We all need more storage in our lives, am I right? I created some awesome storage shelves for my Laundry Room makeover and thought they deserved their own post to detail the process. These DIY farmhouse storage shelves have an amazing look that fits in with most décor. See how pretty?
And they aren’t only for a laundry room. You can put these in a closet, on a wall in any room, in your pantry or anywhere you can imagine. It’s the stain that really makes them stand out!
Here’s how you make the magic happen
First, measure the width of where you want to put the selves. Multiply that by how many shelves you want. Go to Home Depot, or a similar store, and grab the wood you like for the shelves. For these shelves, I purchased the economically priced White Wood in the 1x12x8 size. We cut each shelf to our desired length (about 4 feet fit our needs).
While you’re at the store, grab your pre-stain conditioner, your stain (Classic Gray and Weathered Oak Minwax), a foam brush or two and head home begin your DIY farmhouse storage shelves! You should also order your shelf brackets so they can start making their way to your door.
Ready for stain …
White wood doesn’t take stain very well, so it’s necessary to use a pre-stain conditioner. Brush that onto your wood and let it dry. It doesn’t take very long! Then, wipe on your Classic Gray Minwax stain that you grabbed at the store (or on Amazon!). Let that sit for a few minutes and then wipe it off. You can use a foam brush or an old t-shirt or sock.
Once the Classic Gray stain dries put on a coat of Weathered Oak stain. Again, let it sit a few minutes and then wipe off. After another spell of drying, do one last coat of Weathered Oak.
I know this is time consuming, but it’s simple, quick steps that you can do at your leisure. While it’s drying, throw in a load of laundry or read a few chapters in your favorite book. Then move on to the next step!
Flip it over, repeat and protect!
After the Weathered Oak layer has dried it’s time to flip it over and repeat the process for the other side of the wood. After the layers of pre-conditioner, classic gray and weathered oak, you are ready for the topcoat!
I find that General Finishes Gel Topcoat goes on easily (I use a sock) and looks amazing. It’s best to read the directions on the can and do three coats. You’ll have a nicely protected surface when you are done. Oh, and make sure you put the topcoat on the side that looks the best!
Time to hang your DIY Farmhouse storage shelves!
Now that your shelves are stained and protected, it’s time to place them on your wall. Grab your stud finder, your drill, a level, your shelves and your brackets and get to work!
We screwed our brackets onto the wall first after we made sure they were level and, in a stud, (if you don’t have a stud where you need one for the shelf, use the drywall screws … they typically come with the brackets, so no need to purchase something separate!). Once our brackets were screwed into the wall, we placed on the shelf and screwed that to the brackets.
Then, we placed one shelf at a time till we got them all up. It was pretty easy to do and made a huge impact in our laundry room. These shelves would look really great filled with décor in an office or living room or kitchen area. They are so versatile and look modern and chic!
Planning & Options for your DIY Farmhouse storage shelves
If staining them isn’t your look, you could always paint in your color of choice … although I’m partial to the stain. They really bring out the farmhouse look.
As you plan the location for your storage shelves, don’t be afraid to make them longer than our nearly 4 footers. If you have a longer shelf, just use more brackets across it to make it sturdy. And chances are you’ll have some studs nicely placed to screw them into.
You may even get compliments on these easy, DIY farmhouse storage shelves. I sure did … from my two year old son, Miles. He came in the door from school and said “ooooh, mommy … I like it. It’s pretty!” He’s my super observant child and always notices things I’m doing around the house. Gosh, I sure do love that boy!
Ok, so here’s a quick rundown of supplies we needed:
Common tools:
■ Drill / Impact Driver
■ Stud Finder
■ Miter Saw (or Home Depot can make the cuts for you!)
■ Level
Shelf supplies:
■ Wood for shelves (we used 1x12x12 and cut as needed)
■ Pre-Stain Conditioner
■ Classic Gray Minwax Stain
■ Weathered Oak Minwax Stain
■ General Finishes Gel Topcoat
■ Sand paper
■ Foam Brush or old socks/t-shirts (to apply stain!)
■ Brackets
That concludes the rundown of my simple, DIY farmhouse storage shelves. I hope you found it useful! Is there a place you would love to put some farmhouse storage shelves in your home? Let me know in the comments below!
Be blessed!
