If you are coming over from Lindsay Hill Interiors, welcome! I'm participating in a fun blog hop today and sharing these easy DIY kitchen shelves.
I've always loved the look of open shelving and really wanted to incorporate it into our kitchen. I knew this spot would be the perfect space to try it out while still preserving most of our upper cabinets. I also thought removing this cabinet would help to let in some much needed extra light and make things feel more open and interesting. So let's start with the before.
I've always loved the look of open shelving and really wanted to incorporate it into our kitchen. I knew this spot would be the perfect space to try it out while still preserving most of our upper cabinets. I also thought removing this cabinet would help to let in some much needed extra light and make things feel more open and interesting. So let's start with the before.
I searched for the longest time trying to find open shelves that would support a decent amount of weight and wouldn't cost a fortune and came up empty handed. I also needed a specific length so that made finding ready made shelves difficult. So when I came across these brackets that didn't cost an arm and a leg I was so happy. And they support up to 88 lbs!
The instructions they came with were pretty vague, but they are pretty simple to figure out. They hardest, and most crucial part, is making sure the brackets are in the exact same place as the holes in the back of the shelf.
I started out by finding the studs in the wall using a stud finder. Then I marked where the studs were and used a laser level to make sure the marks were even. Next, I drilled a hole slightly
smaller in diameter than the bracket.
Then I used a hex bit attached to my drill to screw in the brackets. Make sure you screw them in as straight as possible.
Then I held the shelf up to my brackets and marked on the back where I needed to drill. You will need to drill exactly in the center of your marks both horizontally and vertically. If you have a drill press that would be best for this step. However, I didn't have one and it still worked fine. Just try to keep your drill bit as straight as possible. I made the hole slightly larger than the bracket.
You can use any type of wood you want, but just make sure it's a straight board and not warped. You'll also want to make sure the board is thick enough as well. Mine are around 2" thick and 9" deep. My dad actually made these for me with the help of a family friend. I think the wood is oak.
After you have your holes drilled, test them out to see if they fit on the brackets. If it's not an exact fit you can fudge a little bit by making the hole slightly bigger or using a rubber mallet to gently tap it into place. One of my holes was slightly off and I had to do this and it worked just fine.
I used a mixture of Minwax Jacobean and Minwax Classic Gray to stain the shelves. I don't know the exact proportions, but I just mixed it until I liked the color, using mostly Jacobean and a little bit of the classic gray. A piece of scrap wood works great to test out the color first. You can seal it with polycrylic, but I chose to skip it this time.
It's amazing what a difference this one little change made. It opened up the room so much and made that wall really stand out. Stay tuned for more kitchen updates. I can't wait to show you, it doesn't even look like the same space! Head on over to Styled With Lace for more inspiration or click the links below for the full blog hop.
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