How to Build Inexpensive Floating Shelves

Open Shelving in a kitchen is wonderful, and we installed these two floating shelves for around $30! Here's how:

First, purchase a hollow-core door [yes, I said door!!] I plan to devote an entire post just to sing the praises of these doors... I've used them in sooo many projects, they are wonderful for any thrifty DIYer.]

Hollow-core doors are inexpensive and come in various widths so choose one that is the width of the shelves you want to hang because you are going to cut off the top & bottom of this door for your shelves. They give you a completely finished edge, so it's a great idea! Now we wanted 3ft. shelves, so we used a 3 ft. door. [Or, if you have room for really long shelves you could use the sides of the door instead!]

 Next, decide the depth of shelves you want [I don't recommend anything deeper than 10"] and measure and mark everything out on your door. Once you've measured twice [so you only have to cut once], cut the door using a circular saw [make sure to tape where you are cutting to help avoid splitting the wood]. 

Remove the cardboard reinforcement that is found inside the door [see below] by scraping it off with a chisel.

Now it's time to cut your cleats from a 2x4. To get the correct size, you'll want to measure the space between the outer veneers of the door. Mine was 1"  Using a straight edge, cut your 2x4 down to the appropriate size. Make sure this is a really nice, straight cut [yes, it's important].  Check to make sure that the door [well... now I guess it's a shelf!] slides easily over your cleat while maintaining a snug fit. 

[Sorry, no photos of this step] Next, you'll need to find the studs in your wall using a studfinder. Mark them, and [using a level and straight edge] draw a straight line where you want your shelves. Once you know where they are, predrill holes into the studs and then hold your cleat on your straight line and drill into the cleat too. Using a wrench, install a lag screw through your cleat and into each stud until it's tight against the wall. [You MUST have at least 2 studs, but you already knew that, right?!]  And of course, double & triple check that everything is level as you work [but you already knew that... right?!]. Now you have [an ugly] board securely screwed onto your wall.

Now do a dry fit onto the wall to see if you have any areas to sand. You want the shelf to fit perfectly against the wall. When everything is right, use carpenter's glue on the top of your cleat and the bottom of your board and slip the shelf onto the board [immediately clean-up any glue that may ooze out]. Now- just using glue "ain't gonna cut it" if you want a secure shelf. Therefore, for additional support, screw the shelf onto your cleat. We simply used screws every 2 inches along the top and and bottom of our shelf as shown in the photo below. Yes, you've got screws showing now, but they really aren't noticable [at all].  If the screws really bother you then simply fill them with putty before painting. Obviously they didn't bother me. [And for the record, I'm really regretting that quick paint job now... never noticed it until taking this photo! It would be best to paint before installing them so do as I say, not as I do!]

And that's it- your shelves are complete! Enjoy :)