DIY Wall to Wall Floating Shelves

I am so excited to share with you today’s project!

This is the first home improvement project we’ve tackled inside our home since moving in last spring.

During the building process Roger and I completed two bonus rooms as well as built/assembled the laundry room cabinets and shelves.

After we moved in last April we decided to take a mini-break from projects after having spent 2 years renovating our last house and then a year of house building.

Over the fall and winter, we spent some time working on creating trails through our woods while Roger also started work on completing our basement (it’s ready for drywall!).

And after having spent a year simply enjoying our home we were ready to start a new project together.

So I was super excited to have the opportunity to work with KILZ on a home improvement project that I’ve been dreaming about since before we even started building this house.

Long before we started building I dreamt of having built-in shelves in our living room (on either side of our fireplace), on one wall in my office, and upstairs in this nook.

A little into building our house we realized that we needed to cut back on extras and save them for projects once we had moved into our house and things had settled down.

And I’ve been keeping a little secret, we actually started the process of creating our living room built-ins in January!

At the beginning of the year we designed the built-ins and then in February we ordered the base cabinets, but they probably won’t be here for a few more weeks.

So while we waited we began to look for other projects we could work on around our house.

And these DIY Wall to Wall Floating Shelves were the perfect project!

Not only were we able to check something off of our home improvements list, but it is the perfect stepping stone project for our living room built-ins.

Plus I was able to learn more about the benefits of priming with KILZ and now I know that I will be using this primer again when we create our next set of built-ins.

For both the back wall and the shelves I used KILZ 2® ALL-PURPOSE Primer to ensure our hard work would last.

This primer blocks medium stains including minor water stains, rust, grease, ink, pencil and felt marker. Enhanced hiding makes it ideal for changing colors and helps lessen the number of coats of paint required.

I have a habit of changing and moving our decor around our house on a regular basis, so it feels good to know that these shelves are built and primed to last through many seasons of change.

Click here to learn more about how KILZ can help you with your next home improvement project!

Oh, and while I do have a full tutorial below, if you want to watch a mini video tutorial of this project you can find it here.

Supplies:

1. First, paint the walls with KILZ 2 ALL-PURPOSE followed by your desired paint color. Following the directions on the paint cans for correct drying between each coat.

2. Next, cut the 12×1 inch boards at 1/4th inch shorter than the measured space between your walls where the shelves will go. You need a slight gap so that there will be room for the shelves to slide between the walls.

3. Then paint the boards with KILZ 2 ALL-PURPOSE, you only need to paint one side of each board since you will be connecting two together. Be sure to put whichever side of the wood is rougher or has defects on the inside while painting the prettier outer sides.

4. Once dry, line up two equal length 12×1″ boards and screw them together with the KILZ primed sides facing out. Make sure your screws embed into the wood just a little so that after you caulk/putty the surface it will be smooth and flush.

5. We did 6 screws per shelf, two on each end and two in the middle. Also, make sure that the screws do not go through the opposite side of the board when screwing the boards together.

6. Putty or caulk the screw holes (with paintable caulk) as well as any large cracks/gaps and sand as needed to ensure the shelves are smooth.

7. Once you have your 4 shelves done and the walls are dry you can begin to assemble your floating wall shelves.

Side note: You can build your shelves to whatever height you like best. Our ceilings in this space are 9 feet tall and we chose to put the first shelf 2 feet up and then each additional shelf 16 inches up from that one (not including shelf height).

8. Start by measuring up 2 ft from the floor and then install the cut pieces of 1×2″ wood brackets using a level and stud finder to ensure your screws are in the studs. Securing these wood brackets into the studs is very important as it is what is going to be holding the weight of the shelves and whatever items you place on your shelves.

9. Make sure these wood brackets are flush against the wall and level, then screw them into the wall, at least in two different studs.

10. We added an extra bracket screwed into the first one on each side for additional support. You can see the difference in the second photo above between the bottom shelf and the second shelf.

11. Make sure your screw heads are submerged into the wood in order to be able to caulk/putty them and create a smooth surface.

TIP: You can use a large drill bit to pre-drill a wider but shallow depression in the wood or use an MDF bracket pieces for the screw head to submerge below the level of the rest of the wood.

12. After the wood brackets are in place and secure you can slide the first shelf on top, then screw it down as well. Again submerging the screw head into the wood. We used 2 screws on each side of the board (4 total) to secure them to the brackets.

13. Measure up 16″ and repeat steps 9-12 for the next shelf. Continue this process until all of your shelves are built.

14. After your shelves are mounted and secured, use a finishing nail gun and small finish nails to add a trim piece to the ends of each shelf.

15. Caulk and/or putty all screw holes and any gaps. Let dry.

16. Then add 1-2 coats of trim paint, we used semi-glossy bright white paint. Let dry according to the packaging instructions.

17. Have fun decorating!

I hope this DIY tutorial helps you as you update and decorate your home!

If you are looking for more home decor inspiration you can find many more home posts, inspiration, and tutorials by clicking here.

And if you use this post to help you on a home improvement project for your home, be sure to share a picture and tag @DomesticallyBlissful on Instagram so that we can all see your beautiful DIY and so that I can share your photo on my stories!

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With love, Giusti