I always used to turn to DIY when I was feeling down, and I don’t know how I forgot that, considering my entire line of work now is one form of do-it-yourself project or another. Maybe that’s why. Maybe I lost the joy of creating in the monotony of the mundane. This week I gave myself a much needed reality and sanity check, however, and started to carve out a bit of time to do something I’ve been itching to do for a while – build some shelves for over the sink. Hopefully I’ll keep up with creating some much needed me time in a schedule that just keeps getting more and more saturated, because DANG this was fun and the benefits of these shelves are honestly so multi-faceted. I’ve spent time calculating, measuring and cutting, sanding and staining away the stress I’ve been feeling, and I now have some pretty sweet shelves to show off some cute decor and clear up my limited counter space.

In character with my now seemingly ever-present self doubt, I debated for a while on what style of shelving to install. Should I go modern or classic? Farmhouse rustic or industrial chic? All I knew going into it was I wanted to build the shelves myself (and needed a pretty easy plan since I’m a beginner and I have limited space and time to build at the moment) and that they would need to appeal to lots of people and stand the test of time, because they were going to become a permanent fixture in the unit, remaining behind when we move out. I ended up deciding on some classic floating shelves that hopefully won’t go out of style too soon.

So where does a beginner turn when they have a creative fire burning in them but very limited practical skill? Ana White, of course! I’ve been itching to try some of her plans for a while, but until I have some empty space in a garage that doesn’t share a wall with a tenant (sorry for the noise, neighbors!) or maybe even my own workshop (insert drooling/heart eye emojis here), I knew I had to start small. Thus, the decision to use her tutorial and plans for THE BEST Floating Shelves: https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/best-floating-shelves

Guys, she wasn’t kidding. These shelves are pretty simple for a beginner with limited tools at her disposal. I’ll give you a quick overview of my build, but make sure you go check out her page for the actual plans and demo!

First things first, I had to decide how many shelves I wanted and how to space them, so I turned to my trusty tape to visualize different ideas in the space.

The clear winner for me? Two shelves!

Then it was time to do some quick math and run to the store for supplies, break out the saw, and get to work.

Thanks to the weather I didn’t think to take any photos of the sanding or staining process, just some quick videos for Instagram stories. I was fighting the clock to get it done before some dark clouds rolled in. I brought a spare piece of flooring out to pick a stain that is somewhat close, and I ended up applying two coats of Minwax Special Walnut, followed by two coats of satin finish polyurethane. The polyurethane did give the finish a slight yellow color cast, but I think it was worth it. I could have used a different type of sealer, but I wanted to use something that would stand the test of time, especially in an area that’s exposed to moisture and some heat.

As for the hanging process? Well, that was a little difficult, thanks to the fact that I was impatient and hung them alone. The structure of shelf made it pretty easy to hang (in theory), but I was balancing the shelf and a level while changing out drill bits and trying to hit studs all at once. I filmed the process and created a time lapse with it, which you can find in my highlights on my Instagram page. Had I waited for my husband to give me an extra set of hands, I’m sure it would have gone much more smoothly.

And, of course, the whole reason for the post: the finished product.