How to Make and Install Floating Dining Room Shelves, Continued

• To hold them firmly in position while the glue dried, Charlene stapled the skin to the wood strips or stringers.

• This type of shelf construction is very strong but the sandwich design left the edges looking unfinished. To cover them, they cut strips of wood trim to length and put a miter on the exposed corners for a finished look, much like a picture frame.
• Ron helped Charlene glue the trim onto the sides of the shelf, making sure the miter was perfectly aligned at the corner. They reinforced the attachment with finish nails.

5. Finishing touches:

• Charlene applied a small amount of Spackle to the nail holes and filled any gaps between the edge trim and the skin. After sanding the Spackle to a smooth surface, they carefully painted each shelf.
  

6. Wall attachment:

• While the paint dried, they moved back inside to get ready to mount the cleats to the wall. These cleats, which would support the shelves on the wall, could only be attached to the wall studs.

• Charlene used an electronic stud sensor to locate and mark the positions of the wall studs.

• Ron showed Charlene the cleats they would attach to the walls.

• They attached the first cleat into the wall stud right where Charlene had marked itl. Ron predrilled holes into the cleats to make it easier for Charlene to drive the screws in.

• Charlene attached the rest of the cleats and they slid the shelves over them creating a preview of what the finished wall would look like.

• Because the screws that attached the shelves to the cleats had to be driven into such a tight spot, Ron fit his drill with a flexible shaft bit holder. Without this accessory, they wouldn't have been able to get the drill close enough to the wall.