
This shelf building method is specifically for alcoves, or areas with walls on three sides.
Build wood shelf brackets how to#
How To Make Wood Shelves Using Furring Strips Materials It’s possible because we’re using three walls in the alcove for support. So, we are adding furring strips to the wall easily. In our case, we are using furring strips to be the alcove shelf supports so that we don’t have to drill the wood shelves into the wall. They are used to create a solid framework to attach wood, paneling or plaster. But what are furring strips?įurring strips are long, thin pieces of metal or wood. This DIY project uses furring strips to easily hang the shelves in an alcove. My wood shelves happen to be in the my laundry room, but they would also work great in a closet, or a nook by your fireplace. Here’s how to put up shelves in an alcove. And they add a lot more storage room to your home. Either way, wood shelves are easy to build. If your home is short on storage space, try going vertical! Or use the space in an overlooked alcove or closet. Once I was finished nailing, I used wood filler to fill all of the nail holes in the open shelves.Īnd that’s all there is to it! For additional shelves, repeat steps 4-7.An easy way for making wood shelves to put up in an alcove or closet using furring strips. I did the same for the bottom piece of 1×12, followed by the front piece. Then I placed the board on top of the dowels and used 1″ finish nails to nail the board to the dowels. I applied a little wood glue around the perimeter where the board and dowels would touch. Once the square dowels were securely fastened to the walls, I added the top piece of 1×12 oak. I used a level to make sure all three of the dowels were level and lined up with each other. Since the dowels on the side walls only intersected one stud, I applied some wood glue to the back of them, before using 2″ finish nails to fasten them to the wall. Then I used a stud finder to find the studs in the wall and marked each one. Once I had all of the boards cut, I gathered everything I would need to start installing the shelves.įirst, I measured and marked 32 inches from the floor for the bottom shelf.
Build wood shelf brackets plus#
I used a table saw to cut the 1×3 length-wise down to 2 inches to match the thickness of the top and bottom pieces plus the thickness of the dowel. Then I cut a piece of the 1×3 the same length for the front of the shelf. Using the measurement from step 2, I cut two pieces of the 1×12 23 inches long for the top and bottom of the shelf. These will be attached to the walls to support the shelf. I cut two pieces 11 inches long and one piece 22 inches long. Then I applied a coat of satin polyurethane. Then I let the boards dry completely before sanding with s fine sanding block. I used a clean rag to wipe the stain on the 1x12s and 1x3s.

I used a stain from Olympic called Driftwood Gray. That way I don’t have to worry about getting stain on the walls.

You can stain the open shelves after installing them, but I like to do it before. If they were out of square, I would need to cut the ends of the oak boards at a slight angle to avoid having a noticeable gap between the end of the shelves and the wall. Then I came out about 12 inches from the corners and measured again to make sure the walls were not out of square. Using a tape measure, I placed one end in the inside corner and then extended the tape to the other inside corner. Next, I measured the distance between the two walls where the open shelves would be. Step 2: Measure the Space for the Open Shelves I decided to build three shelves, knowing that if we ended up needing more storage, I could always add a couple more above. Think about what kind of things you will be placing on the shelves and how much space you need between each one. There really isn’t a right or wrong regarding your spacing. I decided to place my bottom shelf 32 inches off of the floor, and each shelf would have a 15 inch space between them. But obviously, you don’t want to place your first shelf too low. So I have 10 ft of vertical space to work with. In our guest bathroom, the space where I put the shelves extended all the way from the floor to the ceiling.

This will mainly depend on how much vertical space you have. The first thing you need to decide is how many shelves you need or want. Step 1: Determine How Many Shelves to Build I have used this method several times such as in our guest bath in our current home and our flip house kitchen. This particular method is ideal when the shelves will be between two walls. In this tutorial, I’m going to teach you an easy way to build open shelves without spending extra money on brackets or mounting hardware. Magnolia Bath Towel | Magnolia Faux Mini Plant | Storage Containers | Distressed Ceramic Vase
