Who doesn’t want a beautiful space in their house to decorate with sweet representable showpieces? We all do, but how many of us can achieve the exact look? Well, those who work for it! Floating Corner Shelves are one of the most organized yet beautiful-looking solutions to decorate your home.
A floating corner shelf is often called also a Cantilevered shelf. The shelves are held up by hidden support bracing instead of the typical visible brackets or braces that one would expect to see on wall shelves. These wall shelves with invisible braces are a sign of modern designs for homes. These floating corner shelves offer simple yet exquisite designs and work well in different rooms or corners of your house. These floating corner shelves look amazing, especially in modern design homes.
You can get these floating corner shelves in the desired corner of your house by building them yourself! How? We are here to tell you the easiest DIY for setting up a beautiful Floating Corner Shelf in any desired corner of your house.
About Floating Corner Shelves
Create beautiful floating corner shelves using two parts – a simple cleat attached to the wall and a hollow box that slides over it. Start from the wall cleats, build, and attach with a modified “E” shape to any corner of any room. Box in the cleats with prefinished bottom and top boards, and it is better to cover the edges with trim pieces so as to keep it properly hidden. Anchoring the cleats to the walls is one of the crucial processes. It is done to have a strong cantilevered shelf.
If you have an older design house with an imperfect square corner, fitting the floating shelves tightly might be a challenge. In this case, use Paintable caulk to fill gaps, if any, between the walls and the edge at the back of the shelf for a good finish.
Types of Equipment Required for DIY Floating Corner Shelves
- Tape measure
- 2 ½-inch screw
- Pencil
- Wood glue
- A power miter saw
- 2×3 standard lumber, 4ft.
- Screw gun
- 1×3 white primed trim boards, 8ft.
- Level
- 1×3 standard lumber (pine or fir), 8ft.
- Stud Finder
- 1×10 white-primed trim boards, 6ft.
- Speed square
- Spring clamps
- Brad Nailer
- Drill and ⅛-inch twist bit
DIY Floating Corner Shelves Technique
1. Preparation
In order to make the hidden bracket assembly and the upper and lower shelves, a miter saw is necessary. Follow the below given instructions:
To construct the wall cleat pieces for the wall assemblies, you must cut two pieces of 1×3 common lumber. One should measure 40 inches in length, and the other should be 39 1/4 inches long. Moreover, you must cut six pieces of 2×3 common stock, each measuring 8 inches in length. These pieces will serve as the perpendicular arms of the wall cleat assemblies. To form the top and bottom shelf surfaces that will encircle the wall cleats, you need to cut two pieces of 1×10 white-printed trim board stock at 40 inches and two pieces at 30 3/4 inches.
2. Assembling and Locating
After completing the preparation, the next step is to assemble the cleats. To begin, create the cleat on the right side. Position the 40-inch 1×3 board on a level surface and attach three 2×3 cleat arms perpendicular to the face of the wall cleat.
For the left side, the first arm should be 10 inches from the end of the wall cleat, the second arm at 24 inches, and the third arm should be set back ¾ inch from the right end of the wall cleat.
Once you have done this, attach each right-angle arm using wood glue. Align it properly so that they are exactly at a right angle to the wall cleats. Then, secure it with a pair of 2 ½ inch screws driven through the back face of the wall cleat and into the end of the arm. Use a speed square to ensure that the arms are perpendicular to the wall cleat. This step is important.
Repeat the process with the 39 1/4-inch wall cleat. In this case, start taking measurements from the right side so that the left side arm has a 3/4 inch setback from the end of the wall cleat.
Congratulations, you now have the E-shaped wall cleat assemblies ready for installation.
You can use a stud finder to locate the four studs required for anchoring the wall cleats. You will find two studs on either side of the corner junction. Normally, the studs are situated at a distance of 16 and 32 inches from the corner in standard wall construction, although this may not always be the case. Indicate the studs at the desired shelf height. To mark the top of the wall cleats, use a carpenter’s level to extend the level guidelines outward from the corner.
3. Connect the Right and Left Cleat
To begin, position the 40-inch wall cleat assembly on the right side of the corner, and ensure that the upper edge is coordinated well with the marked measurement line drawn on the wall. Proceed to drill pilot holes, and carefully drive 2 ½ inch screws into the stud with the help of the wall cleat. For optimal security, ensure that two screws are driven per stud, resulting in the cleat assembly jutting out parallel to the floor from the wall.
Next, place a 39 ¼ inch cleat assembly on the left side of the corner, ensuring that its end is butted against the right-hand cleat. Be sure to properly level the cleats and drive two screws into each of the two studs, similar to the right cleat.
4. Connect the Shelf Upper and Lower
Start by firmly attaching one 40-inch and one 30-¾-inch 1×10 to the top of the cleats at a perfect 90-degree angle. For this step, make use of a Brad nailer. It is crucial that the 1x10s extend beyond the cleat arms by at least ¾ inch to ensure the proper installation of trim pieces later on.
Repeat this process with the remaining pairs of 1x10s to completely cover the bottom of the cleat assemblies. While attaching the bottom boards to the cleat assemblies, it is essential to use spring clamps to hold them in place firmly.
5. Edge Trim Pieces and Connect Them
When working on a project, accurate measuring is crucial. Begin by measuring and cutting edge and face trim pieces from 1×3 trim boards. To ensure that the wall ends fit flush, cut them at a 90-degree angle. The outside and inside corners should be joined at a 45-degree angle to create seamless joints. Pay close attention to your measurements and cuts, as mistakes are common when working with mitered corners.
Once you have completed the measuring and cutting stage, it’s time to connect the edge trims. It’s important to attach them one by one and sandwich them between the upper and lower shelf surfaces. Make sure they are well attached to the edges and keep them in place with the help of spring clamps as you attach them with vertically-driven brads through the upper and lower shelf surfaces.
6. Finishing Up
It’s time for the finishing touches. If you have any holes left from the brads that were used with the wood fillers, you can fill them now. Additionally, if there are any gaps along the wall joint, you can use paintable caulk to fill them in. It’s normal to have gaps if your walls aren’t perfectly squared.
Disclaimer
These floating corner shelves are designed to enhance the modern look of homes and provide a stylish way to display showpieces. They are crafted using delicate materials, which is why it is necessary to avoid placing heavy objects like books, appliances, and office equipment on them. By doing so, you can ensure that these shelves remain functional and visually appealing.
Summing It Up
All in all, now that you have made the floating corner shelves for your home, you might have got the amazing experience of a DIY task. Well, DIYs can be hectic but let me tell you, they can be super fun when done with our homies as a game or a fun task. You must take all the safety measures while making it because these works might lead to small injuries when not paid undelivered attention while working on them. Making DIY floating corner shelves is going to be quite a good experience for you if you do it all according to the instructions without missing out on anyone of them.
We hope that with the help of this blog, you are going to make the floating corner shelves for your home the same as you wanted it!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Would One Know the Angle for Cutting a Floating Corner Shelf?
So basically, the angle depends on how you want your corner shelf to look. You can put the pieces together at a 90-degree angle with straight cuts. Or else you can cut each piece at a 45-degree angle so that they can fit together in the center of the shelf.
What is the Best Way to Provide Support to The Floating Corner Shelf?
If you’re looking to support your corner shelves, using E-shaped wall cleats or metal L brackets can provide the necessary strength. It’s important to ensure the shelves are properly supported, especially if you plan to place heavy items on them.
Is It Cost-Efficient to Build Your Own DIY Floating Corner Shelf?
Well, costing depends on the items you used to build your floating corner shelf. It is usually cheaper when you build your own corner shelves, but it can still be different as it depends on the items you have used.
