Here’s 34+ step-by-step tutorials on how to build any style of DIY shelves for any storage space from reclaimed wood! Unique, beautiful and free!

I think it’s safe to say, not many of us can say, “Boy, this home has too much storage!”

Not generally the case is it? In fact, I have tall skinny closets that had about 3 shelves in them with a ton of wasted space above and below.

However lack of storage has never been a long-term issue… because I just make my own, with free and easy custom-sized DIY shelves!

DIY Shelves are easy to build, easy to cut to any size to fit, and fun to style, offering the decoration you choose. 

Choose a space, pick your wood, cut to size, add hooks, and you can have a full floor-to-ceiling shelving masterpiece that really makes a big storage space impact!

Out of curiosity, I counted how many DIY shelves I’ve made. I stopped at 34. Huh! 

So I decided to create a one-stop shopping guide on you finding the custom shelves of your dreams, all from one blog post!

Need a shelf somewhere?

From bookshelves, ladder shelves, pallet shelves, crate shelves, industrial pipe shelves and everything in-between, this post shares 34+ inspiring ways to whip up an affordable DIY shelves of your own, for anywhere you wish!

This is not a round up of shelves from elsewhere. These were all made by me in my squishy little 1 car garage workshop. So you don’t need a ton of space. Just a little free wood, creativity and the desire to double your storage space.

So… let’s build some shelves!

But first, let’s gather up some wood planks and prepare them…

How to prep reclaimed wood for building

 

The easiest way to clean and prep reclaimed wood for building

If you don’t yet collect reclaimed wood, this helpful post will guide you on:

• where to find free wood
• how to prep wood safely
• next, how to clean it easily
• and how to air dry it before building
• how to bribe neighbours to put up with your driveway full of wood (I kid… sorda

And just in case you think some wood you find can’t be saved, watch the below video for proof!

Video

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So now that you have all your wood gathered, prepared, cleaned and stacked dry, ready to use, let’s build some super cool one-of-a-kind DIY shelves! 

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34+ Easy & Inexpensive DIY Shelves

(with tutorials)

 

Tools and supplies you will likely need:

 

Each shelf has its own tutorial along with a list of tools you’ll need for that given project. However, for the bulk of most any DIY building project, here’s a list of standard tools and supplies that will come in mighty handy:

wood planks of choice

miter saw (see my Bosch HERE!)

jigsaw

cordless drill, drill bits and screws (Makita is my fav!)

Kreg Jig pocket hole maker (optional. See my K4 HERE)

orbital sander (love my Bosch variable speed)

construction square

measuring tape

construction level

gloves / hearing protection / safety glasses

Read: Basic DIY tool must-haves for my complete favs list!

Adjustable shelving

 

Easy adjustable stacked block and plank wood shelving

This easy stacked shelving using blocks as shelf brackets is very easy to change up! Simply cut the wood blocks to the length desired to adjust the height, then stack the works!

View stenciled banner tutorial HERE

Adjustable wood shelves for storing paint supplies

Desiring a place to store my paint supplies, I decided to build a row of shelves for on top of a worktable.

But I did one better. Since my paint supplies change over time, the desire for adjustable DIY wall shelves was a new challenge that I met with complete success!

Simply attach the main supports to the drywall for the best support.

Pallet shelving

 

Enhanced pallet shelf for power tools – EASY

If you are not a pro builder, this pallet shelf with added planks and some storage bins for screw storage is a very easy build and can go up in minutes!

All you need is a few wood planks, a saw to cut and a drill to assemble.

As much as I loved the shelf above, when it was time to expand to gain more room, I built the shelf below…

Take the full repurposed workshop tour HERE

Pallet-styled shelving for storing workshop power tools

Loving the pallet-look, these DIY garage shelves was built from scratch to mimic the look of a pallet frame. But this time, the shelf goes right to the ceiling for the maximum storage space possible!

Building garage shelves doesn’t get much easier!

Simple paint shelf

 

Simple wood paint shelf with brush hanging

This simple wood shelf is a compact way to store paint accessories, complete with paint brush hanging! 

Chippy wood linen closet shelves

 

Chippy white reclaimed wood bathroom shelving

Could your closet use a revamp? Here’s how I maximized the space inside a bathroom linen closet with the coolest, chippiest wood! So pretty, I’ll never put the door back on! This tutorial and look is most definitely one-of-a-kind.

Take the full salvaged farmhouse bathroom tour HERE

Stacked wood shelf

 

Stacked reclaimed wood shelf for phone station

This little shelf was inspired by a stack of scrap wood in the workshop. I kid you not. I loved the look of pallet planks stacked one on top of the other, so I felt they’d look cool as shelf risers. And I was right!

Here’s two ways I’ve used this rustic shelf:

TV media stand shelf

Phone station shelf

5 Ladder shelves

 

I love building with ladders because it’s as if the framework is already built! Just add shelves. Here’s a few of my ladder shelf favorites:

Tall night stand ladder shelf

When I first picked up a taller bed, I noticed all the side tables I had dwarfed in comparison! That’s when the idea of using a ladder as a night stand came into play.

There’s a shelf for every height desired! Which makes it the perfect companion for a taller bed.

Take a more current master bedroom tour HERE with a barn door headboard

2-ladder front entry shelf with basket storage

Desiring a shelf by the front door to store mittens and hats, two ladders framed this quirky shelf perfectly! This shelving is easy to build as the ladders are secured to the wall for the ultimate support. Isn’t it fun?!

Leaning ladder with crate and basket storage shelves

If you only have one ladder on hand, this easy ladder storage shelf with crates and baskets takes minutes to put together!

Step ladder laundry shelf

This super quirky step ladder laundry shelf is an unexpected twist for a little extra wall storage! Perfect for a laundry room or bathroom. The cats vouch this as truth.

Step ladder plant stand

If you happen to have a ladder where the rungs are evenly positioned on both sides, bonus! Simply add wood planks and your plant stand or bookshelf is ready to use! Now that is one easy shelf build.

Industrial style pipe shelves

 

Industrial pipe and wood coffee station shelf

1 plank plus a few pipe fittings = 1 very quick and easy industrial coffee station shelf! Because doubling up your kitchen counter space is always a good idea.

Industrial pipe Pantry shelf

View Pantry stencil HERE

This Pantry storage shelf offers a way to hang things, a shelf to store things as well as a sign to decorate and theme a given space! A modern farmhouse rustic shelf can be made in minutes.

Industrial 2×4 coffee shelf with pipe risers

View the coffee stencil HERE

This beefy coffee-themed 2×4 shelving is perfect for a phone station, doubling up your kitchen counter space! This post also shares how it’s used for a coffee station too.

Easy coat hooks with shelf

 

Rustic coat hook shelf with changeable messages

This super rustic coat hook idea has a few clever secrets. Not only is it easy to make, even the coat hooks were free, since they are made out of wire hangers!

This project is shown for everyday, Christmas and fall with applicable changing messages. 

Bathroom shelving ideas

 

Multi-purpose rustic shelf with twig bar to hang from

I call this the little rustic shelf DIY ‘the shelf that can do anything’… because it can! A perfect solution for a toilet paper holder, paint supply storage, coffee station helper and more. See all the different ideas for shelving in this post.

Shutters bathroom shelving

Two tall shutters dictated the size of this tall and skinny bathroom storage shelf, perfect for behind a toilet!

Coffee themed shelves

 

Compact coffee station shelf with hooks for hanging mugs

View National Brewers Coffee stencil – small HERE

If you too are tight for space, this compact shelf doesn’t need much room! Size it to the size you desire and use it for whatever you wish! But it sure is perfect as a compact coffee station shelf, don’t you think?

Coffee cabinet with door hiding storage shelves

View Organic Coffee stencil HERE

If you’d rather not have open shelving, but rather, hide the clutter behind something, this little coffee-themed cabinet could be just the thing!

The shelves inside were built to the size of the door, that is actually a framed bulletin board!

Wood storage drawer under a worktable

Because my workshop is rather small, every square inch counts. So here’s one way I love to store reclaimed wood. A simple rolling shelf was built to fit under the table so the table itself doesn’t carry all the weight if it needs to be moved!

Other ideas for shelving

 

Not every shelf needs to start from scratch! So here’s a few clever ways to create storage shelving using salvaged finds to get the job done in fine upcycled style! All you’ll need is a little bit of wall space.

Old table top turned wall storage shelf

A small table top became an instant and easy frame for a compact tool station! The table was attached to the wall, with an added plank for an extra shelf! 

Sunflower themed chippy white wall rope shelf

View Sunflower Farm stencil HERE

It’s decor and a shelf all-in-one thanks to the chippy white antique pickets and a sunflower stencil!

Small crate turned workshop cabinet

This little ammunition crate is cute, compact and the perfect place to stash a few workshop accessories while keeping the sawdust away, thanks to the closing lid.

Repurposed cabinet turned paint cart with shelves

View the Antiques stencil HERE

A cabinet found on the curb morphed into a helpful paint cart and stencil storage! Loaded with hooks and open shelving, simply roll the cart where you wish to work.

Vintage sled bathroom shelves

A compact antique sled became the perfect frame to add a few wood planks acting as shelves. Perfect for small accessories or to store a few rolls of toilet paper!

Crate shelves

 

Crate shelves in a kitchen phone station

If you prefer to store things off counters or surfaces, stacking a small bookshelf along with some crates became the quirkiest, yet most productive storage that is quick and easy to accomplish!

Crate and license plate toilet paper storage

Sometimes the simplest ideas just work. And such was the case with this crate teamed up with a license plate, that holds toilet paper.

This is one of my most copied projects from WAY back to date!

Vintage cabinet cupboards with shelves

You know those little vintage cabinets that are kinda too small for today’s things? The cabinet wall gallery is not only fun to look at, but the added bonus is all the storage inside! One of these holds my camera lenses… but you’d never know! Great home decor accent.

6 ways to use this Ikea shelving unit

 

One of my all-time fav ways to use shelving is putting these simple IKEA GORM shelves to work in different ways! Here’s a few ways I’ve used and revamped them to suit:

Painted IKEA shelves with crate storage in a kitchen office

Floor to ceiling wood shelving with baskets against a black wall

IKEA wood stain open shelving – extended to the ceiling

These simple wood shelves got a whole lot more interesting and rustic thanks to the stained wood! But the best part is how they were built to go right to the ceiling!

Open shelving basement collections storage with baskets

If you are a collector, here’s a way to store AND show it all! Rustic collections against white certainly made this antique and junk collection sing! Be sure to check out the before…

Pallet shelving with crate markings

View Shipping Crate Stamps stencil HERE

When this little wooden shelving was needed for my son’s room, I decided to give it a proud pallet style that instantly transformed it! Makes a nice accent piece!

And one more special mention to this IKEA SHELVING shoved into a closet to create the most epic linen closet storage EVER!

Old cubbies with paint can shelves

 

Hardware store garage shelves with simple shelves for paint buckets

View General Store stencil HERE

It certainly was a good day when my brother gifted me with this massive cubby storage shelves! All that was needed was a place to stash a few paint cans along the top for the most epic of workshop storage!

Well, that was a whole lotta DIY shelving. I hope there’s a few ideas to help you build the custom shelves of your own dreams! But in case I missed a couple here or there…

See more unique shelving ideas HERE

And if you love what you see…

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