Dr. Suess Book Nook - Floating Shelves

Hello again! Today I’m sharing the details on the floating shelves I put up in the book nook. We’ve had them up a little over 6 months and they are holding up so well. They hold a ton of books and even with the kids pulling and tugging on them, we’ve had no issues at all.

When I first had the idea for the book nook, I knew I wanted some floating shelves on the side. I like floating shelves because the are super sturdy and leave the bottom of the shelf open and clean so the books below could fit in nicely. Since there was a stud running next to the brick, I started by nailing a 2×4 to the stud and then used heavy duty drywall anchors and countersunk screws along the rest of the 2×4. Be sure to check that it’s level before continuing!

Then I built these little supports. I had to pre-drill a ton of pocket holes because I wanted to make sure the books didn’t go anywhere.

I pulled the sides in a little bit because I couldn’t get my drill in there. This space is tight, haha!

So, I completed this whole book nook by ALMOST using all leftover 2x4s, but I this point I had to buy a couple 1 x 8s to finish it up. Darn – so close! I just cut them to fit the space and glued and screwed them on.

Then I added a piece to the front to cover it all and make it look nice and smooth. I had to use glue and countersunk screws here.

I painted it all and then added some leftover trim from another project and also the trim I pulled out of the closet at the beginning of the project.

Now it was time to fill all the gaps and holes. This stuff is great because it is paintable and sandable and looks great when finished.

Once I got them all ready, I painted them all in Bohemian Lace by Sherwin Williams.

Then I added all the super fun accessories and books! Head here to see my post about how I made that sign and all the other fun stuff HERE.

Our book nook holds a ton of books and the kiddos love it. After 6 months it’s one of our favorite spaces in the house, and I have had any problems with the shelves sagging at all!

That’s how I built the floating shelves for our book nook. If you’d like to see how I built the bench, check out that post HERE. All the info on the accessories – including the custom made wall art and the rag rug, check out that post HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

April