How to Build Floating Shelves

Published June 14, 2019 | Last Updated May 16, 2020

Learn how to build floating shelves in this easy, step-by-step tutorial. Building these floating shelves requires minimal tools and skill, but adds loads of charm!

When I shared these floating shelves in the girls’ bathroom reveal, you all went crazy for them and begged me for instructions. It’s been months since I built those, and I haven’t had the opportunity to build more until our recent office makeover. This time around I wasn’t in such a rush to get them done, so I remembered to take some photos along the way for this post. Building floating shelves is a very easy project, and I hope this tutorial gives you the confidence to try it in your own home. 

How to Build Floating Shelves

Materials List:

• 3/4″ plywood (the good stuff) ripped down to the length and depth you need
• 1×2″ pine boards for the inside support
• 1×4″ boards for the front face
• 1/4″ extra thin maple plywood for the underside of the shelf
• Natural Oak staining cloths by Minwax
• Provincial stain by Minwax
• Briarsmoke stain by Varathane
• latex gloves
• Deft Acrylic in satin
• wood filler
• 220 grit sanding block or electric sander with sand paper
•  

Tools Needed:

• nail gun and nails
• air compressor
• 2″ fine bristle paint brush
• table saw (or have the hardware store rip the large plywood sheets down for you)
• miter saw
• stud finder
• level
• pencil or pen

Note: If you are wanting to build floating shelves that do not have walls on either side, this is not the tutorial for you. That’s a whole other type of build, and this process will not work. 

Preparation for Floating Shelves

The closet in our office had really old shelving that I ripped out. I left the support pieces though because I liked the placement of each shelf, and this was one less step for me. Plus, the way I build floating shelves, the bottom is completely covered, so these old support pieces will never be seen. 

When building floating shelves, you have to account for the finished 4-inch thickness of them. If you don’t factor that in, they could be too close together for your liking.  

Support Pieces for Floating Shelves

When you’re ready to install your support pieces (the 1×2’s), keep in mind they do not have to be exactly as long or as wide as the finished shelf. You just need enough length to nail and/or screw them into studs. Also, the front of the side supports must be flush with the front of the plywood. You’ll be mounting the front piece onto this portion and you need it to have more surface area. 

The existing supports in this closet were a tad too short for my shelves, so I just added a small piece to make everything flush. 

Ripping Down Plywood

Any time I need to purchase a large 4’x8′ sheet of plywood for a project, I have Lowe’s rip it down for me. I do have a table saw, but it’s hard to work such a large piece of wood, and I can’t transport that big of item in my vehicle. If you are building smaller floating shelves, you probably won’t need them to do this for you, but know that it is an option. 

The nice thing about coming home with shelf pieces already cut is that if I need to shave off a little on the sides or front, it’s a much smaller piece of wood for me to work with. 

Staining Floating Shelves

At this point in the building process, one side of each piece gets a good sanding with 220 grit paper (only sand the sides that will be exposed). Then I stain the sides that will be exposed. To do this, I layer three stains. 

• Minwax Natural Oak staining cloth
• Varathane Briarsmoke
• Minwax Provincial stain

Remember to do this before you install all the pieces. 

Building Floating Shelves

Once all that prep work is done, assembling these shelves is fairly easy. I simply set the top piece onto my 1×2 supports and nail them in a with a nail gun. 

Then I attach the front 1×4 trim piece and nail along the top and sides.

After that, I attach another 1×2 piece on the back side of the front trim piece as extra support for the underside. Essentially, the underside is being mounted upside down, so it tends to sag in the front if it’s not nailed in. 

Finally, I pop the bottom piece up into the underside of the floating shelf and nail it in to the front, sides and back 1×2 support pieces. 

*Note: I did not measure where to put that extra 1×2″ front support. You only need a little lip on that underside for the 1/4″ plywood to grab onto, so I eyeballed it and it worked great.

The floating shelves are now completed and ready for wood filler and a protective sealer. My favorite one is Deft Acrylic in satin finish.

Make sure to dab the nail holes with a tiny amount of stain after the wood filler is dry and before you apply Deft.

Finish Floating Shelves

I use a paint brush to apply the Deft because I need to cut in along the edges, and I don’t like taping off if I don’t absolutely have to. It’s pretty self-leveling and dries to a nice smooth finish. 

Have fun styling and/or organizing your shelves, and pat yourself on the back because now you know how to build floating shelves!

I built these floating shelves over my floating desk in our office/guest room. To see the full reveal of that space, click here. 

Yield: Floating Shelves

How to Build Floating Shelves

Print

Easily build shelves that appear to be floating with this tutorial.

Additional Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost Varies

Materials

• 3/4″ plywood (the good stuff) ripped down to the length and depth you need
• 1×2″ pine boards for the inside supports
• 1×4″ boards for the front face (pick a species that matches the plywood you're using)
• 1/4″ extra thin maple plywood for the underside of the shelf
• Stain of choice (I used Natural Oak staining cloths by Minwax + Provincial stain by Minwax + Briarsmoke stain by Varathane)
• Gloves to protect your hands
• Deft acrylic in satin finish
• Wood Filler
• 220 Grit sanding block or electric sander with sand paper

Tools

• Nail gun and nails
• 2" fine bristle paint brush
• Table saw (or have Lowe's/Home Depot rip down the plywood for you)
• Miter saw
• Stud finder
• Level
• Pencil or pen

Instructions

Measure

1. Measure and determine the placement of your shelves. Remember that these type of shelves are 4 inches thick, so account for that when spacing out the height of each shelf.
2. Determine how wide each shelf is and how deep you want them to be. I've built 6", 8", and 17" shelves, so this is just a personal choice based on your storage needs.
3. Use your stud finder to find and mark the studs all both side walls and the back wall. These will hold your support boards for the internal frame of the floating shelves.

Shelf Supports

1. Cut down your 1×2's to the width of the wall and the depth of the shelf (3 pieces in total...2 sides and the back). The 1×2 piece that will support the back of the shelf does NOT need to be the full length of the wall…it can be shorter than the wall as long as you have room to attach it to the studs. However, the side pieces need to extend exactly as far as the depth of the shelf because you will be attaching the front face board to the side pieces.
2. Use your nail gun to attach the back 1×2 support to the studs in the wall, leveling as you go (for extra support, use screws where the studs are). Then use your level to determine where your side supports need to be placed and attach them to the studs in the side walls. Now you have your full support for the shelf.

Ripping Down Plywood

1. If you had Lowe’s or Home Depot rip down a sheet of 3/4″ plywood to the length and depth you need for the tops of your shelves, then you can skip to Step 7. But, if you brought home full sheets of plywood for the tops, use your table saw to rip them down to the length and depth you need.
2. Repeat Step 6 for the undersides of your shelves, and then use your miter saw to cut the length of 1x4 you need for the fronts of your shelves. This should be all the cutting you need to do.

Sanding and Staining

1. Sanding: If you are making large floating shelves, I recommend using an electric sander. For smaller floating shelves, a sanding block should be sufficient.
2. Staining: At this point in the building process, one side of each piece gets a good sanding with 220 grit paper (only sand the sides that will be exposed). Then stain the sides that will be exposed. To do this, I layer three stains. Minwax Natural Oak staining cloth, Varathane Briarsmoke, Minwax Provincial stain. Remember to do this before you install all the pieces.

Building Floating Shelves

1. Attach Top: Set the top board onto the support boards and use your nail gun to nail it to the supports around the outer edges.
2. Attach Front Trim Piece: Use your nail gun to attach the front trim piece to the top piece and side supports, making sure the top of the front trim piece is flush with the top of the shelf.
3. Add Extra Support: After that, attach another 1×2 piece on the back side of the front trim piece as extra support for the underside. Essentially, the underside is being mounted upside down, so it tends to sag in the front if it’s not nailed in. 

1. Attach Underside: Finally, pop the bottom piece up into the underside of the floating shelf and nail it in to the front, sides and back 1×2 support pieces.

Finishing the Shelves

1. Fill in any nail holes with wood filler and then use a Minwax Natural Oak staining cloth to lightly apply some stain to each hole you filled. Wipe off excess.
2. Use a 2″ fine bristle paint brush to apply Deft Acrylic in Satin to the shelves. It’s up to you if you choose to apply one or two coats, but you need to seal your shelves in order to preserve their beauty and avoid scratches or discoloration down the road.

Now that I’ve taught you how to build floating shelves, I would love to see your finished project if you decide to create these. I look forward to seeing lots of these shelves “floating” around out there.

Other rooms I’ve built floating shelves for:

• Hannah’s Closet
• Reading Nook
• Girls’ Bathroom
• Shared Office

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