DIY ladder shelf

I love coming up with projects to occupy my weekends and this DIY has been one of my favourites. about a month back I popped over to visit my folks and got chatting to dad about building a ladder shelf (I'd seen a few ready built ones on ikea but I was determined to make my own) a few cups of tea later I decided to crack on so headed out to pick up some wood.. no time like the present!

I neglected to bring my camera so I'm sorry to jump to the shelf already built -but it really isn't too hard so I'll talk you through it! 

after you have decided what height and width you'd like your ladder cut 2 legs and as many rungs as you need from your lengths of wood. I opted for 3 rungs on my shelf but you can make the ladder as tall as you like. 

now you'll want the legs to sit flush to the floor so here is a little trick to get the angle. lean the legs against a wall at the angle you want the ladder to lean (I wanted mine quite close to the wall so it didn't take up too much floor space) then take a scrap piece of wood and prop it against the leg (as pictured above.)

make sure the scrap wood is flush to the floor and mark across the top as pictured- this line you'll cut along and your legs will now rest flat to the floor when your ladder is leaning against the wall!

you can also level off the top of each leg to mirror the bottom if you're a perfectionist like me... 

next you want to attach the rungs, drill some pilot holes and then screw through the legs and into the rungs to attach them in place. I used 6 long wood screws for mine (2 per rung) use a tape measure to check the distance between the rungs is equal and you can use a spirit level to make sure the rungs sit level. 

I found this DIY much easier with an assistant (thanks pops) especially when it came to drilling in the rungs- having a second set of hands to hold things definitely helped! I can never resist some father daughter bonding over woodwork- is that normal?

sand down any rough edges, fill the drill holes with a touch of wood putty and your ladder is finished!

I loved the natural wood but it didn't quite work against my floorboards so I decided to paint mine white. 

a few coats of eggshell finished off with varnish should keep them looking pristine.. fingers crossed.

I've photographed mine in the bedroom but it's final destination is an alcove in my living room once I've finished moving a few bookcases around. it seems the never ending home reshuffle continues..

I'm really pleased with my fancy new shelves, this has been one of my favourite weekend projects this year. I'm actually glad I resisted the urge to buy the ikea version- who'd have thought it! 

do you like my new storage too?

back soon

caroline x