How to Build Wall Mounted Decorative Shelves
- 1). Measure and cut five pieces of the 1-by-2 lumber with your saw. Cut two 4-foot-long pieces, two 12-inch pieces and one 8 1/2-inch piece.
- 2). Position the two long pieces on a table, laying them parallel to each other and 8 1/2 inches apart. The pieces should be resting on their short edges. Place the 12-inch pieces over the ends of the long pieces. Align one end of each 12-inch piece with the end of a 4-foot piece; the opposite end of the 12-inch piece will extend 2 inches beyond the second 4-foot piece.
- 3). Glue the four pieces of wood together. Apply glue to the ends of the 4-foot-long pieces and press them together with the shorter boards. Drive one 2-inch nail into each wood intersection with your nail gun or hammer.
- 4). Apply glue to the ends of the 8 1/2-inch piece. Place it between the two 4-foot pieces, directly in the middle of the rectangle that you just made. Secure this piece in place by driving a 2-inch nail at each end.
- 5). Cut the 1/2-inch plywood into two pieces, each 4 feet long by 1 foot wide, with your saw.
- 6). Apply glue on the top of the shelf framework you made. Place one of the plywood sheets on top of the framework. Drive a nail every 12 inches around the perimeter of the structure. Flip the framework over and repeat the process.
- 7). Paint the outside of the shelf assembly.
- 8). Find and mark three studs on the wall where you will hang the shelf, using a stud finder and pencil. Use a level and adjust the marks so that they are straight.
- 9). Measure and rip the two-by-four with your saw so that it is 2 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Measure and cut it horizontally so it so that it is 4 feet long. This will become the cleat to hold your frame assembly.
- 10
Position the cleat against the wall where you marked the studs, with the 2-inch side parallel to the floor. Drill 3-inch wood screws through the cleat and into the studs. using the drill with a driver bit. - 11
Place wood glue on the inside lip of the hollow side of the shelf framework. The glue should go on the plywood at both the top and bottom of the hollow chamber. Hold the framework over the wall cleat at an angle, then rotate the framework so that the cleat fits neatly inside its hollow section. - 12
Secure the shelf to the cleat by drilling 1 1/2-inch wood screws down through the top of the shelf and into the cleat. Keep in mind that the cleat is only 2 inches wide, so try to drill these screws about an inch away form the wall. Place a screw about every 8 inches.
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