DIY Floating Wall Shelf

Anyone who has ever renovated or built a house will probably be familiar with the straws that you cling to when things aren't going well during the construction phase and there seems to be no end in sight. In moments like these, it always helped me a lot to cling to my mood boards or dream interior pieces for our Lüneglück and to keep reminding myself of them. Even if the reality then consisted of construction rubble and never-ending decisions that had to be made almost daily, I knew that there was a light at the end of the (renovation) tunnel somewhere. After all, you need some motivation for this war of nerves.

One of my straws was our planned wall shelf in the living room. I found the inspiration for it online ages ago. You could say I wasn't particularly willing to compromise on this wall shelf, as I had a clear vision of our living room and this was a must for it. Accordingly, I pestered Felix about it for ages and was more than happy that he shared my vision for the room.

There was a brief moment of hesitation, however, when the walls were freshly plastered and painted, the floor was laid and we had a first impression of the room. Should we start a new one ourselves now that we were gradually getting rid of all the construction sites? After all, the wall was so perfectly plastered...

But anyone who knows Felix and me knows that this thought only briefly entered our minds and not a second later we were at the hardware store to get various materials to implement this DIY project. After all, a wall can always be re-plastered and repainted!

A year later, I can give you feedback that I am still more than happy with this wall shelf. It gives our living room a very special, unique look. We knew from the start that we weren't building it to create storage space, but simply because we thought its design was a perfect fit for the room.

Even though it is a bit more complex and time-consuming to build, or as Felix says so beautifully: "Nobody can imitate DIY!", I would do it the same way again and again, because the result still puts a smile on my face every day!

Required material

• wooden strips (in our case 4x2cm slats)
• metal angle
• wood screws
• impact wrenches
• Fermacell panels
• drywall screws
• filler
• edge protection strips
• foil, painter's fleece and adhesive tape
• wall paint
• acrylic paint

time expenditure

It took us five days, mainly because there are dry periods between some steps.

Step 1

First, we carefully and generously cleared the room and taped it off. You need a lot of space for the material and it also creates a lot of dirt.

Step 2

Next, the first strips are attached to the wall. To do this, drill holes through the slats into the wall, vacuum the holes thoroughly and then attach the slats to the wall with impact screws. Make sure that the slats are installed cleanly in the water.

Step 3

Then the short battens are attached, which determine the depth. We also attached the battens with impact screws and supported the whole thing again with brackets. Here too, make sure that everything is clean in the water. Brackets are also attached to the front to hold the front battens.

Step 4

The front batten is then attached to the angles. Depending on the span, it can be helpful to temporarily support the batten in the middle. At this point, the whole construction is still a bit wobbly and only becomes really stable later when the planking is applied. Shorter battens are then placed in the frame to divide the whole thing into several small areas and give the whole thing more stability. We placed a batten every 50cm. Check regularly to see if you are still in the water.

Step 5

In the next step, the frames are covered with Fermacell panels. It is best to cut Fermacell with a circular saw. This creates a lot of dust and should be done outside if possible. If that is not possible, you can also work on the panels with a panel cutter, but this will not be as clean as cutting with a circular saw. Cut the panels to the appropriate size. Then start with the upper panels and screw them onto the wooden frame. Make sure that when two panels collide, this happens on a crossbar of the wooden frame. Screw the panel to the frame approximately every 30cm. You should now notice that the construction is stiffening and becoming more stable.

Step 6

Next, the panels are attached to the bottom. The principle is the same as with the top panels. It is important that you build yourself tools to hold the panel from below. I cut two suitable slats for the back and held the panel at the front with two clamps.

Step 7

Last but not least, the front is now planked. The thin parts in particular can only be sawn. Tearing was no longer an option here.

Step 8

The next part involves sanding the construction. Before you start, check that all drywall screws are fully countersunk and tighten them again if necessary. Make sure that any protruding parts from cutting or breaking the panels are sanded away. Of course, you don't have to do this by hand, but it creates a lot more dust if you do it by machine.

Step 9

Edge protection strips are attached to the front edges. It is best to use a stapler for this. I didn't get very far with the hand stapler, so I had to use the electric stapler. That worked pretty well.

step 10

Now the whole thing is smoothed out with filler. The cleaner you work here, the less sanding you will have to do afterwards.

Step 11

Next, sand everything smooth again. The whole thing should look pretty neat now.

step 12

To get a neat transition to the wall, the corners are sprayed with acrylic paint. It is best to smooth the acrylic paint with a damp brush.

Step 13

Now all you have to do is paint the shelf in the color of your choice. Depending on the color, you may need to prime it again first.

And you're done. You've spent the last few days with blood, sweat and tears, but the result is worth it.