Moreover, rather than spending thousands of dollars on pre-made versions, you can build them yourself for a fraction of the price. Make your own DIY industrial pipe shelves by following my step-by-step tutorial. My husband and I had been enjoying our beautiful DIY pipe shelf bracket Shelving for about two years when we decided it was time for an upgrade. In the beginning, we wanted to complete the project as inexpensively as possible, which was one of the primary reasons we chose the low-cost 1-inch boards.
Fast forward to this past fall, when we made the decision to replace the shelves with some higher-quality, thicker pine boards to make them more durable. Throughout the post, you will see examples of both types of boards in action. It's really just a matter of personal preference and financial constraints. Your costs and time allotment will vary depending on the size of the shelf you wish to construct.
It took me more than six months to complete the project, including the time it took me to research it and persuade my husband to join me in the endeavor. Final cost of these was approximately $350; they were completed and ready to be styled in less than two days.
We took the measurements, drew up a plan (which included a labeled picture with measurements), and compiled a comprehensive list of materials to use. Following that, we went to the hardware store. For the record, my husband made eight trips to the hardware store in search of all of the pipe pieces we required, as well as to exchange a few pieces that we had ordered incorrectly. Don't let your children pick out the pipe pieces themselves. As a result, you will need to double-check the shapes and sizes because they are not always placed in the appropriate box. Finally, I applied the first coat of stain to allow it to dry over night (this step is optional, but I did it). We saved the "good stuff" for the second day. We finished by applying the final coat of stain, putting the pieces together, and hanging them on the wall.
Alternatively, if you are building a smaller shelf and do not intend to place anything heavy on it, you may be able to hang the shelf without attaching it to the studs (you should have seen my husband's face when I suggested this). It is possible to attach it with sheet-rock anchors, though he does not recommend doing so because it is too risky in his opinion. However, with a large shelf such as the one we built, this would not be a good idea in our opinion. Begin by sketching out a plan of what you want to put where and how it will look. When deciding whether to use two or three support brackets for your industry shelf bracket shelves, consider the following factors:When the hubby suggested three support brackets, I thought he was going overboard with the overkill. I had come across a fantastic design on Pinterest that used only two support brackets and looked absolutely fantastic. However, he was concerned that it would not have enough support with only two people.
It's important to remember that I was attempting to make him happy, so of course I allowed him to win. Here's how it works:I hate to say it, but he was absolutely correct. It was primarily because we were trying to save money and purchased the cheapest boards available at the hardware store. It is likely that these boards would have bowed under the weight if we had only used two brackets. Decide on the appearance as well as the function of what you want to create. If you want to build a media center, for example, and you want to achieve a certain amount of symmetry, you should consider using two brackets. In this case, you'll want to plan ahead and purchase stronger, harder (and therefore more expensive) boards in advance.