DIY Floating Shelves Tutorial

MATERIALS:

TOOLS:

DIMENSIONS:

Overall shelf dimensions are 41”W x 12”D x 4.5”H
Frame dimensions are 40”W x 11.5”D x 3.5”H

You can of course do whatever fits your space best!!

Cut your 2×4’s and build your frame

For one shelf, you’ll need (4) 10″ long 2×4’s and (1) 40″ long 2×4. I liked using my pocket hole jig & corner clamps to help keep everything plumb while I build the frame. Overall frame dims are 40”W x 11.5”D x 3.5”H. See picture below for a VERY rough sketch.

Gather & prep plywood

You can ask Home Depot cut your plywood down to a manageable size that makes it easier to transport. Transporting a 4×8 sheet of plywood can be hard depending on your vehicle lol. Above you can *kinda* see how I planned out my cut list. I took this sketch to Home Depot so I knew what cuts to ask Home Depot for – this way, I wasn’t wasting plywood, and I didn’t have to transport a full sheet of plywood on my highlander. (It’s doable, but not ideal for me!)

Sand the plywood with 220 grit. I find it easiest to sand everything first!

Then, use your table saw to make 45* angle cuts on all your plywood sheets. Use your miter saw for the shorter cuts.

Assemble the shelves

Glue and CLAMP the plywood to the frame. Leave the bottom plywood sheet off! You need to have access to screw the frame to the wall studs.

Your joints won’t be perfect. That’s okay. Mix wood filler with sawdust to fill any cracks and sand off the excess with 220 grit sanding block. The corners should fill in easily, especially once you begin sanding the corners.

Mount the shelves to the wall

Locate your wall studs and determine your shelf location. I like to use painters tape to help me get a visual and plan out exactly where I want them on the wall. (Ours are spaced about 17” apart.) Pre-drill & use 3” long screws. We did 2 screws in each stud.

Then, glue and clamp your bottom plywood piece – I used so many clamps here to help me get a tight seam! I think I bought out allll of Home Depot’s clamps!

Stain the wood

Tape your edges and “water pop” the wood. I used Water Wipes; you could use a wet paper towel. The purpose is to open the pore of the wood to accept stain better. I think it works! Then apply your stain: