Custom Mug Shelf

7 Materials
$10
3 Hours
Easy

I've been seeing so many adorable mug shelves all over the internet and I decided that I needed to have one. The issues I had with buying one were price and the fact that I wouldn't be able to get one in the exact size or finish I had in mind. So, DIY it is!

I started by planning out my shelf and making a cut list. I am using scrap plywood but you could also go with solid pine and your project would still be pretty budget friendly. First I cut all of my wood to the proper width using a table saw.

Next I cut all of my pieces to length using a radial arm saw.

I took my two sides and laid out where each shelf piece would go. I decided to just do simple butt joints but you can get as fancy as you'd like by using dado joints or mitering the corners.

Next, I glued and nailed my shelves to one of the side pieces.

Time to glue and nail the other side on! I used wood glue and an air strike nail gun.

Since I used plywood and it has a very rough end grain, I decided to add 3/8 inch pine strips to the entire front of my shelf. I cut them to size using a table saw and a radial arm saw.

Next I glued and nailed on all of the pine strips. This will give the front of the shelf a nice smooth edge. I also filled all of the nail holes with stainable wood filler.

Once I sanded the entire shelf with an orbital sander, it was time to stain! At this point, you can pick any type of finish you'd like.

Once the stain was applied I allowed it to dry. If you aren't using scrap, you would probably get a more even and pretty finish with your stain. This doesn't really matter to me though since this won't be my final step. 😊

After the stain dried I used a dry brush technique to apply white paint. This gives me a rustic and worn look which I love. (And once I grow tired of it I can easily change it up!)

Here it is, all finished up!! (I had to borrow a few mugs for this picture but I'm working on growing my collection.😉) Thanks for following along!

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 4 comments
Next