Decorative shelf brackets add charm to shelves.
Making shelves is a great way to add storage space in your home or garage. Building them yourself doesn't mean the shelves have to look utilitarian. For a classically elegant, attractive set of homemade shelves,take the time to put a couple of coats of paint on the shelf tops and add decorative shelf brackets. Art deco cast iron brackets move away from the utilitarian look of regular brackets and make your homemade shelves something to be proud of. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cut your plywood into a 24-by-12-inch piece; if making multiple shelves, then cut the desired number of shelf tops from the plywood. You can get roughly 14 shelf tops of this size from an 8-by-4-foot plywood sheet.
2. Sand your shelf top, then paint it the desired color. Apply two or three coats to get a really good finish.
3. Find the studs in the area where you want to hang your shelves; most internal wall studs are spaced 16 inches apart, which will be the spacing used for this shelf. Mark the stud location with a pencil, then measure the distance of your top shelf from the roof down and mark this point on the studs. If you are making a vertical row of shelves, start from the top; if you are making a line of shelves horizontally along a wall, mark the studs at the same height along the wall.
4. Place the level between the two points marked to make sure they are even; adjust as necessary.
5. Position one shelf bracket on one of the points marked; make sure it is level. Screw in place, using 2-inch screws through the wall and into the stud behind. Place the second shelf bracket on the other point marked, making sure the tops are level, then screw in place.
6. Center your shelf top over the two shelf brackets; there should be roughly 4 inches overhang on each side. Repeat for more shelves as desired.
Tags: shelf brackets, shelf tops, your shelf, along wall, homemade shelves, make sure, marked make
