DIY Farmhouse Shelves

These simple to make DIY farmhouse shelves are an AMAZING addition to any room and what’s better is you’ll learn how to make them!

You guys, I made my own DIY farmhouse shelves for my dining room.  And you’re thinking, “yeah, Sarah, we all know.  You told us 100 times.” The day has FINALLY arrived.

Stop. The. Press.

Okay, okay.  I know.  I’ve been teasing this post for basically a year now.

I’ve been waiting for the most perfect day when the sun shines from the heavens in a glorious way and the shelves beam in the light.  

You see, I wanted the MOST perfect pictures for these shelves because I want you all to see just how amazing they are and that you can make them, too!

{Ironically, I ended up taking the pictures on a relatively overcast day}

So, without further adieu…

And another close up…

I am completely 100% thrilled with how they turned out.  The shelves really anchor the room and have become such a lovely focal point.

The best part? They were actually very easy to make.

How To Make DIY Farmhouse Floating Shelves with Corbel Brackets

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Step 1. Find the Wood for DIY Farmhouse Shelves

We started with old Barnwood we found at a local warehouse.  It was love at first sight with this wood.  It was lying on a table completely separate from the other wood basically begging me to buy it.

We had to clean and seal the wood after many years of hard work holding up a barn, I’m assuming 😉  You can check out our whole 3 step process to get that barn wood dining room shelf ready!

We cut the wood down to 7 3/4 inches deep and left it at its original length (~78 inches).  The width was cut because we were worried about the wood sticking out too far off of the shelf.

Since the shelves aren’t above a buffet table or other permanent fixture, there was a risk people could bump their heads off of the wood and damage the wood and hurt themselves.

{The length/width of the wood is entirely customizable based on your needs}

Step 2. Clean and Seal the Wood

Before cleaning and sealing:

After cleaning and sealing:

Isn’t that transformation amazing?? You can check out our whole 3 step process to get that barn wood dining room shelf ready!

Step 3. Stain and Paint Corbels

We looked at the same warehouse for some decorative corbels to hold the wood up.  I was originally looking for something pretty fancy, maybe like a rustic French decor look.

When we couldn’t find any old corbels, we decided to use some pretty plain ones from Home Depot (similar here).

I decided to go with less detailed corbels so that the focus would be on the shelves and the decor ON the shelves.  But, I think the shelves would look fantastic with some more detailed corbels, too.  Go with what you like 🙂

First, I stained them using my favorite stain: MinWax Dark Walnut.  I applied it pretty sparingly using the old t-shirt method (is that a real method??)

Once the corbels were dry, I painted them using my second love (behind my husband and children) Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen White.  Literally in love with this paint.  I want to chalk paint all of the things.

Step 4. Distress Farmhouse Corbels by Sanding

As is tradition, I sanded them down a bit using coarse grit sandpaper (similar here) to create a rustic look.  I focused on all of the edges and corners and made sure to have at least one “rough” spot on the large flat portion of the corbel, too.

Step 5. Hang up Corbels for DIY Farmhouse Shelves

Now, I had no part in hanging them, aside from sitting and watching my husband father-in-law hang them.  Precision, measuring, and patience, that’s not my style.  So, here’s my husband to explain that part:

Hi, it’s TJ! The process itself took a bit of time, but it was relatively straightforward. We used a stud finder to locate studs that fell within the width of the shelves. Once we had two studs near the end of the shelves we drilled the holes on one side at the correct height.

We used a level to make sure the holes on the other side of the shelf were at the right point, then drilled those holes as well. Lather, rinse, repeat and then we had all the holes we needed to hang two beautiful farmhouse shelves at exactly the right height, and perfectly level. 

And, the shelves were FINISHED!!

Look at the lovely detail in this wood:

As you can see, I could post pictures ALL day of these shelves.

Plus, wasn’t it easier than you expected??

Now…it’s on to the styling.  Which is a whole other ballgame.  Judging by the pace I get things done, we should expect to see that reveal sometime in 2017.

But, seriously, I’m trying to style both shelves with mostly DIY projects and budget-friendly finds.  I’m almost done and I’m SO excited to share the styled shelves soon. (UPDATE: See how they turned on here with how to style open shelves in 5 easy steps & check out this shopping guide of rustic decor for shelves.)

Have you been swooning over farmhouse shelves, too? Check out these other farmhouse ideas!

• Friday Inspiration: Farmhouse Loving by Studio Mcgee
• Farmhouse Throw Pillows by Making Manzanita
• DIY Farmhouse Neutral Floral Centerpiece by Me!

Wishing you a joyful day!