Ceiling-to-floor shelving can completely transform the feel of a room. In a bedroom, it adds a level of storage and convenience to help keep it clean. In a living space, it turns the room into a showcase area. In a work or storage space, it simply helps you organize your tools and inventory. Building a set of floor-to-ceiling shelves is a complex project, most appropriate for experienced woodworkers. If you're still earning your do-it-yourself chops, consider drafting the help of a more experienced friend for your first attempt.
Instructions
Preparing Lumber
1. Measure the height of your wall from floor to ceiling. Cut two planks and two strips to match this dimension.
2. Measure the width of the wall, or wall section, you want to cover with your shelves. Cut planks and strips to match this dimension, cutting as many as you need to build the number of shelves you want. For best results, aim for one shelf per 12 to 18 inches of vertical space. If you want to cover more than 36 inches of wall space, build multiple units to avoid sagging.
3. Sand all faces of your lumber. If you want to stain or paint the lumber, apply your first coat now and wait for it to dry.
Installing the Shelves
4. Locate the wall studs on the section of wall you want to cover. Mark their location with a pencil.
5. Place one of your width-length strips on the wall where you want the shelves to be. Set it at an appropriate height, and use your level to set it parallel to the ground. Fix it in place by driving a nail through the strip at each point where it crosses a wall stud.
6. Repeat step two until you've mounted one strip to the wall for each shelf you want. Mount the strips so that their edges are aligned. You can use your level to check this.
7. Set one height-length plank on end so that its face abuts the ends of one side of your row of strips. Fix it in place by driving two nails through the plank and into the end of each of your strips.
8. Repeat Step 4 to mount the other plank to the opposite side.
9. Slide a width-length plank into the shelf frame so it rests on top of one mounted strip. Use your level to keep it parallel to the ground. Fix it in place by driving nails through the side planks and into the end of the shelf. Use a line of four evenly spaced nails.
10. Repeat Step 6 to mount the remaining shelves in the same way.
Tags: place driving, want cover, your level, driving nails, driving nails through