• Home
  • ABOUT
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Paint Colors
  • Shop Our House
    • Guest Bedroom
    • Front Living Room
    • Living Room with Fireplace
    • Previous Second Living Room
    • Current Playroom
    • Prior Playroom
    • Dining Room
    • Laundry Room
    • Oliver’s Bedroom
    • Guest Bathroom
    • Covered Lanai
    • Patio
    • Master Bedroom
  • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Within the Grove

Join the list to receive occasional news and special updates!

DIY Faux Floating Shelves

August 6, 2019

At some point in time, I’m sure we’ve all come across closets that are full of those glamorous wire shelves. You know the kind I’m talking about! The white ones where things either fall through, don’t stand up straight, the dust gets in all the little areas, and they overall just aren’t that great to look at. I mean, let’s just take a look at my laundry room closet that also needs a lot of attention when it comes to organizing it as well.

I have a love/hate relationship with wire shelves. In other words, I love to hate them. Especially since it lead me to try the best hack yet in our home: building faux floating shelves that slide right over the existing wire shelves. Without having to remove a single wire shelf, I created the look of wood floating shelves that completely transformed this closet.

This stunning hack is renter and homeowner friendly that will have you running to your local home improvement store today to give it a try. So, are you wondering how you can spend less than $50 and get rid of the wire shelves haunting you in the closets of your home? Buckle up, this diy is a good one!

Materials

1/4 inch sheet of plywood – I was able to use a 4′ x 8′ sheet for all 5 shelves
1″ x 3″ pine – I bought mine in 6′ sections. You want to make sure you have enough to go the width of each shelf in the front.
Brown general purpose paper
Marker
Scissors
Jigsaw
Tape measure
Miter saw
Router
Wood glue
Brad Nailer
1″ nails for brad nailer
Stainable wood filler
80 grit and 220 grit Sandpaper
Stain – I used Flagstone by Varathane
Polycrylic in Satin

** This post contains affiliate links. 

The How-To

Before we dive all in, I want to explain this shelf and how it’s concealing the wire shelf. We will basically be using plywood to place on top of the wire shelf with a pine board attached to the front of the plywood. This front piece will conceal the front part of the wire shelf giving it the illusion of a wooden floating shelf. Are you still with me? Okay, great! Here’s how to create the faux wooden shelves and to have them fit perfectly.

The first thing you’ll want to do is take the measurement of each shelf by measuring the width and depth. I saved myself a little time by getting the exact measurement of each side of one shelf and creating a cut out of those measurements with shipping paper. I made sure my cut out stencil aligned with every shelf.

This is where you’ll grab your 1/4″ piece of plywood and trace however many shelves you have using your stencil. Keep in mind, to have the grain going the same way when tracing the top pieces. I had to get creative with mine so they didn’t all line up the same way but I was okay with that!

It’s time to cut out your top pieces. Clamp your piece of plywood down securely and using a jigsaw, slowly cut out each piece. You’ll want to take your time with this step so that you cut straight sides. Of course, you can use a table saw for this step as well just in case you don’t have a jigsaw. Give the edges a quick sanding after you’re done cutting them out.

Before I attached the front piece, I did a dry fit with each top piece on a shelf. I was battling the brackets of the wire shelves so I had to slightly cut the width of each wooden shelf slightly for that snug fit. You’ll also want to number your shelves so you know which wire shelf it goes to.

Front the front piece, measure the width of each shelf individually and cut the piece of 1 x 3 pine accordingly. Keep the front piece and shelf paired together so you don’t get them mixed up which could result in a not perfect fit. Using a router, you’ll route a ledge along the top, backside of each piece of pine board.

You’ll want to route the pine board about half the width and at the same depth of the piece of pine wood. This will ensure that the plywood will be flush with the pine board once they’re placed together. This is the ledge where you’ll be placing the plywood piece on top of. The goal? To hide the piece of plywood from the front to help give the illusion of an actually floating shelf.

It’s time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: piecing the faux floating shelf together. You’ll apply wood glue along the ledge, put your piece of plywood in place, and secure it using a brad nailer and 1″ nails. You’ll place a nail going from the top of the shelf into the piece of plywood that will then go into the pine board. Place a nail every 8 inches or so.

Once the wood glue fully dried, I filled in the nail holes with wood filler. Pro tip: make sure to use wood filler that is stainable! This is also a great time to fill in any gaps where the plywood and pine board meet. I let my wood filler cure and harden overnight. I then gave my shelves a good sanding using 80 grit sandpaper for the initial sand and a 220 grit sandpaper for the smooth finish. Make sure that you have smoothed out all of the wood filler so that when you go to stain it, it doesn’t even look like it was ever there.

Apply stain on the sides, top, and bottom of the faux shelf. I tested three different stains and ultimately went with Flagstone by Varathane. Let me tell you, my friends, it’s my new favorite stain color! It’s the perfect balance of being a natural wood color mixed with a hint of brown. Perfection. Of course, this stain will look different on different types of wood. You can see the blog post where I chat all about that here. You can also seal your shelves by applying two coats of polycrylic in clear satin. Make sure to lightly sand between each coat.

Now you get to run to the closet you’re making over and install your new floating shelves by simply sliding them over the wire shelves. That’s literally all you’re doing but it looks like you ripped out the wire shelves and installed actually floating shelves (which is a whole other type of DIY). It takes seconds and it completely transforms your closet.

I was utterly shocked by the difference it made in ours. I couldn’t wait to get it organized and did just that with our laundry room refresh to get it functional and organized.

I can’t wait to see you try these in your home! You can also check out my video here over on Instagram where I walked you through every single step I shared with you here. This is perfect for anyone that is a visual learner like me! I’d love for you to tag me in your projects so I can celebrate you turning your house into a home that you love!

Let’s keep in touch!
We have a brand new community over on Facebook, House & Home, where we’ll be chatting, sharing, and helping one another when it comes to home decor and projects. Come join us! Check it out here.
Like on Facebook || Follow on Instagram || Follow on Pinterest

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: DIY, DIY Tutorial, Home Inspiration, Home of the Rishels, Home Project

« DIY Diamond Trellis on a Wall
How To Plant a Container Garden »

Comments

  1. Sara says

    January 8, 2023 at 11:19 am

    Loved this so much I had to do it!! It looks amazing! Thanks for the in depth tutorial!

    Reply
  2. Aj says

    March 1, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    I love this and can’t wait to make them for my pantry. I just had a question about the brackets on the side. my wood won’t sit flush against the wall because of the brackets. my brackets are not flat therefore part of the sides are exposed. is there a way to work around that?

    Reply
    • WithintheGrove says

      March 29, 2021 at 10:14 am

      Hi! Great question! Are you referring to the brackets being slightly higher (not level) with the wire shelving? If so, ours are similar and we got the wooden shelf as close to the wall as possible. Once everything was in place, we haven’t even noticed!

      Reply
  3. PJ says

    January 2, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    How do you route the plywood?

    Reply
  4. LavaidaVandelia says

    August 29, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    How so you get the shelves to go in when the doorframe is smaller than the closet width?

    Reply
  5. mariann murray says

    June 20, 2020 at 11:10 am

    where did you buy that flooring? love it!

    Reply
  6. Loren says

    June 12, 2020 at 11:09 am

    Can you please telL me what to do with the brackets that hold up the shelves?

    Reply
  7. Christine says

    May 24, 2020 at 9:24 pm

    Does anyone make these for purchase??

    Reply
  8. Gretchen says

    May 1, 2020 at 11:32 am

    So are the faux shelves secured to the wire shelf or just sitting on top?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      July 5, 2020 at 9:58 am

      They just rest on top of the wore shelves.

      Reply
      • Anna says

        July 5, 2020 at 9:59 am

        Wire…..

        Reply
  9. Vida says

    April 2, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    This is the best hack I’ve come across! Love it. Thanks for sharing. Will be doing this to my closet.

    Reply
  10. Neeka says

    March 16, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    Do you have to make the line with the router? Trying to figure out if it’s necessary since I don’t own one…

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Build Plywood Shelves in a Closet says:
    March 14, 2021 at 10:50 am

    […] if you’re happy with the current number of shelves in your linen closet, check out Within the Grove’s faux floating shelves tutorial. She covered her wire shelves with plywood to get a very similar […]

    Reply
  2. How to Hide Wire Shelving | Abby Lawson says:
    October 7, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    […] linen closet on Instagram and mentioned that I didn't love the shelves. A follower sent me this ah-mazing tutorial from Liz at Within the Grove. I knew I had to do something similar in our […]

    Reply
  3. 100 DIY Remodeling Ideas on a Budget - Prudent Penny Pincher says:
    June 10, 2020 at 9:28 am

    […] Wire Shelving Faux Floating Shelves from Within the Grove […]

    Reply
  4. How to Organize Your Bathroom Linen Closet | CRAZY LIFE WITH LITTLES - Lifestyle, Travel Motherhood Blog says:
    April 15, 2020 at 8:19 pm

    […] I came across a fairly inexpensive way to cover up wire shelving. Liz from Within the Grove made DIY Faux Floating Shelves that are so easy and beginner […]

    Reply
  5. How To Cover Wire Shelving - themartinnest.com says:
    February 3, 2020 at 12:30 am

    […] and re-install them, but that was another project doomed for the Pinterest graveyard. So when I saw this awesome makeover from Within the Grove, I opted to DIY some wire shelf overlays […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Looking for something?

withinthegrove

This pretty much sums up the progress of making 25 This pretty much sums up the progress of making 250 cement tiles. But I’m halfway through! The moment I finish the last tile is the moment I knock out the old tile. Let’s do this!
Time to bet on my DIY skills! I’m attempting to Time to bet on my DIY skills! I’m attempting to make my own cement tiles for our outdoor front door area. Mainly because of what I’m saving vs buying them. Won’t be saving much on time but I’M MAKING TILES! Never thought I’d hear myself say that. Make sure to follow along because if this works out, I have a feeling a lot of you are already eyeing a spot in your home to try your own DIY cement tiles. 
 
Thank you @vintagerevivals and @abby_roadhome for showing it’s possible with your gorgeous bathroom tiles! 

#CementTiles #DiyCementTiles #DiyProject #DIYonABudget #DIYProjects
We got the call that the pool build is starting! W We got the call that the pool build is starting! Which had me scrambling to dig up all the plants that were in the way in an effort to save them. Literally down to the last second before the crew showed up. Exciting day but you know what’s even more exciting? Knowing the next crew will officially be breaking ground with the excavation phase of the build.
This time of year is full of organizing and purgin This time of year is full of organizing and purging to bring spaces back to life. But sometimes all a space needs to feel refreshed is, well, a refresh and a little attention. Your number one requested space was the living room. So I gave mine a refresh with some unique and gorgeous finds from @homesense_us . I found a few fun pots for my houseplants, a gorgeous magnifying glass, and a few other items for our coffee table and couch.

I never know what I’m going to find when I walk into Homesense since it’s always rotating with amazing finds. But I do know I’ll walk out with a few new favorites for my home at affordable prices. If you haven’t yet, I urge you to check and see if you have a Homesense near you! #DiscoverHomesense #HomesensePartner
2022, you were awesome. But I’m determined to ma 2022, you were awesome. But I’m determined to make 2023 even better! And I hope you join me! We can be one of our biggest cheerleaders, but together we’re going to do big things. Go ahead and write down a big, small and a few in-between projects you want to get done this year in your home. Kicking it off with intention and that reminder that we can do this. Ready to get started?! Let me know in the comments the first project you want to tackle!
We finally got the Christmas/winter edition of the We finally got the Christmas/winter edition of the window projection up and running! It was a hit for Halloween and just as fun for this time of year as well. I built frames wrapped with a plastic drop cloth but you can also secure the drop cloth over the windows using command strips. The videos are from @atmosfx and we use a mini projector to play them on the screen. Place a Bluetooth speaker outside and you’re in business! Such a fun addition this time of year for the exterior of your home.
It’s the last little bit of the demo we needed t It’s the last little bit of the demo we needed to do in order to give the green light for the pool to start. And 2,456 pavers later, it’s done! This was exhausting but worth the money we saved doing it ourselves. And why remove them? We’re using a different stone around the pool and we want it to be cohesive up to the house. Don’t worry, someone got one heck of a deal on these pavers, we made a little money, and someone else got them out of our driveway. I’d say that’s a win-win. Stayed tuned for the entire pool process as we enter 2023. It’s going to be pretty exciting to watch!
Our patio space has served us so well over the yea Our patio space has served us so well over the years and now it’s time for a change because we’re getting a POOL!! Sharing this with you makes it even more real because just a year ago I would have told you it isn’t in the cards for us. We’ll be breaking ground soon but first we have to remove the screen enclosure. Spoiler: we won’t be putting one back up around the pool. It has already made the biggest difference visually and SO much natural light pours into our home now with it gone. It’s going to be so exciting seeing this all unfold so stay tuned! Up next: removing the pavers.
This holiday season we were able to travel to my h This holiday season we were able to travel to my hometown for the first time in awhile. We were greeted by the most beautiful sunset on the beach. Fast forward to this week as I headed to @homesense_us for some holiday shopping, and I ended up finding a few pieces for our home that remind me of that core memory on the beach. The beautiful wicker bench caught my eye first followed by the comforter and toss pillows. Everything at amazing price points while not sacrificing style and quality. #HomesensePartner

Mixing a thrill of a find with a core memory, I guarantee you'll fall in love with your home even more as you go to decorate. Decorating your home isn't grasping on to the newest trend or what you think others would do. It's what YOU want to do. And sometimes that's based on an emotional connection. Oh, the stories your spaces will be able to tell as you decorate each one. Start with seeing if there’s a @homesense_us near you! #DiscoverHomesense #HomesenseSarasota
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Sign up here to have our fresh posts delivered to your inbox!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2023 Within The Grove • Customized by Brave Creative Design · Log in

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclosures + Photo Usage
 

Loading Comments...