So, you need some additional storage space. You’ve looked at rental spaces and they’re too expensive. You don’t have room in your own house, so you can’t buy additional storage space. What do you do? Well, the answer is simple: build shelves In this guide we’ll walk through a few steps to help you create your own floating shelves.
You Will Need
The first step to making floating shelves is to gather your materials. You will need:
- Wood for the shelves, the brackets (you can use wood or MDF), and any other decorative features you want to include. If you are using a different material than wood for your shelf or bracket, make sure it is thick enough for what you want to do with it before buying it.
- Wood glue
- Brackets (this depends on how many shelves you have)
- Screws that fit both types of brackets (if applicable)
- Sanding paper (for smoothing out rough edges after cutting)
Step 1: Choose your Lumber
- Choose your lumber.
- 1/2″ plywood is a popular choice among DIYers, but you can use any type of lumber as long as it’s straight and at least 1″ thick. If you’re making a shelf that’s going to be in the bathroom or other moisture-prone area, you may want to consider using MDF instead—it’s easier to seal and will last longer if exposed to moisture regularly. You can also use wood from your local lumber store if you have an account there; otherwise, check out sites like Home Depot for more options when it comes to materials and types (like pine).
Step 2: Cut Your Lumber To Size
Now that you know how to measure lumber, it’s time to actually cut it. It’s important to know what type of cut will work best for your project and how each type of cut will affect the overall appearance of your finished product.
Here are some common types of lumber cuts:
- Lengths: These are cut in even increments (2x4s, 1x3s).
- Widths: These are also called cross-cuts because they go across the board (1x8s).
- Thickness: This is where things get interesting because there are so many different thicknesses available on each board depending on its intended use (5/4×6 or 3/4×10). You can also choose an alternative species like Douglas fir if you want a more muted tone or Southern yellow pine if you’re looking for something bolder or darker in color than standard pine boards would give you on their own! Just make sure not too much grain direction runs along parallel lines so as not detract from any designs elsewhere on your shelves; this might mean rotating them slightly before placing them into position where needed instead.”
Step 3: Sand Your Lumber
Before you start building, you’ll need to make sure that your lumber is smooth and free of splinters. Sanding will help make the wood light enough to float, but it’s also important for the finished project. The sandpaper grits I used in this project were 150, 220 and 320.
First, find a spot on your floor that’s flat and sturdy (a garage floor works well). Place your first piece of lumber down with its back facing up so that the board’s face will be even with the floor when it’s finished being sanded. Put some masking tape around all four sides of this piece with at least 2″ between each side; this will help keep sawdust from getting into places where we don’t want it throughout our project! Now grab an old broom or dustpan (or something similar) and sweep away any sawdust or stray pieces before starting on your first layer of sanding material: 150 grit paper taped on top of 2’x4′ sheets cut from cardboard boxes work well here. Slide across each side one time without pressing too hard—this allows us to see what kind of marks are being left behind so we can adjust accordingly later if necessary! Next comes 220 grit paper taped over top again; repeat step 3 above until all sides have been done twice each time! Finally we’ll move onto 320 grit paper which should be applied after our previous two layers have been completed once per side in order . If there are any areas where corners meet other surfaces (like where sides meet ends), use a sanding block instead because those tiny crevices may get missed otherwise.”
Step 4: Stain Your Lumber
Stain is a liquid solution that’s applied to wood to change its color. It can be purchased in a variety of colors and finishes, but one thing remains constant: stain is an excellent way to give your lumber a customized look.
Stain can be applied with either a brush or sprayer, depending on how much time you want to spend staining your lumber. Paint brushes are generally used for smaller projects like furniture and chairs, whereas larger projects like decks and fencing require the use of sprayers.
Step 5: Prepare For Mounting
- Using the brackets that came with your shelf, install them to the wall.
- Be sure to leave a little space between each bracket so that your shelf can float freely between them.
Step 6: Mount The Brackets to The Wall
- Attach the brackets to the wall, using the screws and anchors provided. Use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screw head size for pilot holes, then screw in each bracket with two screws on each side of it. Make sure that all four screws are level with one another so that your floating shelf will be level when you hang it on them later.
Step 7: Attach The Shelves to The Brackets
Attach the shelf to the bracket with screws. Make sure the shelf is level, straight, and square by checking it from each angle. It should be centered as well.
The next step is to attach the back of your floating shelves to the wall. If you have drywall or plaster walls, you can use anchors to secure them in place. Use a drill bit that’s slightly smaller than your screws and install them along both sides of where you want them mounted (make sure they’re not too close together). The best way to decide where these will go is by putting up some string on top of your floating shelving unit and marking where each piece goes through on opposite walls—this way you’ll know exactly how much space there needs to be between brackets/screws so everything connects nicely when finished
Making floating shelves is a fun and rewarding DIY project.
Making floating shelves is a fun and rewarding DIY project. The process is very easy, and the shelves can be made of any type of wood you want. You can use whatever scrap pieces you have lying around or even buy new lumber from a local hardware store if you’re feeling ambitious. This article will cover how to make a floating shelf from scratch using common tools that most people already own, such as a hammer and nail gun.
Conclusion
If you decide to make your own floating shelves, the biggest challenge is to find the right materials. You have many options for the lumber, but we recommend using pine because it’s easy to work with and relatively inexpensive. Once you have all of your supplies ready, you’ll just need a couple hours of time on an afternoon or weekend to complete this project. It may be simpler than other DIY projects that require more advanced woodworking skills, but creating a custom shelving system will still give you something new and beautiful for your home.
