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Slatted Bath Mat[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 bath mat
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A warm hardwood mat to step onto out of the shower or tub. Eight slats sit on three cleats with gaps between, so water drains through and the wood dries fast. Every joint is a stainless screw — no glue to fail in a wet room. It uses the whole 2ft pack.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slats | 8 | Boards 1–4, half-ripped | 22" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 22" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Cleats | 3 | Board 5, ripped in 3 | 19" × 1¼" × ¾" | 17" × 1 1/16" × ⅞" |
Slats to cleats: one stainless #8 screw at every crossing, driven up through the cleat, pre-drilled and countersunk. No glue — slats and cleats cross grain.
Spacing: ½" gaps between slats for drainage, set with scrap spacers.
Feet: rubber or silicone feet under the cleats.
Finished size: S4S 22" L × 19" W × 1½" H, slats 1 15/16" wide · S2S 22" × 17" × 1¾", slats 1 11/16" wide. Add about ¼" for the feet.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- 24 × stainless steel #8 flat-head screws: 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- 6 rubber or silicone feet (stick-on or screw-on)
- Teak oil or marine spar varnish
- Sandpaper 120 / 180
Tools
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ⅛" or ¼" roundover bit in a router, or a sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 make the eight slats and board 5 makes the three cleats underneath. Put the boards with the fewest knots into the slats — your feet land on them.
- 2 Rip the slats. Rip boards 1–4 down the middle with a push stick — eight strips, each 1 15/16" wide. Square one end of each and crosscut all eight to 22" with a stop block.
- 3 Rip the cleats. Rip board 5 into three strips about 1¼" wide. Crosscut each to 19" — the width of the finished mat.
- 4 Round the edges. Round over the top edges and the ends of every slat with a ⅛" or ¼" roundover bit, or a sanding block. Ease the cleat edges too. Sand to 180 grit and stop there — a slightly coarse surface is less slippery when wet.
- 5 Finish first. Wipe teak oil or marine spar varnish on every face, edge and end before you assemble — the end grain soaks up water fastest. Three coats, sanding lightly between them; maple and ash want four or five.
- 6 Lay out the mat. Lay the slats face down on a flat bench, ends against a straightedge, with ½" spacers between them (scrap plywood or a ½" drill bit). Set a cleat across them 1½" in from each end and one across the middle, ends flush with the outside slats.
- 7 Screw it together. At every crossing, pre-drill through the cleat into the slat and countersink. Drive one stainless #8 × 1¼" screw — 24 in all. No glue: the slats and cleats cross grain, so screws alone let each slat move.
- 8 Add the feet. Stick or screw two rubber or silicone feet under each cleat, near the ends. They stop the mat sliding and lift it so the floor underneath dries.
- 9 Touch up and cure. Dab finish on any bare spots around the screw heads. Let the finish cure for the time on the can before the mat gets wet.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 make the eight slats and board 5 makes the three cleats underneath. Put the boards with the fewest knots into the slats — your feet land on them.
- 3 Rip the slats. Rip boards 1–4 down the middle with a push stick — eight strips, each 1 11/16" wide. Square one end of each and crosscut all eight to 22" with a stop block.
- 4 Rip the cleats. Rip board 5 into three strips about 1 1/16" wide. Crosscut each to 17" — the width of the finished mat.
- 5 Round the edges. Round over the top edges and the ends of every slat with a ⅛" or ¼" roundover bit, or a sanding block. Ease the cleat edges too. Sand to 180 grit and stop there — a slightly coarse surface is less slippery when wet.
- 6 Finish first. Wipe teak oil or marine spar varnish on every face, edge and end before you assemble — the end grain soaks up water fastest. Three coats, sanding lightly between them; maple and ash want four or five.
- 7 Lay out the mat. Lay the slats face down on a flat bench, ends against a straightedge, with ½" spacers between them (scrap plywood or a ½" drill bit). Set a cleat across them 1½" in from each end and one across the middle, ends flush with the outside slats.
- 8 Screw it together. At every crossing, pre-drill through the cleat into the slat and countersink. Drive one stainless #8 × 1½" screw — 24 in all. No glue: the slats and cleats cross grain, so screws alone let each slat move.
- 9 Add the feet. Stick or screw two rubber or silicone feet under each cleat, near the ends. They stop the mat sliding and lift it so the floor underneath dries.
- 10 Touch up and cure. Dab finish on any bare spots around the screw heads. Let the finish cure for the time on the can before the mat gets wet.
Why no glue? The slats run one way and the cleats run the other. Glue across the grain cracks as the wood swells and shrinks, and a bath mat swells a lot. One screw per crossing holds everything and lets each slat move.
Why stainless screws? Plain steel rusts in a wet room and leaves black stains in the wood. Stainless or coated deck screws stay clean.
Why finish before assembly? Once the cleats are on, you can't reach the faces where slats and cleats meet. That hidden spot stays damp longest, so it needs finish most.
Make It Yours
- Longer mat: a 4ft pack makes two mats, or one 44" mat for a double vanity — add a fourth cleat.
- Hang it to dry: drill a ¼" hole near one end of a cleat and hang the mat on a hook between showers.
- Two-tone: alternate walnut and maple slats.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the cleats with a push stick or on a bandsaw. Never feed a narrow strip by hand.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Feet on, always: a wood mat on a wet tile floor can slide. Check the feet now and then and replace worn ones.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
White oak, walnut, cherry and sapele handle water well. Maple and ash work too but need more finish coats and a fresh coat each year. Keep exotic dust under control with a mask.
Stand it on edge or hang it after a long shower so both sides dry. Wipe on a fresh coat of teak oil every few months, or when the water stops beading.
It is built for the floor outside the tub. Inside a shower it stays wet all day, so expect to re-oil often, and use spar varnish rather than oil.
Planned offcuts only: about 1" off the end of each slat strip and 4–6" off the end of the cleat strips. All 5 boards go into the mat.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes two mats: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
