Hey guys!  We are still stuck in our home doing the whole quarantine thing, so we are going to keep doing some projects!

We wanted to do something that would be quick and easy, but would make a big impression.  So we decided to update the shelves that Bo has had since college.  They are just some modern style Ikea brackets and composite board shelves.  And to be honest they look pretty nice and have served us well.  But we definitely think that with a little refresh we can transform this wall and elevate the overall feel of our dining space.  

Here's how we did it.

Step 1:

Remove the brackets and shelves from the wall.  We used painters tape to make where the bracket were as we are going to be reinstalling them into the same holes.

Step 2:

 Sand the hardware with a high grit paper.  We used 400 grit, just enough to scuff the metal for the paint to adhere but not coarse enough to leave ugly scratches.  Then we painted it with a black semi gloss.  Probably should have used a self etching primer, but we didn't have any at the moment.  And we are trying to avoid the hardware store at this time.  But it's our house so if we have to touch it up so be it.

Step 3:

Measure the old shelves and cut your new boards to the same size.  We decided to go with the reclaimed bleacher wood that we got last fall from a local school.  It has awesome patina and a warm color.  The boards weren't quite wide enough so we cut them in half to make up the total width.  You could glue them together if you'd like, but we just let them float.  We actually like the way the seam looked so we rolled with it!

Step 4:

Get your boards to the same thickness as the original board.  This is probably the most important step, as you want the new boards to fit tightly in the brackets.  Luckily for us the bleacher wood was practically the same thickness as the composite Ikea board.  We just ran it once thru our sander and it fit perfect.  You might have to use a planer if your wood it too thick.  

Step 5:

Lightly sand the boards and then you can stain and seal them!  Like we said, we really liked the patina and color of the bleacher wood so we just sealed them.  So it was even easier!

Step 6:

Hang those babies back up start decorating!  It's amazing how simple this project was but how great the results are.  The black brackets are sleek but almost hidden and the wood pops on the green wall.  It make the room feel more cozy and warm.  This is why we always recommend doing custom shelves to our clients who want to make an impact on a budget.  It is a simple project that has a big impact to the way the room feels.