It all started with a large wall of dead space in my closet. I envisioned a shelf for our shoes that wouldn't interfere with the walkway. Ta Da! I am so happy with the results. It has created so much more usable space.
WOOD I PURCHASED
7 Pieces of 1 x 8 x 8 Red Oak (You can use Pine to make it more budget friendly)
Tools and additional materials I used are linked at the bottom.
STEPS
1. I started by cutting down the two side boards to the length between the top of my baseboard to the ceiling.
2. Then I measured the width of my wall minus the width of the two sides pieces to get my width measurement for the nine shelves to hold the shoes.
3. Grab the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig . I strategically placed my pocket holes on the bottom pieces on the bottom and the pocket holes on the top boards on the top. That way when you walk in and look at the shelf you won't see any of the pocket holes, they will be hidden. I did four pocket holes per board. The shoes wont be that heavy so I wont need a ton of strength.
4. I added a couple 2 x 4's for the very top piece, since it wont be a shelf and it will hidden by the trim. I'm going to use those to screw it into the ceiling. The idea is that this will be a floating shelf just above my baseboard.
Check for the studs in the ceiling.
*You need to make sure to hit a stud when screwing it into the ceiling. The only way this works as a floating shelf for my project is because of the small overlap of wall on the left side. This way I am able to screw into the ceiling and on that six inch overlap.
5. Using 3 inch power pro screws I screwed into each stud in the ceiling. Additionally I screwed one in every 18 inches on the side wall.
6. This is where things get tricky and pretty fun. I decided to lower the shelf on a 25 degree tilt. So I screwed in the front two Kreg screws then I lowered the back to my desired tilt and screwed in the back two holes.
Once I got the first board set I took a spacer block that was 7.5 inches tall. Setting the spacer on the first board it automatically gave me the correct angle so I set my next board on top and screwed in the holes and repeat.
Tip: When using red oak place paste wax on the screws before you drill them in. It makes them go in so much smoother since red oak is such a hard wood.
I hope this was helpful if you are looking to build a shoe tower or to give you ideas for your large dead space in your home. Happy Building!
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