Floating Wall Shelves

There are a lot of different ways out there to build a floating wall shelf and if you take all of the people who have ever wrote an article or produced a video about how to do it you will see all of these ideas repeat themselves over and over again. And now I can be proudly added to this list, here is my take on a style of wall shelf that is really common.

I always suggest watching the video to have a better understanding of the article.

I wanted my shelf to measure 20 inches long by 9 inches deep and be 2 inches thick. So I started at my table saw with ripping down a piece of 3/4 pine to 1 1/2 inches for the thickness of my shelf, then I cut a 20 inch long piece for the length of the shelf and a piece to 8 1/4" for the 9 inch depth of the shelf. The measurements will make sense, trust me they are correct.

These three piece will make up the inner framing of the shelf. To assemble it I used my pocket hole jig, and when assembled will look like this.

Next I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to the dimensions of my shelf. Cutting two pieces, one for the top and one for the bottom.

With my plywood cut to size I glued it to the frame, set the assembly in clamps and let it sit until the glue had time to dry.

With the glue dry I removed the clamps then cleaned up any glue that might have squeezed out and sanded everything smooth.

Next I needed to build the mount for the shelf. First I measured the length of the opening in the back side of the shelf, then it was back to the table saw to cut a piece at this length and I also cut three additional pieces at seven inches in length. These will make up the wall mount.

This mount is assembled with a little glue and screws though the back side, I did drill counter sinks for the screws so that the heads of the screws would not interfere with mounting the shelf.

For a finish I used a wipe on poly in a matte finish, applying five coats and sanding in between each. But you can finish this shelf any way you choose you could even paint it.

To mount the shelf, the mount is attached to the wall with screws and the shelf slides over the mount until flush to the wall.

This was a really simple project that I know I will enjoy in my home for years to come.