Floating Controller Caddy and Charging Shelf

My wife and I needed a more permanent solution to two opportunities: 1. TV table set up to hold remotes, our cell phones, and baby bottles and 2. Charging cables would lay on the floor that attracted our 7 month old like a bee to a flower. So, I started searching websites like Home Depot, IKEA, and Wayfair for dual layer floating shelves. They were either not our style or did not have two layers. After that I used Pinterest to inspire some creative flow and brainstorm other features I could build into our optimal solution. After some measurements of the space near the couch I drew out a quick sketch and made my list of required materials and tools.

Materials:

• QTY 1 - 1"x10"x120" Premium wood from Home Depot (they cut it for me to length) about $14
• QTY 1 - 2"x4"x84" Stud from Home Depot (also cut to lengths) about $2
• QTY 1 - Can of 2X Spray Paint from Home Depot about $4
• QTY 24 - 1.75" long Wood Screws about $5 for 50
• QTY 3 - 3" long Wood Screws about $5 for 50

Tools:

• Circular Saw (if the Home Improvement store doesn't cut to length for you} Note: I did cut an inch off of the back corner for the lamp/cord
• Miter Saw (again, if its not cut in store for you)
• Drill (bits for screws and drill bits for holes)
• Level (to hang your shelf straight)
• Cardboard/Drop cloth/Newspapers to spray paint your shelf (use in a ventilated area)
• Sandpaper 100 grit about $3
• Safety Goggles (safety first!!!)
• Gloves

Time:

• 2 Hours - Cut/Assemble/Sand
• 0.25 Hours - First coat of Paint
• 1 Hour - Wait time (non-working time)
• 0.25 Hours - Second coat of Paint
• 24 Hours - Wait time paint dry (non-working time)

Final Lengths/Pieces:

• From the 1"x10" = 32" & 36" lengths
• From the 2"x4" = 4", 9" & 25.5" lengths

Final Cost:

• Materials - $30
• Tools - Free (borrowed tools and use Home Depot's free cutting service) to $$$ (Rent/Purchase saws and drill)
• Time - 2.5 Hours

Step 1: Assemble and Install

1. I first started by dry fitting the parts together to make sure my lengths were correct. (they were cut to length at Home Depot)
2. I cut the corner out of both of the shelves for wires to pass through for the lamp
3. I drilled pilot holes and then screwed the pieces together
4. I grabbed a box of tissue (which is 3.5 inches tall - perfect fit for a 2x4 spacer) and traced where my tissue hole would be
5. I drilled starter holes in the four corners of the tissue opening
6. I used a jig saw to cut out the entire rectangular opening
7. I used some folded sandpaper to smooth the tissue opening
8. I then sanded all of the corners, edges, top, and sides of the shelf
9. Quickly I brushed off the dust to prepare for spray paint
10. I removed the lower shelf from the top assembly to ease the painting process
11. I laid out a drop cloth in the garage (cars were outside!)
12. I applied my first quick and thin coat of spray paint and waited an hour before applying the second thicker coat
13. I left the shelf in the garage overnight with a box fan blowing over it (you may not want to do this, it might throw dust from your garage floor onto and into the paint)
14. Finally, I installed the shelf to the wall with the help of my level with the QTY 3 - 3" long screws into studs (to find studs I used the edges of the walls and looked behind the outlet cover for guaranteed hits)

Note: I did add a small elastic strip (from a pair of science indirect vent goggles) with small tacks to hold the ends of my charging cables off the floor. Or you can do something like:

https://www.instructables.com/id/YACS-Yet-Another-C...

or

https://www.instructables.com/id/Cable-clip-from-tu...

Needless to say, this shelf is a huge upgrade to the previous TV table... Thanks everyone for your inspiration and happy creating!!