To make life just a little easier for myself, I decided to build this really simple paper towel holder. With everyone in the house putting away the paper towels where they think it belongs, and me then searching every time for it, I thought it might be a good idea to get a permanent, easily accessible place for the paper towels.

I am in the process of organizing our laundry/garage area and decided to put the paper towel holder inside the cabinet door of one of the laundry cabinets. This way it is out of sight but still easily accessible and everyone, including myself, know where to find the paper towels.

Supplies

Materials:

A piece of scrap board (I had some left over 16mm MDF)
A dowel stick or broom stick. 25mm in diameter
A piece of scrap 2 by 4 for mounting
Spray paint for a nice finish (Optional)
A few wood screws
PVA glue

Tools:

Hand or miter saw
Drill or drill press
Belt sander (Optional)
Jig saw (Optional)
Phillips screw driver (Depending on what screws you use)
Measuring tape or ruler

I am not giving any measurements because sizes for paper towel rolls differ. Also take note that the dowel/broom stick thickness is just the size that I preferred, you can go smaller or bigger, just make sure it is strong enough.

NOTE: Dowel sticks are expensive, I opted for a bamboo broom stick that was more than 50% less in price than a dowel stick.

Step 1: Measure and Mark

The first thing to do is to measure the size of a full paper towel roll. These rolls vary in size so I added about 10% extra on the size of the towel roll.

After measuring, cut the board to size, I opted to make two rolls fit on my paper towel holder.

Cut the dowel or broom stick to the correct length and remember to add your board thickness to the length, in my case it is 16mm.

I decided to round the two front corners of the board just to make sure no-one bumps into any sharp corners. Simply use a jig saw and some sand paper or use a belt sander if you have one.

Next, drill the holes for the dowel/broom stick.

As a final step I sanded the piece of 2 by 4 to remove the rounded edges and smooth it down. I also drilled the mounting holes.

Step 2: Assembly

Attach the 2 by 4 at the bottom of the board, flush with the back edge. Use some PVA glue and screws to make sure it is a strong bond.

Next glue in the dowel/broom stick lengths into the holes you drilled into the board.

Step 3: Paint (Optional)

Prepare you towel holder for painting by sanding everything down with some 120 grit sand paper or a sanding block.

To prepare the edges of the MDF I mix some PVA glue that is thinned with water to a ratio of 70% PVA glue and 30% water. Paint the edges of the mdf with your PVA/water solution and let dry. When the painted edges are dry, give a final sand to smooth them out nicely.

You are now ready to spray paint the piece. Find a well ventilated area and cover anything else in the vicinity that you do not want spray painted and spray paint your towel holder.