How to Make DIY Wood Shelves

If you know me, you know I’m all about wall shelves! Whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom, office, or kids’ room —if there’s a blank wall, I’ll put a shelf on it. I love how they offer both a design element (warmth, texture, contrast) and a way to display decor and functional items. Making DIY wood shelves is a actually a pretty simple and affordable project that also offers a massive home upgrade.

While easy to create, shelves can be a little intimidating. Good news! Over the past ten years working with my brother who is a metal bracket maker, I’ve learned a lot about making DIY wood shelves, and now I’m sharing my best tips with you. From designing to installing, I’ll show you how to create wall shelves that are both pretty and super strong.

white oak wood shelves with balck metal shelf brackets on white kitchen tile - © allisa jacobs design — I used these heavy duty shelf brackets

I installed these DIY wood shelves in my last home and fell in love immediately. Not only functional, I really loved styling them throughout the year. (Plus, they made a little appearance in HGTV magazine!)

If you’re thinking this must be a hard project, making shelves are actually a pretty straight forward, relatively easy home update. You just need these few tricks under your belt.

From kitchen open shelving to bookshelves and small bathroom shelves above the toilet, this process will walk you through the simple steps of how to build wall shelves.

Wood Shelf Supplies & Materials

Shelf Boards (I used white oak, you could buy pre-made oak shelves or buy lumber from hardware store)
Metal Shelf Brackets in Black
Bolts or Screws to attach brackets (most should come with the brackets)
Measuring Tape
Painter’s Tape (optional but so helpful!)
Pencil/Pen for marking placement
Long Level
Cordless drill and appropriate drill bit

Free Pdf Download

1. Choose Shelf Size

First, choose your shelf size. You’ll want to choose the right depth and length for the space. My kitchen shelves are 11.25″ deep x 1.5″ thick x 42″ long.

Common Shelf Sizes:

Kitchen Shelves: 11.25”- 12” deep
Bathroom Shelves: 5.5” – 8” deep
Living Room or Display Shelves: 5.5” -9.25”
Photo Ledge: 3.5” – 5.5”
Pantry Shelves: 15″-18″ deep* (these would need heavy duty supports)

2. Get Shelves

It helps to have the shelves in ahead of the project. As for where to find the actual shelf boards, there are so many options, like common lumber from hardware store, reclaimed wood, or pre-made boards.

I used white oak lumber that I was able to salvage from a fallen tree. Some lumber yards have white oak depending on the location in the US. I’ve also seen lots of pretty options online, like these finished White Oak Shelves.

DIY Tip:

Common lumber from the hardware store, like Home Depot, is easy and relatively inexpensive. They will even cut the board to whatever length you want for free (seriously)! This makes DIY wood shelves even easier.

However, common lumber’s nominal size is different than its actual size. This means a 2 x 12 is actually 1.5” x 11.25.” You’ll want to look for the actual size.

3. Prep Shelves

Once you’ve determined the shelf length and found your boards, you’ll want to treat the wood before installing. Instead of stain, I use a beeswax to protect the wood and keep a natural look.

Of course, if your shelves are already finished, skip this step. Or, if you want bare wood that works too, just know they may get marked up over time.

4. Choose Shelf Brackets

With your shelf size in mind, you’ll get brackets to fit that shelf. There are a lot of styles and options but you want to make sure you choose strong ones. I always use brackets from my brother’s company, Cascade Iron Co. They are made in USA and super strong. For my kitchen shelves, I used Heavy Duty J Brackets in Black.

hanging metal brackets for DIY open shelving

5. Choose Shelf Placement

Ok next step for DIY wood shelves is deciding where to install brackets. I use painter’s tape to plan and visualize the shelves.

I used three brackets to support the longer shelves and installed into wall studs. Studs are usually spaced 16″ apart starting from the wall edge. But use a stud finder to be sure!

open shelving spacing guide for the kitchen

How to Space Kitchen Shelf Brackets?

Standard cabinet height above the counter is about 18.” Because there are no upper cabinets nearby, I placed my bottom shelf 17″ up from the countertop. There is 13″ between my bottom and top shelf.

I also wanted to make sure the higher shelves weren’t too high so as to be inaccessible but then also not too low creating a lot of negative space. On another post, I outlined more of my Kitchen Shelving Details with lots more specifics on the shelves.

man installing wood shelves in the kitchen

6. Install Shelf Brackets

Using a long level, mark the bracket placement with a pen on the tape. Make sure they are level with each other.
With shelf brackets in hand, mark each hole placement.
Pre- drill a hole using necessary drill bit.
Attach each bracket one by one. Double check to make sure each one is leveled as you go.

marking shelf bracket drill hole placement on white kitchen tile

Installing shelf brackets into wall studs is preferable and should be the first choice for shelving However, this can really affect shelf and bracket placement. If this is not possible, use a wall anchor like these toggles. The painter’s tape used to layout the shelving comes in hand to mark the level lines and drill holes.

drilling into backsplash tile to hang shelves

Can You Install Shelves into Tile?

And if you’re wondering – yes, it is possible & easy to drill into ceramic tile backsplash. You just need a special diamond drill bit.

We used an extra piece of leftover tile to practice first. Helped me calm down my nerves.This gave us an idea of how much pressure and whether the bit was working well.

installing brackets on kitchen backsplash

heavy duty shelf brackets for open shelving on white kitchen tile backsplash

7. Set the Shelves

Once all of the shelf brackets are installed, you can now safely place your shelves on them. These brackets do not attach to the board (which I love!) but if you use ones that do, you would screw them in at this step.

man installing wood shelves in kitchen — That’s my brother! So grateful for his help!

Sometimes, there is a little tightening or adjusting at this step. It usually depends on the boards and the walls. I also spend some time deciding which side of the board I want to face out. I love the markings on this oak and wanted to highlight it!

DIY wood shelves in a black and white kitchen

Here are the finished kitchen shelves! I’m really happy with how these turned out. They add a lot of function and design to our little kitchen. I enjoy styling shelves and am sharing my tips on How to Decorate Shelves in 6 Easy Steps with all of my styling strategies that work on all kinds of shelving!

Final Thoughts:

Ok, so now you probably see why making DIY wood shelves is one of my favorite home upgrades! It completely changes the space and adds warmth and texture. I hope you found this tutorial easy to follow. Grab the pdf download to print out and use for your own projects.