If you want to add a easy DIY wall shelf that can go in any room in your house, follow along with this easy tutorial. You only need a few tools that won’t break the bank and you are good to go! I measured the wall in my dinning room where I wanted the shelf, but you can make it bigger or small if you prefer.
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Some Tools You Will Need:
- Hand Drill
- Tape Measure
- 1 1/2” Screws
- Two 2 1/2” Screws for mounting the shelf on the wall
- Carpenter Square
- Miter Saw (if you already have one, if not you can have Lowes or Home Depot cut your wood)
- Stud Finder
- Pencil
Determining the Size of Your Easy DIY Wall Shelf
You can make this shelf as big or as small as you want. You can even add less shelves or move them up or down. This is a custom shelf and as long as you add up the amount of wood you need for the shelf, that is all that matters.
I wanted my shelf to be able to hold different shapes and sizes of kitchen items.
This shelf is 3ft x 3ft, with two long shelves in the middle, and smaller vertical pieces to brace the two tiny shelves on either side.
The one board that I did make longer than the rest is the top board. I wanted it to sit on top of the side boards so I could add heavier items up there. I screwed my 3ft bottom, and sides together and measured and cut the remaining top board last.
What length boards do I get?
Add up the combined inches of wood you need, and that will determine how long the boards are you need to purchase. Don’t hesitate to ask one of the employees there if you can’t find what you need. The width of the board I went with is a standard 7 1/4 but at the store it will say 8”. It becomes a tad smaller after the wood is planed it down and the edges are evened out.
If you don’t have a miter saw you can have Lowes or Home Depot make the “rough” cuts for you. They might be slightly off but you can always sand the edges down a little to make them more exact.
Using the carpenter square ensures that all of your joints are lined up correctly. It it important if you want a sturdy shelf. Mine is one my uncle gave me but I linked a smaller one that can fit in smaller areas.
How many screws did I use?
At every point where I attached a board, I used a 1 1/2” screw about 1/2” in at each corner & I drilled the boards together at 90 dergees. Since it’s all straight cuts, everything should go together pretty easy. If anything isn’t lining up correctly, re-measure and see what side you need to adjust.
You could use a hand-held sander and take it down a tad if one side is a little uneven.
Next, I added one of my 3 ft shelves and measured now long the bracings needed to be. Measure and cut those to the height you would like.
Once the bracings were in, I measured and cut the two smallest shelves for the left and right. Like I mentioned before, I wanted different sized shelves to fit my kitchen items. You don’t even have to add these two small shelves if you don’t want to. You could take out the bracings all together and just do 3 long shelves for the whole unit.
How To Attach A Bracing To Mount The Shelf
I measured a 3ft. small piece of wood that I already had and attached it under the first shelf. I did two screws on each end, and an additional 4 screws drilling down vertically into the added bracing through the shelf it is braced against.
How To Mount Your Easy DIY Wall Shelf.
Don’t Use Flat Head Screws To Mount Your Shelf!
We already had two 3” flat head screws so we tried them and it failed. You have to put a lot of pressure into the stud and a flat head drill will slip right out…exibit A. You should use phillips head screws. This is is a shelf that will be holding a lot of weight so we used a stud finder and I marked vertically with a pencil where they were. I did a vertical line because I wasn’t sure how high or low I wanted it mounted and this made it easier to keep track of.
Once it gets warm enough outside, I’ll be giving the edges a quick sand and staining it. For now I’m loving my new shelf and it displays all my kitchen items perfectly.
Pin It For Later
If you have tried this DIY or custom made your own let me know in the comments below!
Find my latest blog post here: Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake
Until next time,
Ellen
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