I couldn't use these exact ones because they were too big so I opted to use really big, really long screws.

I have used the type of floating shelf bracket like this before (see below) and wanted to do something similar to help distribute the weight.

As far as the installation goes, I knew the brackets on the end would not be enough especially at the corner. I talk more about that in my entry table post.Īfter I stained, I sealed them so they would be easy to wipe down. It makes a big difference! It will make it so the wood accepts the stain more evenly and it isn't splotchy. Make sure to use the wood conditioner before staining. Provincial and Early American are my go to stains for a medium brown. Plus I didn't want the shelves too dark since I wanted to see the saw marks and other imperfections. If you are a long time reader you are probably thinking 'What? You didn't use Dark Walnut?' Yes, I have been a long time lover of walnut but have been branching out lately. Once the shelves were all glued and had dried, I stained them using Provincial from Minwax. In case you are not aware of what a biscuit is, it looks like this. It is compressed and once it gets wet from the wood glue it expands and makes a tight joint. If you are working with a large piece of wood it is best to clamp it to your work space. Pull the trigger and get the blade up to full speed before pushing the blade into the wood. I lined up the pencil mark to the line on the joiner and cut the wood (see arrow below). I chose the largest (20) given the size of the project. In order to connect them I needed to cut out grooves for the biscuits.įirst I laid out the boards and drew a line across the seam where I wanted a biscuit to go. This was my first time using a biscuit joiner and I have to say it was really easy and I am now HOOKED! I cut the boards to the legnth they needed to be and then cut 45 degree cuts to make an L shape. I still have to go through all my cabinets and the pantry and figure out where everything will go, but I sure have had fun playing around with styling them! There are two on each side of the window above my sink. I headed to a local lumber yard that sells rough cut lumber and picked out some pine boards that would be thick enough as well as having the beautiful saw marks that you can see well below. I could have used stair treads since they are 1 inch thick but they are rounded and I really wanted a more rustic look. The space where the wood goes into the bracket is 1' and even though boards say they are 1' by whatever, they are really about ¾ inches thick due to them being sanded down. When I realized that the opening was bigger than I thought and that regular boards were too thin to fit correctly inside of the brackets, I had to come up with a plan B. I bought the brackets for these shelves from IKEA (which I spray painted matte black) about 9 months ago and had a very specific look I was going for. But now that it is all said and done, we are both SO GLAD we just went for it! Heck, even I was wondering if we would miss the cabinets. Shane was hesitant at first to take down the cabinets (if you recall from our He Said She Said video). It is the one room I wish I could add on to it but we will have to settle for making it FEEL bigger. As in most people have closets bigger than our kitchen. That is why we also painted it a bright white. maybe because it was! Shane and I decided to take them down in an effort to make this space appear larger by adding open shelving. It seems like forever since I took down the upper cabinets.

Kitchen corner shelf