There are a lot of different ways out there to build a floating wall shelf and if you take all of the people who have ever wrote an article or produced a video about how to do it you will see all of these ideas repeat themselves over and over again. And now I can be proudly added to this list, here is my take on a style of wall shelf that is really common.

Step 1:

I always suggest watching the video to have a better understanding of the article.

Step 2:

I wanted my shelf to measure 20 inches long by 9 inches deep and be 2 inches thick. So I started at my table saw with ripping down a piece of 3/4 pine to 1 1/2 inches for the thickness of my shelf, then I cut a 20 inch long piece for the length of the shelf and a piece to 8 1/4" for the 9 inch depth of the shelf. The measurements will make sense, trust me they are correct.

Step 3:

These three piece will make up the inner framing of the shelf. To assemble it I used my pocket hole jig, and when assembled will look like this.

Step 4:

Next I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to the dimensions of my shelf. Cutting two pieces, one for the top and one for the bottom.

Step 5:

With my plywood cut to size I glued it to the frame, set the assembly in clamps and let it sit until the glue had time to dry.

Step 6:

With the glue dry I removed the clamps then cleaned up any glue that might have squeezed out and sanded everything smooth.

Step 7:

Next I needed to build the mount for the shelf. First I measured the length of the opening in the back side of the shelf, then it was back to the table saw to cut a piece at this length and I also cut three additional pieces at seven inches in length. These will make up the wall mount.

Step 8:

This mount is assembled with a little glue and screws though the back side, I did drill counter sinks for the screws so that the heads of the screws would not interfere with mounting the shelf.

Step 9:

For a finish I used a wipe on poly in a matte finish, applying five coats and sanding in between each. But you can finish this shelf any way you choose you could even paint it.