Shelves play a big role in our lives, they are needed everywhere - in the house, on the balcony, in the garage, in the greenhouse, in the basement. They are used to store collections, jars, boxes, books, tools, spare parts, unnecessary things that are a pity to throw away. A beautiful rack will decorate a bedroom, a nursery, a living room, and a shelving partition with fresh potted flowers zones the room in an original way.
In other words, the scope of racks is very wide. In the article we will tell you how to assemble a rack with your own hands, what tools and materials to use for this. Here are examples of the manufacture of original and inexpensive budget shelf structures from improvised materials.
You can make a rack from various materials:
But if from the first two types, with sufficient, careful processing, the rack turns out to be neat and original, then working with plastic is quite difficult. It can be problematic to make high-quality cuts, the accuracy and strength of joints, it is not easy to hide burrs, chipped and other defects that occur when cutting or drilling material. Therefore, plastic is usually used in combination with wood or metal.
But you can combine not only plastic, shelving made of forged metal or bent wire with shelves made of plywood, chipboard or MDF looks original. As well as wooden shelving with artistic casting finishes or stained glass doors.
Manufacturers offer a huge selection of racks from various materials, with a wide range of shades, a wide variety of models - from the simplest forms to creative and fantasy ones. But if you decide to make a rack from improvised materials with your own hands, then we will try to help you with this.
Before you build a rack with your own hands, you must do the following:
For residential premises, the shape of the rack can be different, it all depends on your imagination and skill.
If you decide to make a rack for cans with your own hands, then a shelf width of 25–30 cm will be enough here; for larger items, the size increases in accordance with their volume.
The length of the shelves is also calculated based on the weight of the stored items: shelves up to 150 cm are suitable for light items, and for heavy items (for example, books), it is recommended to make a length of no more than 90 cm to avoid deflection. It is better to use steel frames for metal tools.
Important! The material is prepared taking into account the operating conditions: for wet rooms (bathroom, cellar, balcony, etc.), it is recommended to cover wooden parts with antiseptic and water-repellent compounds, and metal with an anti-corrosion agent.
In order for you to quickly assemble shelving for your home with your own hands, we will tell you about the main stages of work.
So, let's begin:
First you need to decide what type of rack will be. If it is freestanding, then it is assembled anywhere, and if it is wall-mounted, then the frame bars can be attached directly to the wall.
In this case, you need to take care of the appearance of the wall surface behind the rack, as the back wall will be missing. If you plan to rack the entire wall, then the wooden frame is recommended to be attached to the floor or ceiling.
For the base, square or rectangular bars are used, the thickness depends on the height of the rack, the number of shelves and the weight of the things that are supposed to be stored. Usually they take dry planed bars 50 x 50 mm, 60 x 60 mm, 50 x 60 mm.
First, the lower base is assembled according to the dimensions of the rack, a beam is vertically attached to it to the expected height in the corners, perimeter and middle, if an intermediate wall is planned. The racks are connected by an upper strapping from the same bar.
Important! If the rack is long and high, then vertical racks cannot always provide the necessary rigidity of the structure. Here, several diagonal struts along the ends and the back wall will be appropriate, which are placed between the uprights flush with the frame bars.
The racks are carefully measured vertically and fastened with self-tapping screws to the lower and upper trim, the corners are reinforced with furniture corners. On the verticals, the locations of the shelves are measured and additional horizontal connections are established on which the shelves will lie.
The finished frame is sheathed with facing decorative plates on the sides, bottom and top, which are fixed with self-tapping screws or furniture screws. The joints are closed with matching clips.
For external walls, laminated chipboard, MDF panels, plexiglass, "Finnish" plywood, planed boards are used, the bottom and top can be covered with a simpler material.
If necessary, install the back wall, it will give additional rigidity to the entire structure (this is true for free-standing racks, structures fixed to the wall do not need it). For the back side, ordinary fiberboard is used.
The shelves are leveled on pre-attached horizontal bars and fixed with self-tapping screws, which are taken slightly longer than the thickness of the shelf.
The ends of the shelves made of chipboard or MDF are finished with matching melamine tape, sticking it to the surface with a hot iron. Do-it-yourself decorative shelving can be partially or completely closed with doors, install several drawers, decorate the facade with carvings, original fittings, and hidden lighting.
Sheathing can also be selected in one stylistic decision with the interior in the room.
If you have the ability and skills to work with welding, then you can make a metal rack in a garage, greenhouse or balcony. In addition, recently a metal rack has become an indispensable piece of furniture in various styles, such as loft, hi-tech, modern.
Suitable material can always be found in the garage or bought at an affordable price. The frame is made mainly from a corner, the section of which is chosen based on the mass of the intended load.
For lighter structures, a perforated galvanized profile is used, which is much easier and more convenient to work with. Instructions for assembling racks from a profile are available in the understanding of the most ignorant person in this area. The technology for manufacturing a metal structure is similar to assembling a wooden rack, only welding or bolting is used instead of self-tapping screws.
Shelves for heavy things are made of sheet metal or boards 40–50 mm thick. Masters of artistic forging and welding fill the side walls of the racks with openwork patterns made of wire or strip, but if this is not possible, then the ends can be closed with the same chipboard or MDF, clapboard, planed board.
A do-it-yourself rack from a corner will cost an order of magnitude cheaper than ordered or bought ready-made. In addition, if you show imagination, you can get an original design product that can become the author's pride.
A zealous and creative owner will not throw away things that have become unusable if something else can be made from them. This applies to old cabinets, chairs, wooden containers, old ladders and other things.
With a little effort and imagination, you can make new unusual interior items from old things that will decorate and unrecognizably transform a room, cottage or yard. Since we are talking about shelving and whatnots, we offer you a selection of photos in which craftsmen have found use for objects and materials that seem to have already gone out of use.
Original shelving with your own hands can be made from completely unusual things:
The main thing here is to strictly maintain the verticality of the structure and put a brick on a high-quality mixture, otherwise, if such a rack collapses, it will bring quite a few problems. In this case, for stability, it is better to attach it to the wall using reinforcement drilled into the wall and laid with the other end into the masonry.
True, it is rather problematic to grind the boxes with high quality so that there are no burrs and the danger of getting a splinter. The white color in this case hides a rather unpretentious appearance of the material, although you can paint the rack in any color, make it plain or multi-colored.
Of course, thin slats will not withstand heavy loads, but such a rack is perfect for small items and light decor items.
The volume of each cell is small, but for shoes, toys, bottles and other small items, it is ideal. It is better to connect the pipes with high-quality glue, smearing them along the entire length, and attach them to the wall in several places, since such an interior item is lightweight and can tip over if handled carelessly.
Yes, and you can arrange them in a more original way, asymmetrically, at different levels, there is enough room for imagination. Such collectible do-it-yourself racks are good because they are made in a single copy, have a creative look and speak of the individuality and excellent taste of the owner.
The shelves in this case are connected by drilling holes into which the necks of the lower bottle are inserted, in addition, the transverse bar between the boards is attached to both shelves with self-tapping screws, giving the rack a certain rigidity.
The price of such a piece of furniture is negligible, since pallets can be found in any warehouse or bought for a nominal fee, and the result is obvious! A bright rack in the children's room will be the main piece of furniture, decorate and enliven any room and will last for more than one year.
Pallet boards are made from hardwood, dried and treated with antiseptics, this is an almost finished furniture material. It is enough to carefully grind them so that the child does not suffer from splinters and burrs, cut them to size, assemble them on self-tapping screws and paint them with bright colors. Everything, the original toy rack is ready!
For the manufacture of a rack, several pallets knocked together with each other are enough, which fill the soil and plant seedlings.
In conclusion, we can say that with a little effort and imagination, you can create real masterpieces from old things with your own hands. We talked about how and what shelving can be made for your home. The video in this article will clearly tell you how to assemble a shelving rack yourself.
