DIY: How to build a PVC pool towel rack

There are so many great things you can do with PVC pipe from kids car washes to shoe organizers. Just search PVC on pinterest and you will find a boatload of ideas if you're interested. :) During the Summer we are usually outside in the pool every single day so washing towels or swimsuits daily just wasn't going to work. We spent all of last year draping everything over our outdoor furniture but when I spotted this on pinterest it was the perfect fix. Of course you can go purchase this one on etsy if you would like but we didn't really need one that big nor did I want to spend $200.

There are all kinds of ways you can go about making a towel rack out of PVC from simple designs to large designs but we just wanted something simple that would hold our towels plus a few swimsuits.

Want to make your own?

Materials:

(3) 10' PVC Pipes (We used 1 1/4" piping, if you use a smaller/bigger size make sure you get smaller fittings as well)
(4) 1 1/4" elbows (the feet)
(4) 1 1/4" tees
(4) 1 1/4" 90* elbow with slip

Here are some pictures if the fittings confuse you.

(Elbow for the feet, the tee that makes the side crossbars, and the slip that goes into the tee to attach the bars the towels hang on.)

This picture below is of a sideout elbow. This would work in place of the tee and elbow with slip if you can find one in the sizing you need. We couldn't find any in the 1 1/4" size.

Cuts:

(4) 37" pipe cuts (legs)
(2) 60" pipe cuts (towel bars)
(4) 17.5" pipe cuts (side bars, top & bottom)

Instructions:

Once you have cut all your pieces start fitting the pipe pieces into the fittings. You will connect the foot elbows with the 37" pipes and then connect 2 legs to one 17.5" pipe. At this point you should have created two large side legs. You will then connect the tees to the tops of the 37" pieces and again connect the 17.5" pipes to those. You will have created a rectangle and now you are ready to connect your elbows with slips. The slip side will go down into the tees and you will connect your towel bars to the other side.

To be honest, trying to read the directions of me explaining it is probably more confusing than just using the pictures above and just eyeing it. I'm pretty sure all of you can figure out what goes where. ;)

Notes:

This PVC pipe is not furniture grade so you will have the ugly wording on the side bars. It doesn't bother me for now but if you want you can paint your towel bar. I would strongly suggest roughing it up with sandpaper prior to painting so the paint will adhere better. I would also recommend a coat of primer to help cover up the markings.


Have you ever made anything out of PVC before?