Power Tools Rater: DIY Beautiful Wall Cubby Shelf

Hello friends at Remodelaholics! It's Ananda from A Piece Of Rainbow, where I blog about home and garden inspirations, and creative DIY projects!

We all love a beautiful and well organized room, such as this gorgeous craft room at Just Between Friends blog.

Are you noticing that wall shelf?

Jonie found this beauty at a local store which has closed. She graciously gave us permission to create a building plan for everyone who wants it. Thank you Jonie!

This unique and versatile wall shelf would look great in so many spaces in a house: kitchen, kid’s room, office, craft room, or even laundry room.

How to Build a Wall Cubby Shelf

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Before we start building, remember safety first! Please follow good practices to build safely and smartly. Always wear eye and hearing protection. Work on a clean level surface, free of clutter or debris.

Let’s start with the cut list:

All parts are cut from a sheet of ¾” thick plywood.

(1) 9.25” x 40.75” : back side of shelf
(1) 10” x 40.75” : bottom of shelf
(2) 3.5” x 40.75” : top and front trim
(6) 9.25” x 9.25” : shelf dividers
Optional: (2) 3” x 36”, these two pieces are for hanging ( see Step 5 ) and do not need to be very accurate.
Optional: ¾” edge banding if you want to give the plywood cut edges a more finished look.

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Other Materials and Tools:

paint and / or stain for finishing
jig saw, circular saw, sand paper or sanding pad, drill, 1 ½” wood screws
measuring tape, square, pencil, safety glasses!!
Kreg jig ( optional: a 90 degree clamp ) and 1 ½” pocket hole screws

Step 1:

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Drill pocket holes on the back board. Join the back and bottom of shelf together at 90 degrees using 1 ½” pocket hole screws.

A good way to do this is to use Kreg jig and the right angle clamp.

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Image Credit: Kreg Jig

Step 2:

Cut each divider using the measurements below. Cut the curves slowly and carefully with a jigsaw.

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Attach each divider to the back and bottom of shelf using 1 ½” wood screws.

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Step 3:

Add top and front trim pieces to the shelf.

Because these two pieces are not structural, you can screw them at just a couple of end points.

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Step 4: Options for hanging.

One option is to screw the shelf directly to the wall studs.

Another great option is to use French Cleat, which comes with a cleat mounted to the wall and a matching edge cut into the object to be hung.

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You can either buy or make your own French Cleats by cutting a 45 degree slope into two piece of ¾” plywood. The cleat can be the full length of the cabinet, or slightly shorter.

Once the cleat is secured to the wall, the cabinet can be simply lifted onto it. Even a heavy cabinet can be hung easily this way.