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DIY Built-In Shelving

Make your own modern DIY Built-In Shelving with this simple tutorial. Love the natural wood used in this beautiful bathroom renovation!

Image collage with text overlay

I love these types of projects; DIY Projects that you can easily modify and recreate for any space or room. When we removed the closet doorway here, I knew we wanted to use this space for built-in shelving.

Built-in shelving is the best way to use those “wasted spaces,” like corners, hallways, and walls. This DIY Built-In Shelving turned out to be one of my favorite projects of the entire bathroom renovation!

bathroom with open closet door

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This is the “before” picture. The doorway that you see in the above photo was there before we moved it and shifted the entire layout around.

We took out the doorway and added a barn door on the other side of the wall to give a new access point for our closet. The switch left us with an open space along this wall, which was perfect for some new DIY built-in shelving!

Materials Needed:

3/4″ thick MDF boards

2×4 wood boards

Wood Stain of Your Choice

Polycrylic

Pine shelf board

Tools Needed: 

Kreg Rip Cut

Circular Saw

Mitre Saw

Drill

Screws

Unfinished framed area with drywall

How to Make Your DIY Built-In Shelving

There are a few steps to making these built-ins fit like a glove. If you build them properly, most of your guests will wonder how you did it!

Measuring Your Opening

The first step is to build an MDF box that you will fill with 2×4 shelving.

Start by measuring your opening to determine your outside dimensions of your built-ins. You need to find the height, width and depth. We had framed our opening with 2x4s before starting our shelving project, so that we would have pieces to nail/screw into.

Cutting MDF with a power saw
Cutting MDF with power saw

Cutting Your MDF Box

Next, cut your pieces for the box using MDF. You need to cut a back piece, two side pieces, a top and a bottom board according the measurements to collected.

We used a rip-cut to easily make the straight cuts for this box – it connects to your circular saw to make perfectly straight cuts. Remember to consider the thickness of the material you are using when you cut your sides and back pieces.

Assembling MDF to create a large box

Constructing the MDF box and Shelves

The next step is to put your MDF box together. Dry fit the four sides and back all together. We used clamps to temporarily hold all the pieces together. If you’ve able, you can bring the entire box into your space and make sure it fits perfectly into your opening.

Assembling the MDF boards into a box and connecting with a nail gun

Before assembling, we pre-drilled the holes (pilot hole and counter sunk bit) at all the joints; we did 3 holes per joint. When you’re ready and confident that everything to to size, remove the clamps, glue the edges, and screw the box back together.

Image of MDF box with wood to lay shelves on

Next, lay out your shelves inside the box. We divided the box into 4 equal spaces to make three shelves total.

Put 2x4s at the front and back of the box where you want the shelves to sit. These boards will be used to attach your shelves. Once you have cut your shelf frames cut, glue and screw them into place.

Securing the wood for the built-in shelving with screws

Below is what the shelf will look like with the 2x4s in place at the front and back. You can see there is a small space left at the front. That space is the width of our pine shelf board, which you are using for the actual shelf. The space is left at the front so that the shelves will be flush with the wall.

Image of MDF box installed into framed space and drywalled in

Installing the MDF Box in Place

Bring your MDF box to your space and put it in place. Install the MDF box, making sure it is level and screw to your structure. Ensure that it’s screwed into the studs and watch out for utilities in the walls (electrical, plumbing, etc). Putty and touch up finish as required.

Image of construction of DIY built-in shelving in unfinished bathroom

You can install trim to finish the box (around edge of box and onto drywall), or you can tape and use drywall putty to blend it into the drywall to achieve a smooth flush transition, like we did.

If you choose to try and tape it into the drywall, router/groove the outside edge of the MDF box slightly (about 1/8″) to allow room for the drywall tape and mud. Putty any screw holes, then, sand, prime, and paint the MDF case.

DIY built-in shelving being installed in unfinished bathroom

Build Pine Board Shelves for Built-in Shelving

Measure the inside dimensions of your box where the shelves will go. Each shelf will require 3 pieces: a top, a front, and a bottom. The front board will have a 45 degree cut on the top and bottom, the bottom and top boards will have a 45 degree on the side facing the front board.

When you are measuring the front board, remember to take into account the thickness of the shelf material. Cut all of your pine boards, keep the wood grain the same for the entire shelf when possible (top, front, and bottom).

You can see the top board below (under the polycrylic) with one straight edge and one 45 degree edge.

Sealing the DIY built-in shelving with polycrylic

Finishing

If you are using wood, stain and varnish the shelves prior to installing in the MDF case. If you are using MDF shelves, prime and paint them. I used my Natural Wood Stain from Minwax. When that was dry, I protected everything with Polycrylic.

Finishing the wood on the built-in shelving with natural wood finish
Image of finished wood and unfinished wood using natural wood finish for the DIY built-in shelving

Attach the shelves to the 2x4s in the MDF case. We used glue and finish nails. You can see how the grain of the wood remains the same across the top and front pieces of the shelving.

Image of a finished and installed built-in shelf

Our Finished Built-In Shelving

Now, enjoy your new DIY built-in shelving! I LOVE the look of these shelves in our renovated ensuite!

Decorated DIY built-in shelving in a bathroom
Finished DIY built-in shelving in a remodeled bathroom

I’m really happy that we chose to go with a natural wood stain. I love the look of the natural wood against our white paint. The shelves are not only practical, but also beautiful.

Decorated built-in shelving
Close up image of finished DIY built-in shelving
DIY built-in shelving in a remodeled bathroom
Make your own modern Built-In Shelving with this simple DIY tutorial. Love the natural wood used in this beautiful bathroom renovation! Great tutorial for DIY shelving in the bedroom, living room, or any room!

DIY Built-In Shelving

Yield: 1
Active Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours

Make your own modern DIY built-in shelving with this simple tutorial. Love the natural wood used in this beautiful bathroom renovation! Great tutorial for shelving in the bedroom, living room, or any room!

Materials

  • 3/4" thick MDF boards
  • 2x4 wood boards
  • Wood Stain of Your Choice
  • Polycrylic
  • Pine shelf board

Tools

  • Kreg Rip Cut
  • Circular Saw
  • Mitre Saw
  • Drill
  • Screws

Instructions

    1. Start by measuring your opening to determine your outside dimensions (confirm outside width, height, and depth) of your built-ins. (i.e. measure the box you are filling up with shelving
    2. Next, cut the pieces for the box using MDF (the back portion, 2 sides, a top and a bottom board). We used a rip-cut to easily make the straight cuts. Remember to consider the thickness of the material you are using when you cut your sides and back piece.
    3. Construct your MDF box and dry fit the four sides and back all together.
    4. Before assembling, we pre-drilled the holes (pilot hole and counter sunk bit) at all the joints. When ready, remove the clamps, glue the edges, and screw the box back together.
    5. Lay out your shelves inside the box. We divided the box into 4 equal spaces. Put 2x4s at the front and back of the box where you want the shelves to sit. Once you have cut your 2x4s, glue and screw them into place.
    6. Leave space at the front for the width of your pine shelf board so that the shelves will be flush with the wall.
    7. Bring your entire MDF box up to your space and put it in place.
    8. You can install trim to finish the box (around edge of box and onto drywall), or you can tape and use drywall putty to blend it into the drywall to achieve a smooth flush transition (this is what we did). If you choose to try and tape it into the drywall, router/groove the outside edge of the MDF slightly (about 1/8") to allow room for the drywall tape and mud. Putty any screw holes, then, sand, prime, and paint the MDF case.
    9. Install the MDF box in place. Level and screw to structure. Ensure that it's screwed into the studs and watch out for utilities in the walls (electrical, plumbing, etc). Putty and touch up finish as required.
    10. Measure the inside dimensions of your box where the shelves will sit. Each shelf will require 3 pieces of wood: a top, a front, and a bottom. The front board will have a 45 degree cut on the top and bottom, the bottom and top boards will have a 45 degree on the side facing the front board.
    11. If you are using wood, stain and varnish the shelves prior to installing them onto in the MDF case. If you are using MDF shelves, prime and paint them.
    12. Attach the shelves to the 2x4s in the MDF case. We used glue and finish nails.

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See the full, beautiful Modern Bathroom Renovation!

Image of a remodeled bathroom with stand alone tub

Stephanie Knific

Saturday 1st of January 2022

Wow. This looks great. And, I love your metal baskets for storage. I am doing something similar in my bathroom. Do you recall where you purchased the wire baskets? They are very nice and I'm having a difficult time finding just the right kind - which you have!

Lindi

Thursday 6th of January 2022

Hey! I couldn't find the exact baskets again, but there are some options on Wayfair that may work, including these ones: https://rstyle.me/+PgwzksoFGoOwZVEobGBu_w

John K

Saturday 13th of March 2021

Good morning......love, love, love this idea. I have 16 inches of dead space behind our toilet and I am looking to build this exact unit (wish me luck)....possible you could also send me the diagram you mentioned above? Would be very much appreciated. If [email protected]

Lindi

Thursday 18th of March 2021

Sent it to you!

25 Brilliant Built-in Bathroom Shelf and Storage Ideas to Keep You Organized with Style - WordPress Web Sitesi

Sunday 26th of January 2020

[…] Source: lovecreatecelebrate.com […]

Warren

Monday 5th of November 2018

This is awesome. I want to do this!

You mention a routered edge in the mdf. I’m just curious on how you made the mdf to drywall corner so seamless, without causing a mud build up that throws off the pine edge

Lily

Sunday 27th of December 2020

Could you please send me the same diagram! Love this project - going to give it a shot. [email protected]

Lindivs

Tuesday 6th of November 2018

Hey! If you send me an e-mail, I can send you a quick diagram! It's easier than writing it out, lol. Send it to lindi (at) lovecreatecelebrate.com

27 Brilliant Built-in Bathroom Shelf and Storage Ideas to Keep You Organized with Style – My Decor – Home Decoration

Monday 19th of March 2018

[…] Source: lovecreatecelebrate.com […]

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