What do you think our grandparents would say if they knew we went shopping for bathroom shelves in the plumbing section of a hardware store? I can see my grandfather shaking his head in confusion now. Isn’t it funny to think that we can create something functional like shelves from materials that are supposed to be used for plumbing….And make it look good? And so here we go, my simple and quick tutorial on DIY INDUSTRIAL PIPE SHELVING.
As I was scrolling through images on Pinterest of open bathroom shelving, I immediately stopped on this one;
Yep, I found my inspiration: INDUSTRIAL PIPE SHELVING.
So I headed to Lowe’s with nothing but a picture for inspiration and a desire to create!
I know I’ve mentioned before, but I’ll tell y’all again. My best inspiration comes from walking the isles of a hardware store. Isn’t that crazy? Maybe I am crazy, but either way I see so much potential with all sorts of building materials.
This little project, as I said earlier, was inspired from a walk down the plumbing isle.
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DIY industrial pipe shelving Materials
- 1 by 12 by 4 ft pine board that I had Lowe’s cut into two 20″ long pieces. So my final board measurements were 20″ long, by 11.25″ wide (I wanted wider shelves to set more things on) by 1″ thick.
- 4 black steel flanges 1/2″
- 4 black steel caps 1/2″
- 4 black steel pipes 12″ by 1/2″
- 16 black screws to secure flanges to the wall. Make sure you buy wood screws and drywall screws.
How to create INDUSTRIAL SHELVES with PLUMBING MATERIAL
NOTE: I used Annie Sloan dark wax to cover the pine board to give them a darker look. I really like the way dark wax looks on pine boards and it “seals” it so they look more finished.
First step is to measure where you want the shelves, make sure they are level, and screw the flanges into the wall. Note: it’s best to screw into a stud, but if you can’t make sure to anchor the screws so they are secure.
Then thread the pipe into the flanges and then thread the caps on the pipe. So EASY!
After you have applied the wax or stain to the pine board, lay the board on top of the pipe making sure it sits behind the “caps” so they won’t slide forward.
That’s all it takes to create these DIY Industrial pipe shelves.
You can also see a full run down of other DIY open shelving I’ve created. I seem to be a little obsessed with open shelving. I even shared a whole post on how to style shelves with a few tips.
Now style those pretty shelves and you’re ready to go!
DIY Open Shelves with Plumbing Materials
This is an easy DIY INDUSTRIAL PIPE SHELVING tutorial. Learn how to create your own open pipe shelves from plumbing materials.
Materials
- 1 by 12 by 4 ft pine board- 2 boards
- 4 black steel flanges 1/2"
- 4 black steel caps 1/2"
- 4 black steel pipes 12" by 1/2"
- 16 black screws to secure flanges to the wall.
Tools
- Drill
Instructions
- First step is to measure where you want the shelves, make sure they are level, and drill the flanges into the wall.
- Thread the pipe into the flanges and then thread the caps on the pipe.
- After you've applied the wax or stain to the pine board, lay the board on top of the pipe making sure it sits behind the "caps" so they won't slide forward.
Notes
To reinforce the shelves and secure them to the plumbing brackets, you can choose to add two holes straps beneath the shelves.
NOTE: I used Annie Sloan dark wax to cover the pine board to give them a darker look. I really like the way dark wax looks on pine boards and it "seals" it so they look more finished.
I still marvel that we can create shelves by shopping in the plumbing section at a hardware store.
If you like this post I would love for you to pin it to Pinterest HERE.
Thanks for stopping by friends! I’ll see you again when I get another wild hair to repurpose or up cycle something from the hardware store. 🙂
Lindsey***