Installing DIY faux floating shelves made from old barn wood in a small bathroom.
Slowly but surely I’m making progress in the bathroom. The painting is done, the vanity is in, the new lights and new mirror are up. We’ve also added a couple of faux floating shelves for some much needed storage.
I’d like to give equal time to every project (and stall for time while I finish up the vanity 😉 ), so we’ll focus on the faux floating shelves today.
I wanted something on the wall over the toilet, and I needed some storage (this bathroom is teeny tiny), so shelves were the right call. Budget is always a consideration when I do a project and this one was no different. After looking at several options, we ditched the idea of buying pre-made shelves and went with something we could DIY.
I had a couple of scrap pieces of old barn wood leftover from our Illinois kitchen remodel, so we decided to use that. The biggest issue we had was how to attach the wood to the wall so that they would be sturdy enough to hold decor and bathroom necessities.
My first thought was to use shelf brackets but the studs were in odd places behind the sheetrock, and we needed to hit them in order to keep the shelves from falling down. We had no idea what to use so the project stalled until I found these aluminum flat bars. It was the perfect size and it gave us just enough room to add holes so we could attach the shelf to the wall, and hit 2 studs.
One $11 strip was all we needed for both shelves, making this project come in way under budget.
It probably took us longer to measure everything. We had to be certain we knew where the studs were so we could drill the holes in the strip.
How to make floating shelves…
Once all the measurements were taken and we knew where the studs were, it was time to get the shelves ready to hang.
To attach the aluminum strip to our precut wood, we drilled 3 holes in the strip and 3 holes in the wood, evenly spaced. Then we drilled the 2 holes in the strip that lined up with the studs, so that the screws would hit the studs.
Once all the holes were drilled into the strip, we attached it to the wood. We did this by lining up the 3 holes across the wood with the 3 holes in the strip. Once the strip was attached to the wood, the shelf was ready to be attached to the wall.
All that measuring (and…let’s be honest…a little bit of arguing) paid off. We were able to get them up, level and secure on the first shot.
It sounds complicated but it wasn’t, and it actually worked very well. I wouldn’t put anything super heavy on the shelf, but they are very sturdy.
There is just enough space to add a little bit of decor among a few necessities. I also love that the old wood adds some warmth to the room.
Hope your week is a good one!
We also added industrial barn wood shelves to a guest bedroom in our Illinois house. It’s one of my most pinned projects on Pinterest.
DIY Barn Wood Industrial Shelves
And I added a set of shelves in our new kitchen for under $50.
DIY Kitchen Shelves for Under $50
Looks awesome dear! You guys did a great job!
Thanks Vel, I’m thrilled with the way they turned out.
This is great, I’ve never seen the floating style done with reclaimed wood before.
Thanks so much, Tracey. I’ll find any excuse to reclaimed wood in a project. 😉
Great idea and look good too.
Thanks Debbie. Hope you’re doing well, my friend.
I had no idea that was how the floating shelves were done. It makes for all kinds of possibilities ! They look great in your bathroom. Looking forward to seeing the whole room done.
Thanks Leigh! I think floating shelves are done a little bit differently than my version, but I really wanted to use that wood (and not spend a lot of money), so we had to improvise. 😉
The shelves look great, I had not thought of doing them that way. I love your styling too!
Thanks so much, Sam, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Really nice, thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!
Thanks so much!
Great idea! and it looks great too.
Thanks so much, Liz, I love the way they turned out. 🙂
Great idea. Thanks for sharing at the Monday Funday Party. – Emily
Thanks so much, Emily! 🙂
Ian having trouble seeing how you attached the flat bar to the wood. Do you have any photos of that part?
I’m sorry Mary, I don’t. I couldn’t get a clear closeup of the hubs drilling the holes. We just took the measurement of the length of the board and divided it into three. Then we drilled three holes in the wood, evenly spaced, and three holes in the aluminum strip, so they line up. Then we drilled 2 different holes in the strip where the studs would fall. That’s where we would screw it onto the wall, into the studs. If you look at the one pic with the strap on the wood, you can see the hole for the stud screws and the hole with the screw in it to attach the strap to the wood.
Hope all this makes sense. It sounds complicated but it’s really not. Let me know if you have any other questions.
The is AMAZING and awesome good job
Thanks Lorena, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Awesome job! Are those bars anything like french cleats? Or did you drill through the bars to hang? Thanks!
Thanks so much, Jo. We talked about using french cleats but did this instead (it was easier). So, no french cleats. We just drilled through the aluminum strap and screwed the shelf into the wall studs. They’re very secure. Hope that helps.
Maybe I missed it but how did you cut the aluminum to size?
Hi Carie. We used a hacksaw to cut the aluminum to size. Very easy to do. Hope that helps.
Very cute & rustic, which I love!
Thanks so much Florence! It’s amazing how old, rustic wood is “in” but I do love it. 🙂