DIY floating shelves are so simple to create! And they’re the perfect shelving system to install in a small, tight half bath like the ones we have at home. They take a little bit of time since each piece needs to be cut out separately but the end results is absolutely worth it! What’s more, once your shelves are up and running you can even install brackets under your shelving system to mount it securely in the wall.
It’s hard to explain how easy DIY floating shelves are to put together and install. They are actually quite difficult to do in terms of the construction of the shelving system. However, I will tell you right away that with a little help, they could be done much faster. This is because there are many plans available on the internet which are made specifically for DIY shelving systems. They can also be a great resource if you already have a plan in mind to follow.
The key to DIY floating shelves is to begin with a solid plywood board. This should be the base of your shelving system and it should be fairly straight. You then take your two screws (or nails) and attach the plywood to the studs in your stud wall. This should give you a strong foundation for your new DIY shelving.
Once you’ve built your day floating shelves the only thing left to do is to add the finishing touch of some type of finishing paint or stain. For example, if you’re using pine wood for your shelves then you might want to stain it a dark brown or ebony color. This is very popular and is rather easy to accomplish. What’s great about the stain is that it will last for years. There is no need to refinish pine wood each time it gets dirty. However, if you find that you want to try a different stain then you can simply purchase a couple of cans of stain at your local home supply center and use them again.
Most people decide to use the herringbone tile method when creating their diy floating shelves. This consists of making a series of horizontal cuts on your plywood frame. These horizontal cuts make channels along the top and bottom of your shelves. If you want you can create more channels along the side of your shelves.
To finish your day floating shelves you will need one more panel with the herringbone pattern still intact. These panels will be glued to the two sides of your two main shelves and you will use wood glue to attach them to the two sides of your walls. Once you have glued these panels to the two sides of the two walls you will want to smooth out any bubbles that may appear. You will then want to glue the bottom edge of the second panel to the bottom edge of your two main shelves. This will create a grooved effect between the two shelves.
After you have finished gluing your herringbone pattern to your two sided wall panel you will want to take your diy floating shelves out of the closet. You will then take a piece of cardboard or wood that is at least two feet wide and long and place it between the two walls. Next you will want to cut a checkerboard pattern into the width of the empty space. Next place the two checkers over the dowels that are located inside the channel that is created by the first cut.
Once you have finished gluing your day floating shelves to your wall then you will be ready to paint the shelves. If you do not want to paint them right away, you can spray them with a fine grit sandpaper before painting them. If you want to see how the painted finish looks before you paint then you can place them on top of a piece of fine grit sandpaper. The sandpaper will act as a guide for the paint to spread evenly across your wood.