$12 Custom Shelf

Lookee what I made!  And I did it for only about $12. I know you could make one of these, too! All you really need is a power drill and a screwdriver.

 

Part of my grand plan for my play-guest-room makeover includes a shelf with some specific dimensions. It needs to be pretty wide (about 4 feet) and about 8 inches deep and sturdy. Rather than waiting to find just the right thing, I decided to go the Home Depot route and just make it myself. And I am so glad I did! It really wasn't that hard and now I have just what I want, even down to the paint color.

Here's how I did it:

First, I went to good old Home Depot and selected a 8' x 8" x 3/4" board. Since I planned to paint the finished product, I got a basic board for about $8. (The premium lumber, I've learned, is knot-free, which was not necessary for this project.) I asked the lumber pro to cut it into two 4" boards. (Home Depot will cut lumber for free!). After some measuring, and learning that 8' boards aren't exactly 8', I came home with two 4' 1/8" boards and two shelf brackets which cost just under $2 each.

The edges were a little rough so I smoothed them out with a sanding block. I made sure the corners were rounded so the hubby and I the kids don't bump into them and get hurt.

I only rounded out the corners that would be exposed. Why make more work for myself?

Once the pieces were sanded, I labeled them. I didn't need to spend extra mental energy keeping track of which was which.

I measured 6" from the edges and marked eight spots: two for attaching the top piece to the side piece, two for attaching to top piece to the bracket, and two for attaching the side piece to the bracket. Then the fun began:

vrooooom!

After predrilling four holes, I hand tightened the screws, and then finished them with the drill to make them flush with the wood.

When everything was together, the angles weren't exactly 90 degrees. Hmmm.

 

So I did a little unscrewing and pushing and rescrewing (don't you love my technical terms?) until it was more flush. I never got it perfect but it was close enough, considering I could fill in some of the tiny gaps with paint. I would have used some wood filler if it had bothered me, but ultimately I got it close enough for jazz.

Wood filler was just the thing for filling in the screw heads on top!

Then I slopped on two coats of the color I'm using for trim in the playroom: Benjamin Moore's Simply White from my Pottery Barn paint palette.

And there you have it!  I know this guy would look more impressive installed on the wall but the paint is still drying and I just couldn't wait another minute to show it to you. The next time you see him, he should be in his new home, and decked out with some bling. And I'll show you why having a 4' shelf was so important to my design!

Building stuff is so rewarding and much less daunting than it seems. I'd even say it was fun!

So, what have you built lately? Tell me all about it in the comments, and link to your project if you have a record of it!

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