Ooh our kitchen is almost done! I can’t wait to share it here and don’t know why I haven’t been posting more updates. We’ve been using our kitchen for a couple months now, but the finishing touches are finally in the works. A while back, we installed these open shelves above our dishwasher and I couldn’t be happier with them! They took way longer to get on the wall than we expected because of DIY’er error… or DIY’er ‘didn’t think ahead’. Speaking of didn’t think ahead… I didn’t get any nice styled photos of the shelves since the night we put them up (so you get this functional, but not totally tweaked photo) because our kitchen has been a work zone! I’m talking back splash, friends… if you’re following along on Instagram you might have seen a sneak peak and it really is coming together so well!
When we were planning the kitchen, my original dream was ALL open shelving instead of upper cabinets. My ever-logical hubby talked me out of it because no one wants to see everything we keep in those cupboards. Plus, for space- we needed an over the range microwave. There was no way around it. So I settled for this small little bank over the dishwasher, right before the dining room. The best part about these shelves? They cost us less than $20 each! (we used stain and clear coat we had leftover from refinishing our floors, if you don’t have those it will cost a bit more)
We picked up these Ikea brackets that are the same finish as our hardware for $13 bucks a set (score!) but were certain we didn’t want the standard Ikea fake wood shelving to go along with them. So off to Home Depot I went with the specifications for an almost twelve inch deep piece of wood that was one inch thick. I had some help picking out some gorgeous pieces of knotted wood, had it cut to size, and hauled those babies home. We stained them two coats, and did three coats of clear coat- this was no quick process. Then we went to install them and my dear husband asked if I’d like the gap at the top or bottom. The gap? What gap. There is no gap. There was a gap.
This is where I smack myself because I really knew better. When you buy lumber a 2×4 actually measures half an inch smaller in each dimension. I knew this… and still I didn’t question when the Home Depot guy gave me 1″ wooden shelving. Ugh. So every night for about a week my patient husband was growing less patient because I couldn’t decide if I’d like the gap at the top of the bracket or the bottom (the gap is because the bracket essentially caps the wood… the cap was loose because the wood was too skinny). When I told him I didn’t want a gap and that we’d have to figure something else out… his patience was pretty thin.
So back to the hardware store I went, with a bracket in hand. I asked more than one staff (read: every staff) at Home Depot for help and apparently they don’t make wood that’s actually one inch thick. Want to know what I ended up with? I made that poor girl tour me around the lumber department checking every piece of wood they had (not quite…) to see what fit. $16 later I came home with one piece of cedar fence board cut into two foot lengths. Guys, it fit perfectly. Snug two pieces in there and there was no wiggle room. There was knots in the wood like we’d wanted and we love that there’s two boards (so much more interesting!). Update: I’ve had a few emails that you’re having NO luck finding ‘fence panels. One very sweet commenter shared the secret… they’re not fence panels (Doh!) here’s what he had to say:
In case this helps, the 5/4″ wood you are looking for is decking, not fence boards. Fence boards are much thinner, up to 1/2″ thick. Decking is rounded over and much smoother than the rough sawn fence boards. Cedar is a soft wood so relatively easy to cut and drill.
If you want a more polished look, you can look for 5/4 square profiles in the millwork sections of smaller lumber stores. They are still narrow pieces of wood since it is millwork.
So after another five day process of staining 2x and clear coating 3x, we were ready to install. When you’re putting the wood pieces into the brackets, make sure you get the brackets all the way on! This caused us the most grief, we didn’t realize one of the brackets was on a bit crooked and it was impossible to get those shelves level until we figured it out.
We started by deciding the height of the bottom shelf first- about level with the deco strip of the other upper cabinets (that’s the piece of moulding along the bottom of them). We used these 150 pound wall anchors for the side of the shelf that didn’t hit a stud (I love these anchors!), and just two and a half inch regular old screws in the other side. I still need to make these silver (I’ve got my silver sharpie out, but have been lazy busy).
Then you could do a happy dance and test out the first shelf before you decide the heights of the others… I’d understand. But really, we put a stack of plates on to see how much room we needed between shelves. Can you tell Shane’s a bit done with my indecision? Once we got the right wood… these shelves went up easy peasy! We love them and I’m trying to find another place to put shelves in our home… maybe in our washroom?
I can’t wait to get the rest of the kitchen finished up and style these shelves! I also need to re-pot that spider plant, my Grandmas plant had babies so she gave me this little guy- I should probably switch to one of my pots so she can have hers back. I’ve already made some changes on the shelves… and the back splash is pulling it all together! Do you love open shelving as much as I do? Would you do a whole kitchen with open shelving… and let the world see everything you hoard in your cupboards?
Hay There! Party Seating & Money Saving Secret
love it! i also wanted all open shelving…but my husband was against it haha. and after having cabinets for 3 months, i’m fine with it!
Geez- boys and cabinets!
I cannot find these brackets at IKEA – any nomenclature you could share?
The bracket is called the Granhult. I searched it up on the ikeaUS.com website under, “shelving brackets”
This looks awesome! I want to install this in my house when I redo my kitchen! Love it!
We’re loving them Shambray! I’m sure you will too :)
I have three shelves in my kitchen, but they’re more or less reserved for knick-knacks and dust collectors. I don’t know if I’d do an ENTIRE kitchen with open shelves, but definitely at least a few like you did! Of course, I’d need prettier dishes to put on display instead of my hefty Walmart specials ;)
We just got these ikea plates! Before these, I wouldn’t have put our dishes on display either!
Hi Colleen, visiting from Liz Marie :) these shelves are awesome – I love the natural against the crisp white walls. Great job – looking forward to following your blog!
Thanks so much! I’m so happy to have you here!
I love open shelving, these look gorgeous!
Tania
Thanks Tania! I’m in love with them too… I’m so glad we were able to make them work in our home.
Open shelves are very pretty especially if are of wood, because I think they give a rustic and lovely look. Loved your new shelves :D
Thanks Cori! It was so nice to ‘meet you’ in the class yesterday! Glad to have you here :)
Love them Colleen!! I totally want open shelving ( but would need cabinets or a pantry door to hide all my hoards of food or kitchen nick necks! Those wall anchors you used..can you use them for anything like pictures or just shelving? And do they just go into the dry wall when no stud is there? Loving your blog :)
Aw, thanks Erin! (So happy you’re here!!) Those anchors are awesome- we’ve used them for coat hooks, our baby gate, pretty much anything that gets a lot of use. I’m sure they’d be good for heavy pictures too! They’re only good where there is no stud.
Hi, Colleen! Your new shelves look fantastic! LOVE them! Can’t wait to see more of your kitchen. :-) Thanks for linking at On Display Thursday. – Bre @ Average But Inspired
Thanks so much Bre! The kitchen is SO close to being done, I’m itching to share!
Great job, Colleen! Sharing your work again this week! Features are live on Thursday. Thanks for linking up!!
xo
Ah! Thanks Becca :) You’re awesome. I hope you know.
You are so knowledgeable about this stuff – my hubby thinks I’m hilarious when I venture into Home Depot. He thinks it’s funny and scary. I can get lost in there for hours and really not get one step forward with a plan… How is anyone supposed to know that it wouldn’t be 1″ thick??? These are things that give me DIY nightmares, Colleen!
Thank you for letting me find you through the Thank Goodness It’s Thursday link party. I’m your newest follower – you can teach me so much! Haha
Haha! You’re too funny, I like to think I know what I’m talking about but really the poor people at the hardware stores answer so many questions for me. After blank stares. They usually start with that.
I’m so happy you’re here Sarah!
Love these! They look amazing
Thanks so much Edea! PS. The photos on your site are to die for!
We put the exact same shelves in our new kitchen a year and a half ago and in our bathroom this spring! :)
Aren’t those brackets awesome! Thanks for commenting Shannon :)
These are awesome!! Love the look – thanks for sharing them with us at Work it Wednesday!!
Thanks so much for stopping by Krista!
I love the look of open shelving, and yours looks so great!
Thanks so much Ginnie! I’ve always loved the look too :)
So gorgeous! I absolutely LOVE open shelving. Now if only I can convince my hubby to demolish the kitchen so we would have a place to put said open shelving….
Thanks Erica! Maybe there’s another room that could use some open shelving?!
I’m in the middle (long delay) of redoing my kitchen. The next phase (wall) I want open shelving instead of cabinets. Great to see what they turned out like!
Thanks for sharing!!
Oh my gosh, you’ll love them! Good luck with the remodel- I know how long of a process it can be!
Your shelving turned out so gorgeous! Go Flyers! Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday on Organized 31.
Haha! I was wondering if someone was going to comment on that… we’re Canadian, but my hubby is a die-hard philly fan.
I LOVE open shelves in the kitchen and these look great. Love the wood tone and simple white plates. Great job!
Thanks so much Katie! It’s always good to meet a fellow open shelving lover :)
Colleen, these shelves look so much more interesting with two boards as opposed to one. This is a good idea for our little kitchen, too. I’m almost afraid to go to Ikea for the brackets. It’s one of my more serious addictions! Thanks for this post!
Val (saw you on the Craftiest Allie)
Thanks so much Val! We were disappointed we couldn’t find wider boards but once they were on the wall we were so happy with the two boards too! Ikea is a dangerous store for the budget, I totally agree!
Great job! I have used those same shelf brackets from Ikea, but with plain white shelves. I really like how the wood you used warms up the space and adds that natural look and texture. Pinning!
Thanks Lyndsay! Our whole kitchen is white, white, gray- so we love the warmer wood too.
Love, love your new shelves. So pretty! Thank you so much for sharing at Tuesdays at Our home. Enjoy your day! Maria
Thanks for stopping by Maria!
Those shelves are awesome Colleen. So cute.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much Michelle! I appreciate you stopping by :)
I love this hack!!! What a great way to get a custom look and I love open shelving in a kitchen. Thanks so much for linking up at The Handmade Hangout, I am featuring tomorrow at Redouxinteriors.
Thanks so much Karen! Looking forward to it :)
Looks fantastic-love how your shelves turned out! Thank you for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday!
Thanks Courtney! We’re thrilled to finally have our dishes off our counter :) (and thanks for the fabulous party!)
Love these open shelves. Wish I had the space to do them. Great job. Thank you so much for linking this up to The Creative Collection Link Party.
I’m so excited we finally have space for them! Definitely worth the wait :)
these look great! thanks for sharing. over from Cedar Hill, the scoop. have a good day.
Thanks Linda! I’m glad you’re here.
The shelves look awesome! I love open shelving and would replace all of my upper cabinets with them if I didn’t have two cats who would be all over them. :) I love them more than I love open shelving, though, so I’ll have to stick with my boring cabinets.
Haha! I have no cats but I can imagine the chaos that would cause.
I have those brackets too and have the same problem with the gap!! So happy to find an easy fix!
Ah, that gap! It drove me crazy- I’m glad I’m not the only one!
Fabulous!!! I love your style girl!!! Featuring these fun shelves tomorrow! XO, Aimee
Thanks Aimee! I totally appreciate it :)
Also- fun note, you spell your name the exact way my sister-in-law does.
Great job! I love these shelving!
Thanks so much Sherry! It’s actually an Ikea hack- I shared all about it here if you like :)
The brackets look neat with REAL wood. We installed these in a new kitchen of a house we sold but we used the IKEA shelves which I don’t care for because they are particle board (and heavier).
In case this helps, the 5/4″ wood you are looking for is decking, not fence boards. Fence boards are much thinner, up to 1/2″ thick. Decking is rounded over and much smoother than the rough sawn fence boards. Cedar is a soft wood so relatively easy to cut and drill.
If you want a more polished look, you can look for 5/4 square profiles in the millwork sections of smaller lumber stores. They are still narrow pieces of wood since it is millwork.
SO helpful Angel! Thank you for taking the time to comment and share that information with us, I’ll update my post with your tips :)
I’ve checked Lowe’s and Home Depot near me; neither carry 5/4 cedar decking. All I can find online at Lowe’s is 5/4 cedar composite. Before I take a chance and order sight unseen or venture out to a lumber yard, do you happen to know if you bought cedar composite decking? I love, love, love these and am planning to make a couple for my living room, so I hope I can find something that works!
I’m sorry you’re having issues finding it! I thought it was fence pieces, but was told it’s called decking… I would ask for either? I know it is just cedar, not composite. Best of luck!
Hi! Do you know the actual dimensions of each piece of wood you used? All the deck boards I am seeing at Home Depot are 6″ deep, and the brackets from Ikea are 11″… did you trim yours down? Or are they actually 5 1/2″ deep?
I’m not too sure! I think they were each 6″ (there is two for each shelf)
oh I LOVE this!!! Seriously, beautiful. Bonus points for gorgeous styling too! Great job!!! xo, Laura
Aw, thanks so much Laura! I totally appreciate that- I was actually going to change out the pictures on this post for some from my kitchen reveal because I liked the styling better there… but you’ve made me think twice!
THESE ARE SOOOOOO AWESOME! But then again, I think I say that about everything you do =)
Well aren’t you the sweetest! I love your encouraging comments Kyla :)
So cute! Also, wanted to let you know I have a link party on Wednesday, hope to see you there! Can’t wait to party with you at https://homeschoolapalooza.wordpress.com :-)
Found your blog on Avery Street!
Love the shelves!
Maybe you will check out mine too;)
Love & hugs
Lydia
Thanks so much Lydia! I so appreciate you stopping by :)
I literally ran across this post minutes after I purchased these brackets! Lol! I love what you’ve done with the shelving and I was wondering the measurements you used to cut the boards and what size were the original boards? My hubby and I are remodeling and trying to do as much as we can by ourselves but are new to all this DIY stuff :) Thank you and you have a beautiful home!
Serendipity! They were 12 foot long boards- cut into 2 foot pieces- 2 pieces needed per bracket. There’s lots of notes up there on how to find the right boards- it’s been quite the topic of discussion :)
Best of luck making them! We absolutely adore ours, I’m sure you will too! I’d love to see a photo when they’re all said and done :)
No words for how much I love these. And the story to go along with them was hilarious!
Thanks so much Jaime! Some projects aren’t as simple as they should be… it’s funny to laugh about it after though :)
did you get the 19cm or 28cm brackets from ikea?
12″, so I believe the 28cm ones- good luck Marley! I’d love to see photos if you make them :)
Hi Colleen,
I’m redoing my kitchen next month and I was going to use the stainless steel shelves from Ikea that go with those brackets but I love your shelves much better. I did a quick look at home depot for boards and the only boards I could find that were the correct width were pressure treated. I don’t want the chemicals in pressure treated wood in my kitchen. Were you able to find boards that weren’t pressure treated?
Thanks so much for the inspiration and tutorial! :)
Monika
Hi Monika, They weren’t pressure treated- they were just plain ol’ cedar. Honestly, I just went in there with my tape measure to find the right width because I couldn’t find anyone who understood what I was asking for. They should be either with the fencing or decking… hope that helps! And I’d love to see your finished shelves!!
Love this! I am remodeling and was planning on using these brackets. The stain color appears to be a perfect color for my kitchen. Would you share the stain and finish that you used? It may save me! Thanks for posting.
The stain we used is actually a custom colour left over from refinishing our floors. It has a walnut base to it, but is a bit warmer… good luck finding the perfect stain! I’d love to see your shelving when it’s all done :)
Hi. We too have open shelving in the kitchen on both sides of the window using the ikea brackets. We buy the boards that are intended for stairs. My husband cuts off the rounded front and they fit perfect.
Aren’t they the best?! I’m glad to hear there’s another solution if someone can’t find the same boards as me :)
Colleen, thanks for sharing this! I love how these open shelves look, it makes the kitchen look a lot spacier and it seems so much easier to get to your dishes. My wife and I have been planing on changing up our kitchen and I think we’ll definitely need to try this out! I think good kitchen storage really counts because who wouldn’t love a roomy kitchen?
Thanks so much Sean! It definitely helps open it up to the dining room. If you do try them out- I’d love to see photos!
Love the look! I’ve been in kitchen remodeling mode and wanted floating shelves, but I might change my mind! My biggest concern is making sure the shelves will hold the weight of dishes. I’ve got 2 areas – one is a 5 ft span and the other is a 3 ft span. Are your shelves bolted into the studs? Perhaps I missed the explanation. I do see the pic of the toggle bolts, but I wondered if your hubby still secured them to the studs.
Great question! One side IS secured in the studs, the other just doesn’t hit one. You can now get anchors up to 500 pounds and I know we’d never hit that. PLUS that’s per anchor. So when you put a bracket like this one that has two anchor points on each side and only downward pressure (not pulling out pressure), I’m really confident that they will hold. In many new apartments, they use steel studs with floating drywall for noise reduction and anchors are the only way to hang anything (from TVs to shelves!)… I’m not sure if that’s helping you feel more confident in them or not ;)
Do you think those would be sturdy enough if the boards were twice as long? Trying to find brackets for open shelving in my kitchen. Not sure if it would need a middle support.
Thanks!
I’m pretty cautious so I would probably put a middle support in if you’re planning on stacking heavy dishes on there!
Hi! I’m looking for the 150lb anchors you mentioned. Do you have a link for those, or a trick for finding them?
I wasn’t able to find them at Home Depot online BUT they were just in that section at the hardware store. I would check a couple places if you don’t find them at the first stop :)
I love this. I am going to do this in my kitchen however now in Ikea there are options for the size brackets.. which size did you use the 11″ or 7.5″ brackets?
11″! Big enough for plates :)
Hi I love these but don’t an IKEA close to get the end brackets. Can I find them somewhere else?
Hi Kristi, I think that these ones are specific to Ikea but you can order online!
I love these I am wanting longer selves. Do you think I should go a diff route
You can definitely make them longer!
I have had these brackets for months trying to find wood that would work since I was unable to find 1″ thick wood at anywhere. I stumbled upon staircases that fit perfectly!! I found “48 in. x 11-1/2 in. Unfinished Pine Stair Tread”. They need to be cut down half an inch but otherwise it is PERFECT!
Hello! Where did you buy the brackets? I can’t find them anywhere….Ikea no longer carries them and if so, I cannot find online. Thanks for your help:-)
Love the look of your shelves! I’ve been contemplating 2 vs 3 shelves. Love how your 3 shelves look. I’m curious, how far is it from the top of one to the bottom of the one above it?
Love! About to add some open shelving in outback kitchen / dining area. What measurement did you end up with between the shelves? Spacing looks perfect!
Courtney
https://partyhardyblog.com/
We definitely eyeballed it! Haha I had planned to have them more spaced but the lights at the top were way too big for 12″ in between the shelves. My only suggestion is to leave at least 18″ below the bottom shelf and the countertop.
Did you have to let the decking boards dry? If so, how long? I’m stealing this idea for our pantry buildout!
Do you mean after staining them? Yes! But if you mean dry so they don’t crack… nope!
Hi there – these look great! Can you share what shade and brand of stain you used? And what coating? Thank you!
Thank you! I am pretty sure I would have used Early American- I used it for everything! It was overtop of cedar wood :) And then I use varathane crystal clear/ diamond finish.
Love these!! Ikea no longer has these metal brackets……any recommendations on where else to purchase these? thanks so much!
I haven’t seen them anywhere else! If you find them- please let me know!