How to make shelves with your own hands: 8 options, photo and video master class

Hanging shelf made of boards

This design will perfectly fit into a loft-style interior. It doesn't take much time and special skills to make an original shelf on your own.

Materials and tools

For work you will need:

• 2 wooden boards.
• 4 leather belts.
• 4 short and 4 long screws with dowels.
• Stationery knife.
• Ruler.
• Drill.
• Level.

The photo shows the necessary blanks and tools.

Step-by-step instruction

Getting started:

1. We measure the desired size with a ruler and cut off the belts with a clerical knife. Fold each belt in half and drill the holes with a drill.
   
2. We fix the resulting hinges on the wall using dowels and large screws. Insert the board and align it horizontally using a level.
   
3. Additionally, we fasten the belts with small screws. The original shelf is ready.

How to make a pallet shelf?

Pallets (or pallets) are often used to decorate and manufacture various furniture: tables, cabinets and, of course, shelves.

Materials and tools

To make a shelf with your own hands you will need:

• A pallet that can be purchased from a hardware store or a pallet factory. Some enterprises are ready to give away used containers free of charge.
• Circular or hand saw.
• Sander or coarse sandpaper.
• Hammer, nails and crowbar.
• Pencil and tape measure (or ruler).

The photo shows an untreated pallet, from which you can make two wall shelves.

The working process

Let's start making a shelf with our own hands:

1. With the help of a crowbar, remove the center planks.
2. We nail the resulting parts to the sides of the pallet, which will become the bottom of the shelves.
3. We make markings with a pencil and cut off the lower and upper parts for the shelf, as shown in the photo:
   
4. We sand the surface to get rid of burrs and irregularities.
5. If desired, the finished shelf can be painted or stained.

Creating a plywood shelf on the wall

This is an easy and inexpensive way to create functional decoration for any room.

In the photo, the shelves are triangular in shape, which look great in the nursery.

Materials and tools

For manufacturing you will need:

• A piece of plywood 2 cm thick.
• Jigsaw.
• Joiner's glue.
• Sander or sandpaper.
• Self-tapping screws.
• Primer.
• Simple mounting brackets.

In the photo - plywood was cut along pre-drawn lines.

The working process

If all the tools are at hand, let's start creating a shelf:

1. Cut out three identical rectangles.
2. We make the ends beveled.
3. We clean the wood.
4. Let's start assembling. To do this, glue the edges and fix the triangles with self-tapping screws.
   
5. To hide the screws, we prime the attachment points and grind the product.
6. We attach the finished product to the wall with corner brackets.

Laminate floor shelf

It happens that after the repair there are remnants of various materials. You should not throw them away - you can make a nice shelf for shoes or decor from scraps of laminate.This design will perfectly fit into a hallway or a country house.

In the photo - a floor shelf made of the remains of a laminate.

Materials and tools

To create a shelf with your own hands you will need:

• Remains of laminate.
• Pencil and ruler.
• Electric jigsaw.
• Universal adhesive.

Step-by-step instruction

Getting started:

1. We cut parts using a jigsaw.
2. We glue them together in accordance with the drawing. It is not recommended to drill the laminate, as the material is porous inside, so when drilling it will crumble and the product will be very easy to ruin.
3. Since the thickness of the laminate is no more than 12 mm, it is necessary to reinforce the structure with a vertical lamella, as shown in the photo:
   
4. It is not recommended to heavily load the shelf.

Options for original shelves from available tools

In the modern world, the idea of ​​recycling raw materials is becoming more and more popular. To contribute to the preservation of the environment, many people try to reuse things and, using their imagination, create magnificent decor elements. One such example is original shelves made of unnecessary materials.

Invisible shelves of books

If a beautiful, durable, but completely uninteresting book is gathering dust in the apartment, it can easily be turned into an unusual hanging shelf.

The photo shows a bedside shelf for books and personal belongings, which seems to float in the air.

Materials and tools

To work, you need to prepare:

• Books.
• Brackets (one for each book).
• 3 screws (each with two washers).
• 3 dowels with screws for attaching the brackets to the wall.
• Drill.

The photo shows the necessary tools for making an invisible shelf with your own hands.

Step-by-step instruction

We start manufacturing:

1. We apply the bracket in the center, clamp it and make the markings.
2. We drill the marked holes in the future shelves.
3. We put the bracket in the book, insert the screw and washer into it - and fix the second washer on the other side.
   
4. We tighten all the screws with a screwdriver or screwdriver.
5. We drill a hole in the wall for the dowel with a drill and fix the bracket with the finished shelf on it.

Shelf house

This shelf can be used for kitchen utensils or in the nursery for toys.

Materials and tools

To make a shelf with your own hands you will need:

• Boards or plywood.
• A jigsaw for cutting out parts of the desired size.
• Glue.
• F-shaped clamps.
• Primer and paint.

Step-by-step instruction

Getting started:

1. We cut out the strips of the desired size, grind.
2. We glue the parts together, clamping with the help of special clamping devices:
   
3. After drying, we prime the surface and paint it in the desired color.

Shelf-honeycomb

We offer another budget way to create an outstanding hexagonal shelf with your own hands from ice cream sticks.

In the photo there is an unusual shelf for a flower made from scrap materials.

Materials and tools

For work, you need a minimum of materials:

• Ice cream sticks.
• Paper and pencil.
• Glue.
• Paint or stain, long-bristled brush.
• Wall mountings.

The photo shows the necessary materials for making a shelf in the form of honeycombs.

Step-by-step instruction

To make a neat shelf, you need to be patient:

1. We draw a regular hexagon on paper.
2. We glue the sticks, as shown in the photo.
   
3. We cover the product with paint or stain and get an eco-friendly DIY shelf. Several of these structures can be connected to each other and create a wall composition with an interesting design.

Hanging shelf on ropes

This shelf will look great in Scandinavian, country and eco-style.

The photo shows an easy-to-manufacture hanging shelf on ropes.

Materials and tools

To create a shelf with your own hands you will need:

• Drill with drill.
• Blank boards.
• Sandpaper.
• Jute rope.
• Scissors.
• Paints and brushes.

The photo shows the materials that are needed to make the shelf. Clamps may be required additionally.

Step-by-step instruction

Getting started:

1. Using sandpaper, we carefully process the boards.
2. To make the arrangement of the holes symmetrical, fold the parts together and connect with clamps.
3. After fixing, select the drill diameter: it should be about 5 mm larger than the rope diameter. We drill holes:
   
4. If desired, you can paint the shelves: in whole or in part, making only the edges colored.
5. Putting the structure together. To do this, we tie a knot that will hold the board, thread it through the hole, tie another knot. We repeat the process for all other holes.
6. We pass the rope through the holes of the second shelf. The main thing is that the distances from knot to knot are the same on all parts of the rope.
7. We connect all four segments and attach them to the ceiling using an anchor with a hook.

Video

3 detailed master classes for creating a shelf yourself.

Photo gallery

Making a shelf with your own hands is a great way to add warmth and warmth to the interior, as well as save the family budget.