You might see a common theme in my design. I love working with wood. It is so pretty and adds so much to a space.
I wanted to update the shelf we had in our half bath.
It was a boring shelf I picked up somewhere. It was fine for a time but I wanted something prettier and more substantial.
Finding the wood
A few years ago shortly after we moved into our neighborhood Monte found a laminated beam in a dumpster. It is used in the construction of homes. I don’t know if they just send a long beam and they cut it to fit the space they have or if it was a mistake so they pitch it.
Which ever it is I was giddy when we found it. I didn’t have a purpose for it yet but I didn’t want to pass it up.
Initial project
The first thing I created with this free piece of wood was a tray that sits on my table or island. I had Monte cut it to the size I wanted then sanded it and waxed with Annie Sloan soft dark wax. I found some chunky handles at Hobby Lobby that we attached. It created this beautiful piece of decor that is unique and functional. We had an older gentlemen over one day a few years ago. At the time we had a coffee table that is was sitting on. He asked what it was. I told him it was just something pretty to look at. He then stood up and lifted it just to see how heavy it was.
I love making and creating beautiful and unique pieces. After the tray was done the rest of the wood has just sat outside because I wasn’t sure what to do with it but I knew I didn’t want to throw it away.
A Shelf
I don’t know if my brain is unique or others work the way mine does but ideas just come out of the blue. The part that is the most strange to me is why they sometimes take so long and when they do come they’re usually pretty simple.
That happened with the bathroom shelf. As soon as I thought of it I knew it would be perfect. I just didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before.
We did need to cut the wood down a little so the shelf didn’t stick out too far. My big concern was hanging it. I didn’t want brackets so Monte figured out how to make it a floating shelf.
Preparing
These kinds of pieces are really fun to sand. It’s almost magical when you sand the worn tired wood and it comes back to life.
It turned out so pretty. I really love taking weathered worn wood and sanding it until its beauty is revealed.
Waxing it with the Annie Sloan soft wax in dark turned out so beautifully. The waxing process is so simple and quick. I apply the wax with my stiff brush. Since this was a smaller projected I applied the wax to each side before I wiped it off. Thanks to coronavirus I was out of blue shop towels and couldn’t find any. I had some soft cotton cloths that worked to rub the wax off. They worked fine but I prefer the blue shop towels.
Monte needed to cut a piece of wood to attach to the wall to support the shelf. Then router a groove out of the back of the shelf that the wood would fit into. Doing this would make it sturdy and pretty.
It took some time trimming out the back. Then when he had it he realized he needed a longer piece of wood so it was being nailed into studs. The shelf was very heavy so it really needed to be secured well.
That took some trial and error but he got it taken care of. That’s one of the things I love most about Monte. When he understands what I’m wanting he figures out a way to make it happen even if it takes a couple times to get it right.
Instal
To hang the shelf Monte secured the piece of wood that the shelf would sit on securely. He did this by screwing it into a stud. The last thing I wanted was the shelf falling and breaking the toilet which would create a huge problem.
Realizing he needed to secure it to studs and making the piece long enough took the most time. He then had to make the back of the shelf fit over the piece of wood.
Hanging
Once he had that in place it was a matter of slipping on the shelf. At this point it wasn’t going anywhere but Monte decided to screw the shelf into the piece attached to the wall for added security.
This was one of those projects that only took an hour one evening but really made a difference in the appearance of the bathroom.
It added uniqueness and beauty and a place to decorate with some pretty decor items.
I love the shelf and the beauty it adds to our half bath. Adding wood elements to a space makes me happy. I truly love a wood element. I have a few ideas for this space. My desire is to pretty it up a little and add some other fun elements. It is on my ever growing list of things I want to do around my house.
Does anyone else have a list of projects they want to do around the house?Nothing on my to do list is something that needs done it’s all just my brain going ooh that would look cute. I wonder what I can do here. It is really just a cycle of a very active brain that spots projects around my house.
Because we were able to find this beam in the dumpster this project didn’t cost anything besides using a few supplies we had on hand.
