Look, I know you all have been waiting with bated breath* for the big finished basement reveal. And today… is not that day! But because I care about you, my teeny tiny audience, I shall give you a little preview of one of the DIY projects that I personally created in the newly finished basement.
Behold my linen closet floating shelves!
I wanted to have a few projects to do myself, so I had our amazing carpenter Oscar build the bathroom linen closet without shelves. Sure, he could have built them in a third of the time and with a much higher level of skill. But I wanted to do it! And it’s my house, dammit!
What I didn’t realize is that Oscar probably could’ve done it for a tenth of the cost, too. Because right now lumber is more precious than gold. And while normally I can build small woodworking projects with just the scrap wood in the Garage of Wonders, this time I needed something a little more specific. So the flat part of three floating shelves is about $60 (not a typo) worth of project board from Lowe’s. Ouch! My miserly heart!
Let’s not dwell on it. Everything else—the screws, wood glue, stain, sealer, mounting boards, level, drill, and screwdriver—I had on hand.
First thing I did was cut, sand, stain, and seal the wood. Haven’t broken out the circular hand saw in a minute, so that was a real treat! (She said, middle-agedly.)
Second thing I did was find out the standard distance between closet shelves, then attach some 1×1 scrap wood to three sides of the closet with judicious use of the level. My floating shelves would sit upon the mounting wood, with a piece of facing board attached to the front of each shelf so you can’t see the mounting wood where it connects with the wall. Comme ça:
The most finicky part was getting the facing boards attached to the front of each shelf. I had to attach a little scrap wood in the middle of the shelf to keep everything level and aligned, and then go ham with the wood glue and clamps. I ended up screwing the facing boards in to the corners as well, which is when I decided I a small nail gun is just the tool I’ve been missing for house projects.
Ta-da! Now whenever I change the sheets on the guest bed I’ll think of what a good and talented carpenter I am.
Stay tuned for the big finished basement reveal whenever I get around to it!
*Bated breath: Coined by our pal Bill Shakespeare in what I consider to be his cringiest work, The Merchant of Venice. “Bated” is of course not an actual word, but is how old Bill chose to fit “abated” into iambic pentameter (gotta admire his commitment to the bit). Anyway, “with bated breath” just means you’re holding your breath in anticipation. This has been Fun Facts with a Literature Major.
Casa Fickbonne 