When I started planning the nursery for our first baby, I knew that I wanted lots of room for books! I’ve been collecting so many cute books over the years, and got SO many amazing books at our baby shower. We wanted a way that we could keep our favorites on display and within easy reach. This DIY book ledge is the perfect solution!
At our last house, I made an art/picture ledge to put above our sofa by following this Chris Loves Julia tutorial. With a few modifications, it also makes a perfect DIY book ledge!
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Tools & Supplies
Tools:
Saw. I used a miter saw; or most hardware stores like Lowe’s will make the cuts for you.
Pneumatic nail gun and air compressor** This nail gun is similar to the one we’ve had for the past couple of years. This is the Kobalt air compressor that we have.
**If you don’t have a nail gun, wood screws will work for the back of the ledge and you could use nails on the front piece for a cleaner look.
Nails for nail gun. I actually used a headless pinner with 23 gauge pins to attach the front of the ledge so that they’re almost invisible. I used a brad nailer gun with 1½” brad nails on the back of the ledge for a little bit of a stronger hold than the pins.
Supplies:
The following materials are enough to make two 24” ledges, I used select pine boards.
One 1”x3” (4’ long)
One 1”x4” (4’ long)
One 1”x6” (4’ long)
Sandpaper (220 grit and 400 grit)
Stain or paint (I used Watco Danish Oil in Dark Walnut)
Directions
1. Cut each of the 4’ boards into two equal pieces (about 24” each).
2. Apply wood glue along the edge of the 1”x3” and clamp to the 1”x4.” Attach with headless pinner (or nails). Remove clamps.
3. Repeat the process (wood glue, clamp, nail/screw) to attach the 1”x6” to form the back of the ledge. Remove any excess wood glue before it’s dry.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for the second ledge.
5. Once the wood glue is dry, sand each ledge starting with coarser and working your way to the finer grit. Take care to slightly round the corners and to sand off any dried wood glue. Remove all sawdust and be sure the wood is completely clean and dry before moving to the next step.
6. Next, stain or paint following the manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Attach to wall using appropriate anchors for drywall if necessary. We attached ours to a wood wall, so I just attached them using 1¾ ” wood screws.
Add Your Books!
Then just add your favorite books and you’re done! Here are some links to my personal favorites:
