How to Install Industrial Pipe Shelves Like a Pro
Anyone else a weekend project warrior?
My husband and I love a great home improvement project, and these pretty industrial pipe and wood shelves using plumbing hardware are a fun DIY! They look stunning, and they’re fairly simple to install after a trip to the hardware store. Make sure to have your wood pieces cut to size while you’re at the store, and that’ll save you time and effort at home!
I love how awesome these wood and pipe shelves are!
We have absolutely loved how these custom shelves look in our bathroom above the toilet. Plus, they added some much-needed storage we’ve been looking for. We stained ours with Minwax to protect against bathroom humidity and for quick cleanups/dusting.
The bulk of the time needed for this project is hanging the piping hardware that acts as a support, and then you set the wood boards on top.
Today, I’m sharing the exact supplies and directions needed to make industrial style shelves like mine!
DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves
PrintSupplies Needed
- 1/2″ black iron cap (2 per shelf)
- 1/2″ black iron floor flange (2 per shelf)
- 1/2″ x 10″ black steel nipple (2 per shelf)
- Flat head screws
- 50lbs E-Z Drywall Anchors
- 1″x10″ wood boards (cut to desired size)
- Power drill
- Level tool
Directions
1
While at the hardware store, have your wood boards cut to desired size. We had 3 shelves cut to 31 inches each.
2
Measure where you would like your shelves, and how far apart you want them. We planned on spacing the supports about 8 inches from each end of the wood boards.
3
Hold the floor flange up to where you’ll be placing it, and make marks with a pencil in each spot where you’ll be drilling a hole.
4
Remove the floor flange, and install the drywall anchors at the locations marked. Put the flange back at the marks, and fasten screws into place with the drill. Repeat with the other side’s flange, making sure it’s level.
5
The nipple will then screw into the flange (twist until tight).
6
Screw on the cap to the end of the nipple.
7
Place your pre-cut shelves on the 2 nipples. The shelf won’t shift forward off of the support because it’s nested between the floor flange and cap. We didn’t use any straps to permanently anchor the shelf into place, but you can if desired.
8
Paint, stain, or leave the wood shelves natural. I stained ours with Minwax stain in Espresso.
Yes, these shelves are rustic perfection!
I love that you can stain or leave them with the raw wood look if desired. They can fit in with the popular farmhouse decor look or industrial style. It’s a project like this that can turn a small bathroom like ours from plain to interesting with just a few hours of work!
We loved this project so much, we did it again!
We installed this shelving to hold towels over our tub. These were installed the exact same way, except built on a bit larger scale, as we used larger 2×12 inch wood boards to build 48-inch shelves using larger 3/4 inch flanges, nipples, and caps. I love how they add so much style and functionality to this space.
