Stylish, sustainable, and effortlessly Scandi-inspired, reclaimed wood is a wallet-friendly alternative to all those Instagram-worthy pieces we find ourselves drooling over on the daily. We’ve put together a simple guide to help you use reclaimed wood to its full potential in your next shelving project.

 

Tools You'll Need:

Reclaimed Wood Planks: You'll find these in the most surprising places sometimes but check out your local salvage yard for some easy pickings.

Wall Brackets: You can go for hidden brackets for floating shelves or exposed metal brackets for a more industrial vibe.  

Wall Anchors: With any heavy shelving, this is essential. 

Measuring Tape: to help keep your shelf placement straight and even.

Spirit Level: Because nothing is more annoying than wonky shelves.

Drill and Screwdriver: You'll need to drill holes in your wall to secure the screws with wall plugs. 

Sandpaper: For smoothing any rough edges.

Wood Treatments: This is if you're aiming for a natural look and using stains or oils.

Caulk or Filler: For filling any unwanted gaps.

Paint Brushes: For applying wood treatments.

Wall Plugs and Screws: For fixing the brackets to the wall.

 

Step 1: Choosing and Preparing Your Reclaimed Wood

Think carefully about the size you need for your project and the look you’re aiming for. You’ll want wood free from any rot or damage that is sturdy enough to work as shelves. Once you’ve selected your reclaimed wood then you’ll need to prepare it for your project.

Using sandpaper or a power sander you can easily remove any previous finishes or treatments from the wood. This also allows you to easily smooth out the wood ready for it to become beautiful shelving.

Depending on the finish you are aiming for you might choose to oil, stain, or treat the wood. For a bit of a Scandi-inspired finish, you could use a whitewash which is bang on trend at the moment. It doesn’t really matter what finish you choose but it’s good practice to add some kind of top coat over the wood. Not only does this protect your hard work but it also protects the wood once it’s used as shelving.

 

Step 2: Prepare Your Wall

No matter how big your shelves are, you’re going to need to prep your walls for a professional finish. There’s no use making beautiful reclaimed wood shelves if the wall they’re on looks shabby!

For cracks, holes, or any uneven surfaces you can use a filler to carefully smooth them over. Larger holes might require caulk whereas smaller ones will cope with a little filler. Once your filler or caulk is dry, it’s good to sand it over for a nice even finish on your wall.

You may choose to paint the wall too which can allow your room to be freshened up before you add your new shelving. Once the wall is clean and even, you can mark out where you’d like your shelving to go using a pencil.

It is incredibly important during this step that you make sure the shelves will be straight and evenly spaced. You should also think about what will be going on your shelves so the space is used effectively for your individual needs.

 

Step 3: Installing Brackets

You can choose between metal brackets or floating shelving brackets to suit the end look you are aiming for. Using a drill you can start to make the holes you’ve already marked. This makes it nice and easy to attach your brackets to the wall.

Then you can attach the brackets to your wall making sure you use either wall anchors or they’re attached to studs. It’s always good to measure your bracket with a spirit level before you fully commit to fixing it to your wall.

Now you get to lay your reclaimed wood over the brackets and secure the wood to the brackets. Screw them in place from underneath the wood to be sure they stay nice and secure.

 

Step 4: Finishing Touches

Check your shelves with your spirit level to make sure you’re happy with them before you load them up with prized possessions. You can also give the shelves a firm wiggle to be sure they are fixed securely in place before you add anything to them.

You can enjoy the character of your reclaimed wood and the feeling of saving another piece of beautiful wood from ending up in landfill. The charm of reclaimed wood is contagious so be prepared for this to be the beginning of a new addiction.