Looking to add a little personality to an empty corner of your room? These floating shelves are a great weekend project that will upgrade the look of any room. And the best part? They cost under $15 in wood each to make!
I made these floating shelves for a corner in my open dining room that just seemed out of place and needed a little definition to pull it together with the rest of the space. Since there was nothing in the area, I decided to make the shelves wider to not only help fill up the space, but also add character to the shelves. If you are working with a smaller space or you want the shelves to blend in more to the area, you can easily modify the instructions to make thinner shelves to fit your needs. You can also change out the wood you are using. For this project I used Whitewood common boards since I was staining the shelves. If you are going with a natural, unfinished look you might want to upgrade your wood choice.
Corner Floating Shelves
Materials (for a pair of floating shelves):
- 1″ x 10″ x 8′ Whitewood Common Board
- 1″ x 4″ x 12′ Whitewood Common Board
- 2″ x 4″ x 8′ Board (this is going to be used for the wall bracer so a simple 2″ x 4″ is all you need)
- 1″ 18 Gauge Brad Nails
- 1.5″ 18 Gauge Brad Nails
- Rust-oleum Dark Walnut Wood Stain
- Minwax One Coat Polyurethane
- Elmer’s Wood Filler
- Tack Cloth (optional)
- #9 2.5″ Construction Screws
- Wall Anchors (as needed for hanging)
Equipment:
- Table Saw
- Sander
- Miter Saw
- Corner Clamp (optional)
- Nail Gun
- Hand Drill
- Countersink Drill Bits
- All applicable safety equipment per manufacturer recommendations
Making the Brackets:
Once you have decided where you want your shelves, it’s time to get started with this cheap and easy corner floating shelf build. The first thing you are going to want to do is make the wall bracket that will hold up the shelves.
For the brackets you are going to want to take your 2″ x 4″ and cut:
- (8) 5.5″ long blocks
- (2) 31″ x 1.5″ x 1.5″
- (2) 20″ x 1.5″ x 1.5″
For the 1.5″ x 1.5″ strips, I cut the 2″ x 4″ to length then cut the board in half lengthwise after trimming .25″ off each side (to help square up the wood from the rounded edges). You could also buy 1.5″ pre-cut boards but I wanted to use what I had on hand.
Next you are going to want to assemble the bracket. To put the pieces together I countersunk and predrilled two holes per support and corner piece. Once all my holes were predrilled, I just added a little glue and drilled 2.5″ #9 construction screws into the boards.
While I don’t always countersink my screws, I thought it was important to make sure the wood didn’t split and that the screws would be flush against the wall once it was hung.
Making the Shelves:
Now that the brackets are made it’s time to make the shelves that will fit over them. Since there was nothing in the space where I am putting the shelves, I wanted them to be a little thicker to help fill the space and make a statement. Therefore I am making them 3.5″ thick. You can modify this as you need for your space, just remember it has to be at least fit over the bracket you made.
The sides of the shelves are going to be made from the 1″ x 4″ board. Since it’s already the width that I wanted, I’m just cutting it to the length that I want. For these cuts, one side needs to be cut at a 45° so the sides fit together without having the ends of the boards exposed. If you are painting your shelves instead of staining, the ends of the boards being exposed wont be a problem so you could skip the 45° cuts to make this project a little easier. For the listed cut dimensions, the length is going to be from the longest side of the board with the 45° cut. So you will need to make the following cuts:
- (4) 8 1/16″
- (2) 15 5/8″
- (2) 2′ 3/8″
To put the pieces together I used 1″ 18 gauge brad nails and wood glue. Make sure all your angles are 90° or you will have trouble attaching the top and bottom of the shelves. To do this I used a corner clamp but you can use an angle square to hold the wood firmly in place before securing with the nail gun. For the inside corner piece I used 1 1/2″ brad nails to make sure the nails were long enough to secure the wood.
Once the glue dried I double checked that the shelf would fit around the bracket. I’ve learned the hard way that it pays to triple check everything even if you’ve measured carefully. I left a little room between the bracket and the shelf on purpose so don’t be alarmed if it is not a snug fit.
Now it’s time for the top and bottom of the shelves. For this you are going to want to take your 1″ x 10″ x 8′ Board and cut:
- (4) 7 5/16″ x 22 15/16″
- (4) 7 5/16″ x 23 5/8″
Once the pieces were, cut I glued the pieces together to make the (4) top and bottom shelves for the floating shelves.
After the glue had dried, I glued and nailed the top and bottom shelves to the side pieces.
When the top and bottom were secure and dry, I added wood filler to
Once the wood filler dried, I sanded the whole piece down with 120 grit and 220 grit
Now it is time to stain! I used Rust-oleum Dark Walnut Wood Stain, then finished the shelves with Minwax One Coat Polyurethane. I like this polyurethane because it gives it a slight gloss and a little texture to the wood. Once it is dry you can hang it!
To hang I pre-drilled 4 holes into the bracket, 2 on each side and anchored the brackets to the wall. I also used a (2) 1.5″ wood screws to secure the
Disclaimer: Please make sure with all your projects that you have read your equipment’s safety manual and are following the recommended safety precautions. We are not responsible for the results of your DIY projects as results can vary based on your skill level, quality of materials, and age of your equipment.
