Children's rooms are notoriously the most difficult to keep neat and tidy, usually due to the plethora of toys, books, clothes, and other things kids receive from their well-meaning relatives and family friends. The solution - appropriate kid-friendly shelves you can build yourself! While the design options can change, the basic steps in building shelves for a kid's bedroom remain constant.
Instructions
Determine Shelving Needs
1. Consider the child and room in question. What will be stored on these new shelves? Should they be easily accessible by the child without help? Will they be free-standing, built-in, or hung on the wall? Determining the type of shelving will ensure the best chances for using the shelves after they're completed.
2. Determine where in the room you can put these shelves. Are there dead spaces not being used that could provide custom storage without sacrificing play space? Will the child be in danger of injury from sharp corners? Include these considerations in the design of the shelves.
3. Decide on the look of the shelves. Do you want something whimsical and fun with bright colors? Detail and interest can be added through shapes, pre-cut designs, paint, stickers, and more. The more interesting a shelving unit is, the more likely the child will pay attention to it.
4. Create or find a design that works for your child's needs and your skill levels based on the previous steps.
Building the Shelves
5. Cut your wood into the appropriate pieces for the side panels and the shelves including top and bottom.
6. Attach L-brackets to the inside of the top and bottom of both side panels, then add the top and bottom of the shelving unit, attaching to the sides with screws and bracing with L-brackets.
7. Use wooden braces or L-brackets on the inside to support each of the shelves you're installing.
8. Sand edges and corners as needed to make sure all surfaces are smooth.
9. Paint or stain as desired, and decorate to suit the child's room.
Installing Safely
10. Find the wall studs in the area planned for installation. Shelving units attached to the wall, such as floating shelves, should be installed securely with drywall anchors or directly into wooden studs.
11. Secure free standing shelves to the wall with a safety strap or L-brackets at the top. This is especially important if the shelving unit is taller than your child's height plus one foot, or if the top shelves will have heavier items on them.
12. Add padded safety strips to edges if this is going in a toddler's room, as this will reduce the chances of bumps and bruises.
Tags: shelving unit, child room, L-brackets inside, side panels, these shelves
