Free Floating Shelf Plans
A wall-mounted shelf with no visible brackets — held up by a hidden cleat.
- $18est. materials
- Beginnerdifficulty
- 2parts
- 2tools
A floating shelf is really two parts: a cleat that screws to the wall and a hollow shelf that slides over it. This plan lays out both, and the cut list below has the exact pieces for the length shown.
Resize it to your wall in the editor, and the shopping list includes the mounting hardware, not just the wood. The sag check makes sure a long shelf won’t droop once you load it up.
What you’ll buy
| Item | Qty | Est. price |
|---|---|---|
| 1×6 8' | 1 | $6.48 |
| 2×2 8' | 1 | $2.98 |
| Wood Screw (100-ct box) | 1 | $8.50 |
| Estimated total | $18 |
Prices are a national estimate. Open the plan in the app and set your local lumber prices for an exact figure — the total updates as you type.
Your cut list
| Qty | Stock | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1× | 1×6 | 3' |
| 1× | 2×2 | 2' 6" |
Tools you’ll need
- Circular saw (or hand saw)
- Drill/driver
How to build it
- Gather your lumber and hardware. Pick up the boards and fasteners from the shopping list. It’s optimized to minimize offcuts, so buy the counts shown.
- Cut your pieces. Cut each piece to the lengths in the cut list. The app can print a per-piece cut diagram for every board.
- Dry-fit and assemble. Lay the pieces out on a flat surface, check for square, then fasten them with the hardware listed.
- Check it holds, then finish. Confirm the design passes the build checks (sag, fasteners), then sand and finish to taste.
Frequently asked questions
How much weight can a floating shelf hold?
It depends on the cleat, the fasteners, and whether you hit studs. The app’s sag and fastener checks flag a shelf that’s over its limit before you build it.
How do floating shelves stay up?
A cleat (a strip of wood) screws to the wall, and the hollow shelf slides over it and pins in place. This plan generates both parts.
What do I need to mount a floating shelf?
The wood plus wall-rated screws/anchors — the shopping list below includes the hardware, not just the lumber.