Floating Shelves DIY for the Home Bar Nook

Hello and welcome back! Our little home bar area has been my most popular projects both here on the blog and probably personally as well. We love having beer on tap and it’s so much cheaper! The one problem was that we need more storage. Our kitchen is just ridiculously small. Even though we are getting ready to renovate it and make it a little bigger, it’s still will not have much storage. Plus, it just makes more sense to have the bar glasses, you know…in the bar area. Because I loved the way it looked, I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do, but I finally just decided on some simple floating shelves on the sides. And you know, I actually do like it!

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The main reason I built the shelves on the side was to not cover up the planked wood wall. We still want to add a TV to this area, and I didn’t want the entire wall to be covered. So, I decided to utilize the side spaces.

Building floating shelves is actually pretty easy. The first thing you need to do is decide where you want them and find your studs. I love magnetic stud finders. They are so simple and do the trick every time. I can’t remember the last time I used an electric stud finder.

Anywho, once you find your studs, You’ll attach a board to the wall. This board will be covered, so just put it where you want the shelf and then attach wherever the studs are. I used a 1×3 but you can make it thicker if you like.

Next I cut another 1×3 the exact same size. I then used my table saw to make little boards that were 2.5″ thick and wide. I put pocket holes in the following pattern – one on each side facing down.

And then one on each of the edges facing the opposite way.

Then, using some wood glue I attached them to the second 1×3 with pocket hole screws so that it looked like this.

Next, I used clamps and wood glue again to attach this to the 1×3 that is anchored to the wall. I used the pocket holes on the edges to secure them in place.

Using plywood, I cut a piece for the top and bottom. I used plywood for these pieces because I had a ton of scraps. I again used wood glue and also countersunk a couple of screws just to make sure it was super secure.

For the side and front pieces, I used lumber cut to size. I didn’t want to use the plywood for these pieces because I knew the edges would show. It might be cool to have the plywood edges show for a different look but for this space I wanted more of a rustic look. So, I did the little side first. Mine ended up being 4×4″, but you would just measure the space. Think of how you want your edges to look and plan accordingly.

Then, you add the front face piece. I wanted the front to be seamless, with no edges. I forgot to take a pic before finishing, but I just attached it with wood glue and a couple of countersunk screws. After everything is attached and all the glue is dry, I filled all the holes and seems with wood filler. Then you just sand and stain however you like!

I used a 50/50 mix of Minwax classic gray and red oak stains because that’s what I had used on the bar shelves. Then I tried Minwax one coat polyurethane and it worked great! It was way easier than 3 separate coats.