Ever since we moved in I have wished for built in shelving to flank our fireplace. Every craftsman style home that we have seen has these lovely built-ins, and I knew they would have been the perfect storage solution to the cable box fiasco we had going on as well as a great way to frame the fireplace and windows and draw the attention of the room in the right direction (long skinny room with doorways in the middle = design challenge).
So, the Friday before Valentine's Day I decided that I was tired of just talking about the built ins and wanted to take matters into my own hands. I googled for quite some time before discovering I would be following a combination of photos rather than "how to's". When Mr. went to the garage I grabbed the tape measure and got to work. Once the planning was done, I went for the crowbar option. The baseboards had to go first, so I started hammering away. Luckily this is the point where Mr. came back inside and decided to help. Because those baseboards had to be saved and they were held on the wall with 100 year old, handmade nails. Those babies were in there! I am not too proud to admit, I needed some man-strength.
As soon as the baseboards were off, we used 2x4s to create a base. This was all going to be inside the shelves in the end so it didn't have to look great, but it did have to be level. This was simply a piece that ran from corner to corner along the back wall-- we used a finish nailer to attach it directly to the wall-- and three more pieces to complete the rectangle. I wanted the baseboard to be flush with the fireplace, so we left a half inch gap to account for the width of the baseboard. When this was complete, the frame only reached about halfway up the baseboard, so we added vertical braces with more 2x4s across the frame to give it more height.
Because we were going for a finished look, planned to paint, and wanted something cost effective, we used MDF for this project (1/2 inch for the shelving, 1/4 inch for the framing). And I would do it again in a heartbeat! Cutting MDF was so simple-- sometimes when I (rather than Mr.) use the saw I take little chunks out. Amateur, I know, but this didn't happen at all with the MDF! It was so smooth and could not have made the project more simple.
The next step was to put a top (or, the bottom shelf) on the frame. We simply cut the MDF to fit the shape of the frame (still leaving the 1/2 inch gap for the baseboard). The shelf in this photo was slightly longer than the other side, so we filled in the gap between the wall and the base when attaching the bottom shelf. This meant that we didn't have to nail into the 100 year old baseboards that we love so much... the shelves weren't finished yet, and we didn't want to destroy anything we couldn't reverse if things didn't go as planned. A little noncommittal over here.
Next step was the sides. I knew that I wanted the final shelves to hit at the same height of the bottom tier of the fireplace. Because the MDF was 1/2 inch thick and I planned on having double layers on the top, the sides needed to be 1 inch short of the intended height. We cut the wall-sides and nailed them straight into the wall. We then used liquid nails to attach the fireplace side. Mr. so cleverly wedged a spare 2x4 scrap into both sides to hold the brick-side while it adhered.
Now, onto the top! I was so excited for this part, because I knew it would start to look like it was all coming together. We cut the first piece the same size as the bottom shelf, plus 1/2 an inch in depth so that it would stick out slightly farther. I used an adjustable combination square to measure exactly 1/2 an inch (because our walls were made by a man with a hammer and a bucket of plaster so they are not very straight, and I knew I could fill any imperfections with caulking later). We also made small triangles from scrap MDF to support the shelves and give us more to nail into.
*When attaching the triangles, turn the power down to about 2/3rds on the compressor or the triangle will break!
Now, I repeated the step one more time, but with another 1/2 inch in depth (now 1 inch more than the total depth of the base shelf).
I promise the shelf is straight, it's my photography skills that are very off!
When cutting the shelves we subtracted 1 inch from the width of the base to account for the 1/2 inch on each side, as well as 1/2 inch from the depth. I knew I wanted to frame them later (which would add 1/2 inch thickness) and I did not want the shelves to come all the way to the outside edge, but to be slightly inset. They slid in pretty easily, and then we used a level and marked along the bottom of each side. We then repeated the process that we used on the top-- staple triangles at each line, and insert the shelf on top. We did not, however, attach the shelves to the triangles. Now that they have been painted they are probably pretty permanent. But, if ever we need to get a shelf out for some reason they are unattached, which I liked because... noncommittal again.
The final part was my favorite because this is when they no longer looked like an after thought but really became part of the house! We used 1/4 inch MDF to frame around the whole unit. You can actually see in the photo above that I had already attached the frame piece to the top (the 1 inch drop on the front) because I get a little ahead of myself sometimes...
After framing across the top, I framed across each side. The frame was made of 1 inch strips, cut to length and stapled along the outside edge of the shelves. So, if you reached your hand inside of our finished shelves there is a slight (1/2 inch) lip at the top and sides. It gives it such a finished look and mad them flow so seamlessly between the fireplace and the lovely thick moulding.
I also did the same for the shelves. Because they were inset, the framing fit perfectly between the shelf and the framing that had already been done to the outside. The important part with the shelves was making sure the top matched with the top of the shelf. I wanted the shelves to look like one, 1 inch piece rather than have a lip at the end. I tried to get a photo of this... look carefully for the line between the two pieces!
And FINALLY, we got to reattach those beloved baseboards. Mr. only had to make 2 cuts to get everything to fit back together. And let me tell you, we were not trying to replace these awesome pieces. He measured about 12 times, and cut once!
Now that the shelves were built, it was time to caulk. This is a bit of a preference thing... I chose to follow the seam between the shelves and the wall to make it seamless (like would be done between a door frame or baseboard and the wall). I also ran along the interior side/wall seam but skipped the shelf/wall seam because of the concern about having to remove them at some point. (I still can't think of a reason to do this. But should it arise, we are ready).
*I have strategically taken a picture of the specific type of caulk we used because after this one ran out I used a different brand and almost had my very first panic attack. It was SO sticky and got EVERYWHERE. I am not exaggerating when I say I panicked. The paper towel I was using fell on the floor and there was caulk on the floor. The scraper I was using was so covered and it would not come off. My hands were covered, my wedding ring was covered. The worst part was when I started SCRUBBING with an old toothbrush and citrus, scrubbing hand cleaner it did not get better... oh no... it SPREAD! Thankfully Mr. came to my rescue with a calm spirit and a little elbow grease.*
(Pictured: THE GOOD BRAND OF CAULK THAT DOESN'T STICK TO EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER OWNED!)
It was time for bed after that fiasco.
The next day (Valentine's Day) we so romantically spent our afternoon spackling, taking a break to let the spackle dry so we could go to some open houses, and then sanding said spackle. We used the spackle to cover every nail hole and seam.
When everything had been spackled, we primed. Three times-- because MDF is like a sponge. And I would much rather it soak up my $20 gallon of primer than my $60 gallon of paint. Still Valentine's y'all. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
I kid. This really is my favorite thing to do, and there's no one else in the world that would find me ripping baseboards off with a crowbar and decide to join me. Getting these long awaited shelves done was the most romantic gesture Mr. could have made, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend our weekend any other way.
*Project tip: Giant Mimosas make home improvement better*
I sure hope my step-by-step helps some lost homeowner like myself who can't understand everyone else's number-filled gibberish. And, if nothing else, helps our extended family know what we've been up to over here!
Have you put in shelving? Are you going to try this method out? We want to see it! Link to your post in the comments section!
Until the next project,
