Hey everyone!
When we first moved to New York, we never intended to stay here permanently. It was always more of a 2-3 year plan… now it looks like more of a 4 year plan! Therefore, I have had to restrict myself to buying nice things for my home that I can transport home in a suitcase. All the big furniture items have to be cheapies as we will not be taking them home with us. For these reason, I now have so many pretty, little, decorative items – décor books, clocks, vases, frames etc, but no where to display them.
So with the temperature hitting -13 degrees celsius this week, I’ve been keeping myself busy indoors. I decided to teach myself how to build a shelf out of wood, to hang above the couch and show off all my pretty things. I essentially just copied the shelves I built for the Wellness Library – you can read all about that here.
How to Build a Shelf out of Wood
I trotted off to my local hardware store and bought a pine plank – 6 feet x 8 inches. I asked for them to route three of the edges (which means adding a decorative groove). They usually have a few samples of different grooves so I just picked one that looked pretty. I left one long-side flat so it would sit flush against the wall. All up it cost $21.
I bought Minwax Wood Finish for $8 from the hardware store – Red Mahogany colour. They usually display samples of each colour so you can see what the finished result will look like. I went with this colour as it matched my TV cabinet.
I applied it with a brush, then let it dry for 20 minutes before wiping off any excess with a rag. Then painted the other side and did the same thing.
Beware – this stuff smells so strong! So if possible, do it outside… or if you are like me and have no yard, open all your windows and leave the house for a few hours otherwise you’ll start to feel dizzy!
I bought the same brackets that I used for the Wellness Library because they were so pretty! They cost $12 for the pair from my local hardware store.
If you are drilling into gyprock rather than brick, you will need to use an anchor to stop the wall from tearing. I bought a set of screws that came with anchors like the one above. The packet cost $4 and I got a set of 12 which will be plenty.
As my Dad ALWAYS tells me, “measure twice – cut one”. I measured outwards from the centre of the couch as I wanted the shelf to be centered above it. A spirit level is an awesome piece of equipment to own… super handy for hanging frames too. This one cost me $12.
I marked out where I wanted the brackets to be hung, then used a pencil to mark where to drill the holes. These anchors screw straight into the wall using an electric drill.
Then I simply drilled the screw through the bracket hole and into the anchor.
Once both brackets were screwed into the wall, I placed the shelf on top. I drilled short screws upwards through the brackets and into the wood to hold it in place. Make sure these screws are shorter than the thickness of the wood, or they will pierce the top!
Finished!
Have a lovely week everyone:)
– Penny xo
