DIY Beautiful Wall Cubby Shelf – Free Building Plan

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:

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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.

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:

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.

Image Credit: Kreg Jig

Step 2:

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Step 5: Finishing touches.

Image Credit:  Just Between Friends

If you want to hide the cut edge of the plywood, use edge banding before painting.

Iron-on edge banding is a strip of wood veneer with hot-melt adhesive on one side to make plywood edge look like real wood.

If you love a farmhouse whitewashed look, here’s a detailed tutorial on how to whitewash wood using 3 easy and fun techniques. And this ultimate guide to create distressed wood paint finish will be perfect for those who want a rustic chippy paint finish!

What would you use this shelf for? What color would you paint it with? Let us know in the comments!

Can’t get enough shelving ideas? You will love these 16 DIY floating shelf projects!

Have a great summer and happy building!

Be sure to check out these posts as well:

How to Build Rustic Wall Storage Bin Cubbies

How to Build a Chalkboard Wall Organizer

Easy DIY Farmhouse Wall Baskets

How to Hang Pegboard for a Laundry Wall Organizer

plus 25 Awesome DIY Wall Organization Stations

Published: August 15, 2017Filed Under: Contributor, DIY Project Plans, How To Tagged: building plans, Clean' n Organized, Craft Room Organization, Organizing, wall storage

About Ananda

Ananda is an artist and garden designer. Her work in landscape architecture and art led to many creative diy ideas and projects that she shares here at Remodelaholics and at her popular blog, A Piece Of Rainbow.