DIY Floating Wood Shelves

Hey all,

Now that we are getting our new place together and our vacations for the summer are over, we finally have had time to do some DIY projects for the house! We got the idea from this awesome blog, Mommy Suite, that I follow and has a lot of ideas on Pinterest too. It was pretty simple to do, and the shelves ended up costing about $12 each. We had wood cut for 10 shelves but only put up 6 for now. Below is how I made my shelves, you can check out the Mommy Suite link to see exactly how she did hers and for more detailed pictures about steps along the way, but it was pretty straight forward!

What you'll need:
-Sand paper (or sanding tool) $3
-Wood stain of your choice (I used Minwax 1 qt. Wood Finish Classic Gray Oil-Based Interior Stain) $8
- 4 in. stainless steel corner brace (ours was a pack of 2 for $7) $21 total
- 2x10x10 wood (cut into 2 ft pieces at Home Depot) $26 for 10 2ft pieces
- Dry wall anchors and screws (we got 50 screws and anchors) $10
- Laser Level (already had from IKEA)
- Drill with large bit (already had from Target)
- Hammer (IKEA tool kit)

How to do it:
1. Sand the shelves down so they are as smooth as you want them to be. This is easier with a sanding tool, but I did not want to buy one, so I sanded them by hand.
2. Stir the stain WELL. Stain the shelves and let them sit for at least 6-8 hours.
3. Use the laser level to mark the two spots where you will drill your initial holes. This will end up being about 1/2 an inch above where the bottom of your shelf will sit. My two spots were about 14 inches apart.
4. Drill a hole in the wall the size of the dry wall anchor in the two spots that you marker.
5. Place the anchor in the hole, you may have to slightly tap the anchors with the hammer.
6. Put the first bracket against the wall and screw it into place using a drill or screwdriver.
7 Mark the second hole spot with the bracket in place. Turn the bracket slightly and drill your second hole. Repeat process #5.
8. Place the wood shelf on the brackets. Screw the tiny screws into the wood that came with the brackets, or use 1/2"-3/4" wood screws to screw them into place.
Tip: You will need two people for this step unless you are tall and/or good at holding wood in place while drilling.
9. Use the level to make sure they are even (I had no trouble with mine)
10. Decorate!

Where we bought the decor:
- Mason jar flower holder,& sign, and fake plant: Michales, on sale for $7, $3, and $2
- Wine glasses, stemmed and non-stemmed, and candle : Marshalls, $20 for all 12 glasses, and $7

I LOVE these shelves! And for the price you can't beat it! We hung up one in the half bathroom downstairs and may hang up another above it, but for now I am just happy with how the dining room turned out. #proudwifemoment. Also take a minute to love our BEAUTIFUL table that my Grandpa Ristow built us. Isn't it gorgeous?! Literally chopped down the trees and made it by hand. He's the real MVP. Really excited as we keep putting together our home and can't wait to share all of our fun projects with you all along the way!

Thanks for reading,
- Olivia :)