On 3/27/2008 7:00 PM Smitty Two spake thus:

In article 4xYGj.94799$yE1.63496@attbi_s21,
"J. Cameron Davis" wrote:

I want to build in shelves along a 10' long wall, floor to ceiling shelves.
I want them to be cottage/country style. I also want them to be cheap but
look really good. Can anyone guide me to online resources with pictures of
something similar, or even of a different style, so I can get some idea of
how to build these? I'm thinking about using those thick construction grade
boards that are about 3" wide, and making each shelf with three or four of
them run side by side. Then painted white and maybe some sort of paint
treatment to make them look antique. I have no idea how to do vertical
supports. Don't want to buy shelf brackets. Too expensive since I would
need a large quantity. Any ideas about something I can build? Thanks.

Huh? You're going to make shelves out of parallel 2 x 4s? That's not
cottage/country, that's Appalachian.

Yup, agreed.

Look, get some concrete blocks and some 1 x 10s. Paint the blocks if you
want, or wrap them in fabric.

Now you're going towards Clueless College Student decor, not much better.

First of all, we really need more information to give suggestions: what
are you putting on these shelves? How heavy will the stuff be? Can you
anchor the shelves to the wall/floor/ceiling?

Anyhow, here's another idea: You can probably make the whole thing out
of "1-by" lumber (that's wood that's finished to 3/4" thick). Use 1x4s
(3-1/2" wide boards) for both the uprights and the shelf supports. Use
1-by-whatever for the shelf boards themselves (1x10s would work),
depending on how deep you want the shelves to be. Can be nailed or
screwed together. No need to anchor to the floor; back uprights can be
anchored to the wall, or if you're in a basement with exposed joists
(big timbers in the ceiling that hold up the floor above), you can
anchor to them.

I've seen lots of shelves made this way, and they're plenty strong.

Keep in mind that finished lumber like this isn't exactly cheap.

The shelves can be painted, stained, or glazed with thin paint to look
"antiquey".