DIY Chunky Floating Shelves

 

They are finished! We have been in our house almost one full year, staring at an awkward blank wall, not wanting to hang pictures or mount the TV.  Just. Not. Sure.  The TV has to be on that wall because of the wiring, the massive fireplace and the window.  We debated about not having a TV downstairs, but quickly decided that we need all the motivation we can get to clean up after dinner.  A good show always helps.

 

We finally decided on floating shelves.  Our inspiration came from here and here. Of course Tom wanted to do his own thing, so they look pretty different.

 

Look at that carpet! And tiny Wal-Mart TV stand. Ha!

 

 Our original plan.  It quickly changed when the first shelf was quite a bit larger than I anticipated. Also, the bottom shelves would have been a little tooooo tempting for Mr. Cole Henry.

 We bought the wood, cut it and then stained it.  The outer pieces were a higher quality wood and the stain looks so much better on them! I'm glad Tom considered that.  I had no idea there was a hierarchy of wood. We used Minwax "Provincial" to stain the wood, and Varathane matted finish polyurethane (applied at the very end, once the shelves were on the wall).

Tom used 2 inch finishing nails to assemble the shelf.  He drilled small holes first, then hammered in the nails to avoid splitting the wood.  Another reason Tom was in charge here.  Had no idea.

With a classy headlamp on, Tom drilled deck screws through the partially finished shelves into the studs.  To put the outer board on, we used the same finishing nails on the ends of the shelves and Liquid Nails on the inner support boards for some additional peace of mind.  

 

 

 

 We went out of town several weekends before the third shelf was hung, so the Christmas décor is out! Can't wait to decorate the shelves for the other 11 months of the year with more than just "things lying around." Home Goods...watch out!

Updated Decor:

 Cole has had a great time watching Tom and playing in the garage.

He is still obsessed with paint brushes and hammers.