DIY Towel Drying Rack
Putting together a towel rack for your pool couldn't be easier with this quick and fun project.
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We're going to start by heading to the hardware store and grabbing some PVC pipe and fittings.
This fitting right here is called a socket elbow. We're going to call it a corner piece for this project. You want to make sure it's smooth on the inside of each one.
This one is called a tee fitting.
This is a half-inch PVC pipe and it comes in a 10-foot length. We're going to need four 10-foot links.
Take the first one and you're going to cut it at the 36-inch mark.
To cut the pieces, I used a special PVC cutter for this. If you don't have one, you can use a hacksaw. Just make sure you clean up the edges if you do.
When you're done cutting 11 of those three-foot pieces then you're going to cut two pieces at 15 and a half inches. You're going to need two of those.
Next, you're going to have a little bit of leftover; a 12-inch long piece. You're going to want to cut each one into 4 pieces that are 3 inches long. You'll mark it on the three, six, and nine-inch mark and that will give you four equal pieces. We're going to make sure that we have eight of those.
Then you want to lay everything out.
Once you have it all laid out, you’re going to start at one end, and go ahead and insert the 3-foot piece into one of the corner pieces. Be sure to put it in on both sides. This is going to be the top of our rack.
Then, grab one of those 3-inch pieces and start inserting them into the t's just like you see here.
Go ahead and do the whole thing and insert the pieces as you laid them out. I did not use any glue on this. If you've ever worked with PVC pipes, you're going to realize that the fittings are really tight. If you want to use glue, go ahead and put a little bit on there.
Next, we want to add the legs to the rack. We are going to use four of the 3-foot pieces that we have and put those in the corners. It is easiest to do this with the rack turned upside down.
Then go ahead and put a corner piece on each of those legs and add the two fifteen-and-a-half-inch pieces to make a frame for the bottom of the rack. They will fit perfectly right in the ends and hold the legs together.
You're also going to have two three-foot pieces leftover as well and those will complete the bottom of the rack.
To finish off the rack, I gave mine a coat of paint. You can leave it white if you want or paint it to match where it will be placed.
This rack is so versatile. You can use it when you are doing things like cleaning out your car
Or you can use it on the side of the pool to keep your pool towels dry. The possibilities really are endless.
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Comments
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I did something similar for my son when he was younger, except I cut up the pieces and allowed him to create various structures to stimulate his creativity. He would then often use either old sheets, towels, cardboard, etc. depending on whatever he made (fort, store, garage, etc.).
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Thank you for painting it. Do not leave it white, the sunlight will break down the plastic and you’ll end up with nasty white stuff all over your towels. You can buy electrical PVC that’s rated for outdoors that won’t break down, but it will cost you extra to do it right.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Hi. I responded earlier saying you did a great job. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for making a cat tower using pvc pipes? Thank you for any ideas you might have.
What is the approximate cost? Great idea
I have an idea of making privacy screens with PVC and fabric. Are the pipes easily moveable in the fittings so I can reconfigure the screens?