4 Step DIY Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are almost impossible to find in a long length and by long length I mean 70 inches! So I whipped up these super easy 4 step DIY floating shelves to go above the DIY Dry Bar we just built.

How to Build DIY Floating Shelves in 4 Easy Steps

Decide how long and wide you want your shelving to be! Keep in mind the wider the shelving is the less amount of weight the shelving will be able to hold. Floating shelving can only hold so much weight before it starts to bend.

I decided I wanted my shelving to be wide enough to hold a dinner plate (which is between 10-12″ wide) and the length of the butcher block countertop (a few inches shy of 6′ at 69 1/4″).

Step 1: Building Your DIY Floating Shelf Bracket

Start by cutting your frame out of 1x2x8 common board (69 3/4 and 10 1/2) you can find the entire cut list at the bottom of this post.

Use a kreg jig to make 12 pocket holes in the 10 1/2″ pieces (one pocket hole on the end of each piece)

Mark where your studs are on the wall and line up your 1×2 @ 69 3/4″ and mark the studs. You need to mark your studs so you don’t line up your extending wood pieces (1×2’s @ 10 1/2″) where you need to secure the bracket into the wall.

I marked my extending wood pieces at 12″ apart and securing them into the long bracket piece with kreg screws.

Since my floating shelves will be sharing a wall on one side and will be open on the other, the open side will need to be left open. You can see in the image above I did not attach a 1x2x8 @ 10 1/2″ to the far left side.

TIP: Be sure to drill pilot holes where you marked your studs to prevent the wood from splitting when you attach to the wall.

Step 2: Hanging Your DIY Floating Shelf Brackets

Use Painters tape to map out where you want to hang your shelves before messing up your walls with a TON of holes. From the countertop to the bottom of the first shelf measures 20″ and between the two shelves measure 14 1/2″.

TIP: the standard width between a countertop and shelf/cabinet is 18-22″.

Did you know you can hang floating shelves without help?! Simply screw in your shelf frame at the center, but don’t screw it in all the way. Grab your level and screw in on one of the far sides, then tighten the screw in the center.

 

I secured the frame with 2″ wood screws into the studs, including the extending frame piece that buts up to the wall. I used some left over wood contractor shims since my walls are not even and the frame did not meet up at a 90 degree angle.

Now that both of your shelf brackets are up you can frame out the floating shelves! The brackets will feel a little unstable, but once they are framed out they are solid.

Step 3: Frame out Your DIY Floating Shelves

Grab your wood glue and brad nailer, y’all! They’re about to be your best friends on this next part.

Place your top 12″ x 69 3/4″ pieces on top of the brackets and secure with wood glue and brad nails.

There will be an overhang when you place the top piece on the brackets, that’s suppose to be there! Don’t worry.

To attach the bottom portion use clamps and shoot a few brad nails into the back of the bracket so you’re able to attach the whole bottom piece without it falling or snapping in half.

Your select pine 1×2 @ 69 3/4″ will be a finishing piece and sandwiched between the top and bottom pieces. Use wood glue and clamps to attach the front finishing piece with brad nails into the bracket and on the top and bottom of the shelf.

Complete the bottom shelf before the top one first, you’ll be able to use it to hold all your supplies!

Repeat the same process you did for the first shelf.

Step 4: Prep for Paint or Stain

I painted my floating shelves so I used DAP Plastic Wood Filler and sanded then painted 2 coats of paint. If you decide to stain yours, be sure to use DAP Stainable Plastic Wood Filler. If not, you’ll be able to see all the holes you filled.

I finished with two coats of paint and sanded in between coats so a smooth finish.

If you’re a fan of open shelving, we installed some in our kitchen for $20!

The Reveal

You ready to see how these babies turned out?!

If you want to see how make your own DIY Dry Bar you can check out the full tutorial here!

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Shopping List:

• 4 – 1x2x8 common boards
• 2 1x2x8 select pine boards
• 1 4×8 sheet of plywood at 1/4″ in width
• 14 – 1 1/4″ kreg screws
• 1 box – 1 1/4″ brad nails
• Wood Glue
• Paint or Stain (can be a sample size bottle of paint it’s such a small project)

Cut List:

• 2 – 1x2x8 @ 69 3/4″
• 12 – 1x2x8 @ 10 1/2″
• 2 – 1x2x8 select pine @ 11 1/4″ with one 45-degree mitered edge
• 2 – 1x2x8 select pine @ 69 3/4″
• 4 – 1/4x4x8 plywood @ 69 3/4″ x 12″

Tools:

Skill Level:

Beginner

**Home Depot can rip your plywood sheets and make any cuts you need if you do not have a saw.

Project Cost:

$50-60

**Project cost is calculated by “shopping list”, assuming the DIYer has all the necessary tools at hand already.**

 

Let me know if you have any questions about anything building wise or product questions! I’m an open book

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