hardwood?
Yes, but clamp for 1 hour rather than 30 minutes, and allow that dense timbers can take longer than 24 hours to reach maximum strength.