Plank Wall on the Cheap and Floating Bookshelves

by Bambi

On my last post, someone noticed the wall behind the object and asked about it. So here is what I did. We had intentions of building a fence and bought some fence board on sale but the fence didn't happen and after a few years I used it for other purposes. This is one. The reason I wanted a plank wall was not only for the cool points but I also have lathe and plaster walls, which means hanging anything creates large holes. Also things crashing to the ground at odd times. This was my solution, besides the more holes you put in the better it looks.

plank wall on the cheap and floating bookshelves, diy, home decor, repurposing upcycling, shelving ideas, storage ideas, wall decor, woodworking projects, simple fence wood smoothed and stained

simple fence wood, smoothed and stained.

I smoothed the wood out with a 2x4 piece of wood. I didn't want to sand but also didn't want splinters. This was the best solution and cheapest. It was easy, just run the 2x4 up and down the wood til it's smooth. I then used some watered down paint to tint the wood.

After tinting it (I used 4 coordinating colors) I marked out where the studs where and used finishing nails to nail in boards and a level to keep it going straight. Keeping it random was harder than you think.

The "bookshelves" I had made over 13 years ago and they keep getting shuffled around the house. They are easy to make as well. My local thrift store randomly puts out free books and having grabbed a few sturdy hardbacks, I had what you basically need.

Now that you have books, you just need 2 "L" brackets and glue them to the bottom inside of the book. Lots of glue to really hold it tight and then place it under something heavy. Once dry you can screw the top part into any wall.

Over the years the books started to slide away from the wall bracket. I used some packing tape to secure it back to being square.

Add books or other objects to hide the brackets and Viola' floating bookshelves.

I do change my wall often and sometimes I just leave the nails there and replace the item and move stuff around until I like it. It'll even hold a heavy guitar without crashing down in the middle of the night. The only thing I had to purchase was the nails and the brackets.

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4 comments

Tracy Jo on Feb 16, 2015
Very cool, I love the look of your place!

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- Bambi on Feb 16, 2015
  @Tracy Jo thank you so much, some parts of my place is not as cool looking but then again whose place is? lol
  
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- Tracy Jo on Feb 17, 2015
  @Bambi I'm all about the funk. Not at all a fan of cookie cutter (I can tell you aren't either) :-) I recently bought 6 of these chairs and will be redoing that room in an Alice in Wonderland vibe to match them. I have so many ideas for the room and can't wait to get started. Those hats will come in handy in the decorating. For some reason these chairs just scream Alice to me!
  
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- Bambi on Feb 17, 2015
  @Tracy Jo I'm not much on looking like everyone else and my favorite thing to do is take something someone threw away and make it something it never intended to be. I can tell you I love those chairs!! They are just plain fun :D I hope you show me the room when it's all done.
  
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