20$ Nightstand From Single 2x12 Lumber

I wanted to challenge myself and try the one board contest so I made a floating nightstand for less than 20$ of construction lumber using a single 2x12x6', and I added a wireless charger to build a modern looking bedside table on a budget.

This project is fairly easy to make, doesn't cost much and look beautiful.

So let's get started!

MATERIAL :

- [1x] 2x12x8' construction lumber ( I bought a 12' so I can build two nightstands ), you will need 6' of 2x12 to complete one bedside table.

- Wireless Charger ( Optional ) : https://amzn.to/3KgVqZr

- Saman Charcoal wood stain ( Optional ) : https://amzn.to/3GA7YsO

- Wood Glue : https://amzn.to/32eex5k

TOOLS :

- Clamps : https://amzn.to/3Ik7G9P

- Miter Saw : https://amzn.to/3qyzPUP

- Table Saw : https://amzn.to/3FztQDt

- Pocket Hole Jig : https://amzn.to/3ttlr1T

- Sander : https://amzn.to/3fuQz90

- Level : https://amzn.to/3nynZb4

- Hole Saw : https://amzn.to/3KgMOC3

Disclaimer : As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make using my affiliate links. It really help me continue to bring you more free content when you purchase using my affiliate link and it doesn't cost you more so it's a win/win situation.

First step, is to cut our rough piece of construction lumber. I picked up this 2x12 at my local home center store. What is fun when making a project out of a single board is that it's easy to find 1 good looking piece.

So I cut my board into 5 pieces using my miter saw.

I cut two pieces of 15 inches, that will be the width of my nightstand. I also cut two pieces of 11 inches for the sides of the bedside table and one piece of 12 inches for the inside shelf. You can use any width you want if you want to modify the size. If you made a nightstand that is 20 inches wide, you remove 3 inches to find the length of the shelf because easy side pieces are 1.5 inch wide.

My nightstand lumber length dimensions are :

[2x] 15" ( Top and Bottom )

[2x] 11" ( Left and Right sides )

[1x] 12" ( "inside" shelf )

I then use my table saw to remove ¼ of an inch on each rounded sides of the board because construction lumber go through the wheels of the lumber mill and is rounded when compressed by the machine.

Before I assemble the nightstand pieces together, I need to drill the hole for the wireless charger and also the pocket holes to be able later to screw the shelf "inside" the nightstand.

So first, I bought a wireless charger at Ikea, you can purchase the same king of charger on amazon : https://amzn.to/3KgVqZr . This kind of recessed charger need a hole to be fit in. So for my charger, I drill a 2"½ hole using a hole saw.

Then, I'm drilling 6 pocket holes on each side of the shelf so I can later screw it "inside" my nightstand. The reason I'm using pocket holes instead of gluing the shelf in place is to allow me to easily stain the shelf separately from the nightstand, then assemble them together later. In the video I show only 4 pocket holes but I drilled to more later, not to make the build stronger but is to keep the shelf from warping.

This part consist of gluing together the four pieces that make the top, bottom and sides of the nightstand. Using some wood glue and some clamps, I glue, I align and clamp all the pieces before letting them dry for 2 hours.

Once the glue has dried, I sand all the pieces to make sure all surfaces are flush to each other and to ensure a better finish for the staining process later.

To give a clean look to my nightstand, I hide the wire of the wireless charger under the shelf and behind the bedside table. I still want my nightstand to be flush with the wall, so I take my router and I groove a ¼ channel under the shelf and behind the nightstand.

To install my floating nightstand to the wall, I am using a French cleat bracket that I made from a scrap piece of plywood. I glue one piece inside the back of my nightstand and I drill three holes into the other so I can fix it to the wall later.

Now that all the pieces are glued together, I am ready to stain my nightstand. I am using a water based stain from the company SAMAN, and the color is used is charcoal.

This process is relatively easy, I apply two coat for a more satin finish. It will also add more protection to the wood.

Once the stain has dried, I can install the shelf inside my nightstand.

I am using two scrap wood spacers to screw the shelf in the right location. The shelf is installed 3"½ from the top board. You can change the height of the shelf depending of what you plan to put inside your nightstand.

I'm installing my wireless charger in place. I am using some hot glue to glue the wire under the shelf and behind the nightstand. What is nice with using hot glue is if for any reasons I need to replace the charger, I can easily remove the hot glue.

Time to install my nightstand to the wall. Like I showed couple steps ago, I am using a French cleat style bracket to install it to the wall. It's an easy process, just screw one part of the French cleat to the wall then hang the nightstand on it. Easy as that.

I used 3 drywall anchors because there was no stud behind the drywall where I wanted to install it. Those anchors can take 50 pound each.

And Voilà! We are done!

I am really happy with the result. It's amazing what you can build using a single piece of construction lumber. This project was really cheap to make. It was 36$ CND for a 2x12x12' , and I built two nightstands using less than 6' of lumber for each of them.

I hope you guys participate in the one board challenge, it's a great opportunity to make a build like this.

Thank you for watching my instructables, I also made a youtube video about the process.

https://youtu.be/un5zXFl9FAU

See you next time for another DIY project! 🙂