The Drill Down: Make and mount a floating shelf in any room with help from The Sorry Girls
DIY your way to a sleek storage solution and a minimal wall accent in one
Need more shelf space, but no room to add a bookshelf? This charming floating bookshelf can be placed anywhere along your wall. We'll show you how to build it yourself, so you can customize it in any size and color you like! Elegant yet inexpensive, and incredibly impressive!
Here's what you'll need:
- 3 - 53 cm x 20 cm – 2.5 cm thick pieces of MDF or wood
- Table saw
- White latex paint
- Light pink latex paint
- Paint brush
- Painter's tape
- Wood glue
- Jigsaw
- Carpenter square
- French cleats
- Screw gun & screws
- Safety mask
- Safety goggles
Before you get started, make sure that you read over our table saw safety guide!
Set your table saw blade to a 45 degree angle. Cut 3 pieces of wood into 53 x 20 cm pieces, and 2 pieces that are 20 x 20 cm. Cut the corners of your boards to create beveled edges on the sides – our back piece should have all its edges beveled, whereas the other four (the side pieces), should only have 3 sides of them beveled, and 1 left straight. (Any piece of wood that touches another piece of wood should be beveled – the untouched edges at the front should be left flat.)
If you desire, go ahead and paint your boards – we chose white and a pale pink color for the back of the shelf.
Glue the wood pieces together to create a "box". Tape the box together to let the glue dry.
Once dry, remove the tape. Flip the shelf onto the front so the back is facing up. We're going to add our French cleats so the shelf can be secured to the wall. Place the top part of your French cleat in the center of the back side of the shelf, and drill in place.
Drill the other part of the cleat onto your wall, and slide your shelf on.
A lovely way to showcase your mementos, organize your books, or show off your most beloved photos! If you're looking to create one yourself, show us and The Sorry Girls by tagging us using #CBCLife!