DIY Personalized Wall Shelf

Happy Wednesday Pretty Handy Readers!  Today’s project is a DIY personalized wall shelf and I’ll show you how to make it.  I’m Jaime from That’s My Letter, a fellow DIY blogger who builds, paints and sews.  I made this wall shelf as a gift for Bryce’s birthday, it makes a great statement AND it’s useful too!

Just a bit of painting and assembly to make this awesome, personalized wall shelf.  And of course you can adjust the paint colors to fit your scheme.  Bryce happens to have navy painted walls in his bedroom so I know this wall shelf will really pop once hung in his space.

The stained wood shelf adds just a touch of warmth and coordinates well with the hardwood floors.  For a deeper shelf, use a wider board. I used a 1×3 but you could use a 1×4 or larger.

• 1/2″ or 3/4″ plywood cut to desired size (approx. 2′ x 4′)
• scrap piece of 1/2″ plywood approx. 4″ x 36″
• 1×3 pine board cut to width of plywood
• 9″ MDF Pre-cut letters
• Single robe hooks
• French cleat kit
• paint, roller & brush
• stain & foam brush
• sandpaper
• tape measure
• pencil
• wood glue
• 2″ wood screws
• 3/4″ wood screws
• drill & bits
• nailer & finish nails

Instructions:

Before beginning, layout your letters onto plywood and cut the plywood to size based on the length of the name.

Step 1: Apply stain to the 1×3 shelf piece on all sides using a foam brush. Wipe off the excess.  Set the shelf aside and let it dry.

Step 2: Paint your letters.  Paint your plywood back (not shown).

Step 3: Distress the edges of the letters using sandpaper.

Step 4: Layout your letters, shelf and hooks to determine placement and even spacing.  Mark the shelf location with a pencil line.

Step 5: Apply glue to the back of the letters.

Step 6: Attach the letters to the plywood back using 3/4″ finish nails.

Begin attaching the first and last letters. Then add the middle letters for even spacing.

Step 7: Predrill holes for the shelf from the front using the pencil line from step 4 as your guide.

Step 8: Flip the board over to the back. Place the shelf in position and follow pre-drilled holes to create a countersink hole from the back.

Step 9: Attach the shelf from the back using 2″ wood screws (and glue).

Step 10: Attach the scrap piece of 1/2″ plywood to the lower back using more glue and the 3/4″ wood screws.

Step 11: Attach the french cleat to the center of the back.

Step 12: Attach the robe hooks with even spacing below the shelf.

Now it’s ready to be hung and filled.  This personalized shelf makes a great gift idea and and a nice way to add style to any kid’s space.

Don’t you think someone in your family would appreciate this shelf?

~learn more about Jaime~