Have on old chair you don't want anymore? Before tossing it out you might want to consider repurposing it into a shelf! A ladder back chair makes for a perfect towel holder, while the seat works as a great storage space! This chair turned shelf works great in a bathroom or kitchen and can be made with a few quick steps! By simply cutting the chair a bit and adding some hanging hooks, you can create a fun and unique shelf!
We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
Time: 2 HoursCost: $3Difficulty: Medium
SUPPLIES:
-Ladder Back Chair
-Circle Saw
-Sanding Block (I have a sander pictured, but ended up using a simpler tool)
-Screwdriver
-Spray Paint
-Wall Hanging Hardware
Links to materials at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Measure the shelf
Decide how deep you would like the shelf portion of your shelf to be and draw an even line across the seat of the chair as a guide.
STEP 2: Saw the chair
Use a circular saw to cut across the seat of the chair all the way through. I like this Black & Decker saw; it's pretty cheap compared to others, and it does a great job. Also, I tend to saw a lot of stuff, and this is a great tool to have.
STEP 3: Saw off the legs
Cut off the back legs of the chair as close to the seat as possible. At this point the entire back of the chair should be separate from the front.
STEP 4: Take off cross beams
If you have cross beams on your chair you can remove them with a screw driver. Chairs can be constructed differently so you may have to remove them with a saw if necessary. Set these aside as you can use them later as a sort of bracket.
STEP 5 (optional): Paint your chair
If you wish, you can paint your chair pieces the color of your choice at this point. (Remember to paint the rails if you are using them.) I used Rustoleum's Universal Spray Paint in Matte Robin's Egg. It's a beautiful color, and it goes on evenly.
STEP 6 (optional): Get a distressed look
Once your paint has dried, use a sanding block to rough up the edges of the chair pieces and allow the wood color to peak through from underneath. This is a distressed look, and it gives it more of a farmhouse appearance.
STEP 7: Attach hanging hooks
Now you can attach some hanging hooks to the back of your shelves. For the top piece of the chair you will attach them to the edge of the seat where you cut through.
For the bottom chair piece you will attach the hooks to the back of the chair seat.
STEP 8: Screw the bracket back in
Take the chair rails you cut earlier and using wood glue and screws, screw them to the shelves so they will rest against the wall when hung. These will serve as brackets, so that they rest evenly and the front of the shelf doesn't fall forward.
STEP 9: Add L brackets (optional)
Because the bottom portion of the chair-turned-shelf was cut with a wider shelf, the rail bracket was not strong enough to bear the weight. So I added two actual brackets to the bottom of the chair and painted them to match. You may need brackets for either shelf depending on the weight of your chair and how far it rests away from the wall.
STEP 10: Hang your shelf and rack
Now simply hang your shelves and fill them up as you wish!
If you set the shelves one above the other they, make for a cute make-shift bar/prep space in the kitchen! You could also hang a mirror from the ladder rungs of the top shelf and make it a vanity!
These shelves are perfect for towels to hang from, but can really be used for a multitude of things!
We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
Suggested materials for this project:
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Prices updated as of April 17, 2018 10:59 PM - More infoHometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
7 Questions on This Project
- Agree, this is so cute and original! If I could fit it, one would be in my bathroom. Bet you could sell a ton of these at a flea market.
- Pat Brinkley Spencer, this would be awesome in a larger bathroom for hand towels and washcloths. What a great idea. Amanda C, this re-purpose is awesome.
- Fabulous DYI!!!! Such great directions l feel like I could do ! Many thanks,arcia
- Ditto Tracy! I agree... this is sooo dang cute. I'm already looking for a space to hang one myself!
- I saw a show on the Western Channel where the lead actress kept her chairs hanging on the wall. She had kept Jack Nickerson from being hung by marrying him. I thought it was ingenious for multiple reasons. More floor space. KEEP CLIMBING GRANDKIDS FROM USING A CHAIR TO GET IN "Danger Zones". Functional and just plain Cool. I LOVE THIS PROJECT JUST AS MUCH!!
- I saw a show on the Western Channel where the lead actress kept her chairs hanging on the wall. She had kept Jack Nickerson from being hung by marrying him. I thought it was ingenious for multiple reasons. More floor space. KEEP CLIMBING GRANDKIDS FROM USING A CHAIR TO GET IN "Danger Zones". Functional and just plain Cool. I LOVE THIS PROJECT JUST AS MUCH!!
- This is how the Amish do it,,,they hang the chairs on the wall,,,more room it the house!
- Yes the Amish. If only they fed their horses.....🤷♀️
- It looks like a bar stool so it may be about 32 inches, in case she doesn't see your question.
- Looks like just regular chair height.
- A regular chair would be about 18" seat height
- 18" seat height is right.
- The point is to recycle an old wood chair. Size and shape do not matter
- Ahhh sorry to be getting back to you so late! It was a strange height. It is slightly taller than a regular chair, but shorter than a standard bar stool. The seat was up 24" from the floor.
- This is really cool you could go to a thrift stool and buy a bar height stool and get a higher table. The lower height would be like a bench height which can be nice for a shelf too.
- I think you need that to keep it level. But you could paint it to match your wall and it would blend into the background.
- Well there's that.
- yes, you can. Those two L brackets, if you use the right size for weight purposes,will support the chair and keep it level.
- Or omit that center leg & instead screw a 1x2 to the "shelf" part in the back and the wall.
- Great ideas Matasura1mp & Heather. As you can probably tell I'm interested but not as savvy.
- why not use the other 2 legs from the back of the chair for the table?I do like the idea and am going to try this.Thanks
- This is really nice. When you make yours post a picture with all 4 legs 🙂
- The way it was done gives an edge to the top shelf. Much handier that way.
- ...and it moves the rungs away from the wall enough to be able to hang towels or whatever. I thought you could use it either way... maybe like you said and mirror could rest on that shelf. It's a creative idea. I like it
- I was a NEWBIE also Marie - I got a small 4-1/2 in circular saw (see pic) for $80 +/- (Walmart and Lowes) - 2x4's, plywood, etc. etc. no problems.Next I'm getting a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig... if you get only one thing a month... you will have a decent "work bench" in no time - do research.And I just got a 24 in level and a 8 ft. ladder (online-used) - to help me work on my 10 ft. high walls --- I'm about DONE!
