DIY SHELF – WARDROBE ORGANISATION – CREATE MORE SPACE
Needing more space to get organised? Well this little project may well be the project for you.
The area I decided to recreate was the walk in wardrobe in our master bedroom. It lacked personality, was boring as hot chips without chicken salt. It also needed a little more organisation and storage. The first project I worked on in this space was the creation of a shelf in our very empty area at the top of the robe. We have a super high ceiling and lots of wasted/empty space. I also wanted to incorporate a new shade/colour scheme and elected to go with a raw wood and black look to ensure flow with our bedroom.
The shelf was super easy to make, and to install, and a cheaper option than engaging a cabinet maker. I chose a premium pine from Bunnings, and some Porta Pine to create the brackets. The reason I went with this option is that I had a 2m plus area to work with, and no support area in the centre; and wanted a minimal look.
I cut all my own wood at home as I have all the tools, however you can either measure up and take the measurements to your local Bunnings and get them to cut your wood to size or use either a circular saw or jigsaw to cut your wood to length as required.
What you will need cut:
- Premium Pine for the shelf for the length of the area you are working with. Ensure a snug end-to-end fit.
- Porta Pine in 3 pieces. The left and right piece to match the size of the width of your shelf. And a single longer piece to sit along the entire length. Mine required a length of approx. 1m.
I only needed to give the shelf a very light sand, as I wanted a raw finish look to the wood. I used my Ryobi Hand Sander- a great little tool for small projects. I used a 180 grit sand paper. If you don't own or have access to a sander, there is a wide range of hand sander tools you can get your hands on, otherwise the old fashioned way of sand paper wrapped on a wooden block and some elbow grease will do the job! Otherwise check out the hand sander options here
How to:
1.I pre-drilled some holes into the wooden brackets. The drill piece was a touch smaller than the screw I used. Then two drill holes on each of the smaller ends,and three on the middle one.
Note- I recommend that you use a stud finder to find the studs and if possible place the screws into studs
- I then measured the height all of the way around the wall where the brackets needed to be mounted. I did this the super easy way to make sure it was exact all the way around by using my measuring square as pictured below.
- You may need a second hand to screw it all into place to keep the wood straight/level, otherwise if you are more experienced on the tools just grab the drill and get on with it.
- Once all screws are in place, place the length of wood on top and voila! PS- Don't forget to check it is level with a spirit level.
- Optional- to secure the shelf onto the wooden slats you can always pop on a bit of wood glue , and don't forget to wipe off any excess that oozes out
- Finish off with some screw caps if you desire
Materials for UNDER $50 summary:
- Porta Pine for brackets
- Screws we just used some that were laying around at home, otherwise you can easily pick up set screws at your local hardware store
- Sandpaper (Start at as little as $1 a piece)
Optional/home supplies:
- Black Screw caps ($5.80) Also come in various other colours
- Varnish or coconut oil
- Drill or Phillip's head screw driver
- Jigsaw or circular saw
- Electric Hand Sander
- Spirit level
I trust you have enjoyed this easy DIY shelf project and that you will enjoy the rest of the transformation of our wardrobe to be a more functional, friendly and stylish space.
I hope I can help guide and inspire you in making your wardrobe a lovable space and I can't wait to share many more projects with you! Please reach out if you need help or would like to chat about a project.
Big love
Ange x