This began as a quest to find the perfect floating shelves for our living room. I wanted something thin and authentic, not the typical chunky veneer fat bodies that are sold everywhere these days. After cruising the usual shops and online retailers, I realized there weren’t a wide variety of thin floating shelves available via retail.

It was time to break out the tool box and build some from scratch. I figured the internet would bring up a variety of plans, considering you can find 10 different ways to harvest your own kidneys for a quick ebay transaction. To my surprise however, the only instructions I could find were again for the chunky shelves (made commonly from a hollow core door). Thus began my quest to design the perfect thin floating shelf – Because the world needs these like Kiefer Sutherland needs a drink.

Regardless of your skill level as a builder, you should be able to pull these off with relative success with the plans I’ve put together here (disclaimer: I take no responsibility for power tool injuries, fumigation, property destruction, failure or death).

INTRODUCTION

After reviewing the plans online, I realized thin floating shelves aren’t available en-masse due to difficulties in mounting them. With the thicker variety, a base support is screwed to the wall followed by a hollow shelf then fits around this support. This is why most floating shelves appear thick as they are built around this inner support. With a thinner shelf, we lose the opportunity to take advantage of this hollow box model, so another solution would have to be found. After sketching a few different (bad) ideas, I landed on a design where the mounting support is a thin strip set below the shelf. This gives the shelf a runner to drill the screws through. With the right thickness of mounting hardware, this is enough to keep the shelf sturdy and rigid.

For my living room shelves, I wanted two small accent shelves that would sit above a long runner in our living room. To compliment the warm dark wood that exists throughout my home, I finished the shelves as such with a dark stain and danish oil treatment. The wood finishing method outlined at the end of the article is simple and produces great results, regardless of what tone you are trying to achieve. Finally, as with the finish, the process photos and material quantites reflect my specific project, but the basic methodology remains the same.

Tools & Materials at a glance:

• Hardwood Lumber (finished shelf board)
• Water based wood stain
• Danish oil
• Power drill (&bits)
• 12″ Drill bit extender
• Sander / Heavy sandpaper (power sander recommended)
• Stud finder
• 2-3 Bar / Bench clamps
• Level
• Pencil
• Rag
• Small box 3 1/2″ #12 zinc screws
• Small box 1 1/4″ #8 zinc finishing screw
• Masking tape
• Gorilla glue (or carpenters glue)
• Woodfill (optional)

THE PROCESS

Survey & Plan

Observe the area you put up floating shelves. Measure for length and depth in the desired area, marking roughly on wall – Once you find dimensions that work, record these for future use. Make sure your shelf depth reflects the size of the items that will occupy it. (note: I would not advise anything over 10″ deep for this particular design for heavy support)

Find & Mark Studs

Mark the location of each stud in the area the shelves will occupy, taking care to indicate start and end points of each. Marking both ends of the stud ensures that you are able to drive your screws through the approximate center, without risking a split or discrepancy. After you’ve marked your studs, lay a piece of masking tape down each for easy identification. Finally, check your shelf dimensions against the studs to ensure there will be adequate support. For shelves under 42″, they should lay across at least two. For shelves larger than this, it should lay across at least 3.

Buy Lumber (and everything else)

Each board should produce both the shelf and it’s mounting strip. This means you will need to pick out boards that are 1″ deeper (wider) than the desired finished product. For my shelves, I wanted a finished depth of 10″ so I grabbed board that was 11″ wide as we’ll need the extra inch for the mounting strip.

A quick note on a stupid system:

If you don’t have much experience with buying lumber, size can be deceiving. When you see the size of a board in-store, this represents raw board dimensions, NOT the actual size. A 2×4 isn’t a true 2″ x 4″ after it’s been dried, finished and treated (it’s actually 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″). Reader’s digest has a helpful chart here: http://www.rd.com/19740/article19740.html (or you can just bring a tape measure to the store). To make this plan easier, I will be using actual sizes moving forward…

Cut Boards

Most hardware and lumber stores will cut your boards for no extra cost, which saves time and is especially helpful if you don’t have access to saws. If you’d prefer to make the cuts yourself, you’ll need a table saw or circular saw.

First, cut your boards to their desired length. Then, make a rip cut 1″ from the long edge down the entirety of each shelf. This 1″ strip will act as the mounting piece for your floating shelves.

The finished lumber for my 3 shelves looks like:

Attach Mounting Strip

Lay down a thin line of glue 1/2″ from the back edge of the shelf. Carefully lay the mounting strip over it, so that it fit flush with the back and side of the shelf. Clamp the two together on both ends and in the center if your shelf is especially long. Allow the glue to dry for time recommended by manufacturer.

After glue has dried, drive 1 1/4″ finishing screws thorough every 12″ of the mounting strip to reinforcing the bond. Drive screws just slightly below the top surface of the board.

Fill Holes

Use wood fill to cover screw holes and any dents or cracks in lumber. You can use a putty knife or credit card to work the wood fill into the holes. Allow product to dry completely.

Remove Imperfections

Sand area where the two boards meet removing any excess glue and making a flush edge. Sand any wood fill clumps, ensuring a smooth board surface. Finally, remove any rough edges or imperfections from the shelves with the sander.

Finish Shelves

I’ve found great success in finishing wood with water based stain followed by danish oil. Water based stain penetrates the wood deeply (unlike oil based stains or stain/urethane combinations which sit atop the surface after the first coat). The danish oil will add a protective coating, additional color vibrancy and a professional looking finish.

For my shelves, I applied 3 coats of dark stain followed by 3 coats of cherry danish oil. This produced a rich, dark base with subtle warm tones throughout. I apply both stain and danish oil using a soft rag, rubbing with the grain. This allows for stain to be thoroughly worked into the wood and won’t leave brush strokes. Make sure to use protective gloves and work in a well ventilated area. I ended up coming out of my basement with a Tijuana brown bag high and red hands for a week :(

Measure for Mounting

It is important to do this next step accurately (Double check this part!).

Bring your shelf to the location where it is to be mounted. Place it on the floor approximately where it would be mounted on the wall. With your shelf in it’s location, mark the wall where the shelf’s left and right ends fall. Measure the distance from these end points to the each stud and record this distances.

After you have found the distance from your shelf edges to the studs, mark the stud locations accordingly on your shelf’s mounting strip. Next, you will drill holes from the back to the front of the strip, ensuring a clean, 90′ drilling. Use a bit slightly smaller than the mounting screws, as they will need some grab to hold the shelf tightly in place.

Measure for Mounting

All that remains is to drill the studs so the mounting screws get through without stripping. I measured up from my floor to desired shelf height in order to get a level mount. Keeping exact distances in tact from the shelf edge to stud measurement, mark the spot to drill with your vertical line in place. It is important that the distance apart is exactly the same as what has been drilled in the shelf support strip already (otherwise your screws will misalign). Drill through the studs, again being careful to maintain a perfectly straight angle.

Attach the 12″ drill bit extender so that you can effectively drive your support screws through the front of the support strip and into the studs. Have someone hold the shelf flush with wall, insert your first screw and drive it through. Repeat this for the remaining holes and Voila! Thin floating shelves, the few and proud of their kind!

This was my first how-to, so please leave some comments on how I did! If anything is unclear or problems arise, feel free to shoot me an email or ask here. Cheers!