DIY Floating Shelves - Home With Stefani

Today I’m working on a project in our primary bathroom. If you guys missed it, earlier this year my Dad and I completely renovated my bathroom. It’s still very small, but it’s 10 times better than it was before. Click here for that video in case you want to see the full before and after tour. In that video I also give some really good tips on renovating a bathroom. Since this bathroom is so small we need extra space for storage so I’m building 4 chunky shelves where we can store a bunch of our toiletry items!

LUMBER / PRODUCT LINKS

LUMBER

(2) 1/4″ MDF Project Panel: Bottom of shelf

(2) 3/4″ Sande Plywood Project Panel: Top of shelf

(3) 1″x2″x8′ Board: Cleats

(2) 1″x3″x8′ Primed Board: Face trim

PRODUCT	LINK
Target Baskets	https://bit.ly/33WL5y0
Table Saw	https://bit.ly/3zpidgb
Miter Saw	https://bit.ly/3brcEDU
Brad Nailer	https://bit.ly/3csaOmp

STEP 1: CUT LUMBER DOWN TO SIZE

I started by cutting all the lumber down to size. I’m using 3/4″ plywood for the top of the shelves, 1/4″ MDF for the bottom of the shelves, and 1×2’s for the cleats for the shelves.

For reference these shelves are 4′ wide, 9 3/4″ deep, and 2 1/2″ thick.

STEP 2: INSTALL CLEATS

I took some measurements where I wanted each of the shelves to go. I made sure to give enough space between the toilet and the first shelf in case we needed to do maintenance on the toilet.

To install the cleats I’m adding a few dots of construction adhesive, making sure the cleat is nice and level and then securing the cleats to the wall using 2″ wood screws. If possible, try to secure your cleats to studs in your wall.

I cut some cleats for each side wall and followed the same steps.

STEP 3: INSTALL TOP AND BOTTOM PLYWOOD PIECES

Now that the cleats are secure, I’m adding some construction adhesive to the MDF board and then securing it to the bottom of each cleat using 1″ brad nails.

After that I’m securing the 3/4″ plywood with 1 1/4″ brad nails.

I’m also adding a little block to the middle of the shelf for support and also to secure my face trim to.

STEP 4: CUT & INSTALL FACE TRIM

For the face trim I’m using primed 1×3 boards which are actually 2 1/2″ wide.

I secured the face trim to my cleats on the left and right as well as that blocking in the middle.

STEP 5: FILL NAIL HOLE / SAND / CAULK

Next it’s time to prep for paint so I’m going to be filling nail holes, once the wood filler dries I will sand down any high spots, wipe everything down and then caulk all of the seams.