Here’s a fun little secret about me: whenever my husband is out of town, I dive into remodeling and DIY projects. While he’s away, I indulge in my love for crafting, even though he can’t stand the mess or being dragged into projects. I usually prepare everything ahead of time so I can get things done quickly while he’s traveling. I’ve tackled projects like painting whole rooms, installing a rock wall over our fireplace, and building sliding barn doors and a coffee bar.
I often joke that I have a Restoration Hardware taste but stick to a Target and Home Depot budget. While I’m no expert, some of my favorite home features are DIY projects that I’ve completed at a fraction of the cost. Plus, there’s something incredibly rewarding about finishing a big project and seeing the final outcome.
That’s why I’m hoping Santa brings me a second cordless drill for Christmas, so I don’t have to constantly swap between drill bits. Anyone who’s looked into home improvement knows how pricey contractors and materials can get. We needed new shelves in our office to hold our extensive book collection, but none of the available options appealed to me.
So, I took matters into my own hands. I ordered two sets of pipe shelf pieces online, customized them to the right size, and bought pre-painted boards for the shelves. My dad helped cut them down since I’m still a bit wary of using saws. The whole project only took a few hours and cost around a couple hundred dollars, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. Of course, every space is different, so you might need to adjust the size and materials to fit your needs.
The great thing about industrial pipe shelves is that their parts are pre-sized and easily screw together. Most of the work involves assembling the pieces to make sure they fit your project. I ended up combining different kits because it was cheaper, and the online kits provided all the pieces I needed.
For this project, I used two kits of a 5-layer x 3 shelf design. To figure out what you need, measure your space, decide on the number of shelves, sketch your design, and calculate the necessary pieces. I used three support brackets for seven shelves in my project. Finding all these parts in-store can be tricky, but the two kits were more than sufficient.
Once you have your design and materials, assembling the shelves is a breeze. You can use tension clips or “u-clips” to keep shelves in place, although I didn’t find it necessary with my book-laden shelves. For the shelves themselves, choose sturdy materials like reclaimed, painted, or stained wood. Just ensure you anchor them to studs if they’re hanging and not secured to the floor or ceiling.
I’m really pleased with how the project turned out, and if you’ve made it this far, I’m guessing you might be curious too! Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments—I’d love to know if you try this out and how it works for you.
