How to Build a Floating Bookshelf
Remodeling the house with some simple shelves improves storage and reduces clutter in the home. Unfortunately, a lot of shelves have hardware that might not match the rest of the room's decor. To keep a room as minimal as possible you can install floating shelves. These shelves hang on the wall without any exposed hardware. Buying floating shelves from a home improvement store can be fairly expensive. Building your own floating shelves saves you money. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stud finder
- Masking tape
- 4-foot level
- Hollow door
- Straightedge
- Sawhorses
- Clamp
- Saw
- Carbide-tipped blade
- 2-by-4 lumber
- Drill
- Sandpaper
- Wood glue
- 1-inch brads
- Hammer
Instructions
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1
Run a stud finder over the wall where you want to install the shelf. Mark the locations of the studs with masking tape.
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2
Place a 4-foot level on the wall. Trace the horizontal line for the shelf with the level.
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3
Set a hollow door on top of two sawhorses. Clamp a straightedge onto the door at the depth you want the shelf to be. Hollow doors can be purchased cheaply, for between $20 and $60, from most home improvement centers.
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4
Cut the door with a saw equipped with a carbide-tipped blade.
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5
Measure the gap on the inside of the door to determine the size cleat you need. The cleat is what your shelf will hang on.
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6
Rip a cleat from a 2-by-4 piece of lumber that is the same size as the gap on the inside of the door.
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Place the cleat on the wall and mark the location of the stud on the cleat. Pre-drill 1/4-inch holes into the cleat. Install one large screw into each stud through the cleat to hold it on the wall.
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Place the door piece onto the cleat. Sand the end of the door that sits against the wall until it sits flush against the wall.
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Apply wood glue to the inside of the hollow door piece. Place the door onto the cleat. Nail 1-inch brads through the door and into the cleat to secure it in place.
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References
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
