# Painted cabinet with floating shelves



## Karl (30 Jan 2010)

Thought i'd show you what i've been up to for the last couple of days. This is a simple cabinet to go in the living room, made from MRMDF and finished in satin paint. The top is solid oak, as are the floating shelves



















No wip pics - too boring. But I did take some pics of the fixing method for the floating shelves. The shelves are solid oak, and are secured to the wall with 16mm dowels.

To drill the hole in the shelf for the dowel I use a 16mm auger bit. This bites into the timber quickly, so you can safely let go of the drill to check the bit is entering the wood square in both planes. The beauty of this is that any errors can be corrected, drill a tad more into the timber and then check again. So before the drill bit has gone more than 10mm into the timber, you've got the bit running in square.











Once drilled out you end up with this






Matching holes are then drilled in the wall. Grab adhesive is then squirted into the hole, and the shelf and dowel assembly pushed into the receiving hole. As all drilling is done with a 16mm bit there is very little slop, and once the grab adhesive has gone off it gives a rock solid fixing. I haven't glued the shelves onto the dowels, as they penetrate by 100mm and are a very tight fit. 

I've made a couple of shaker style doors and am painting them up at the moment. The shelves need to be lacquered with Chestnut melamime lacquer (the same finish as used on the top). 

I'll post some final pics of the finished unit tomorrow.

Cheers

Karl


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## pren (30 Jan 2010)

Wow, that looks great! 

Out if interest, what thicknesses of MRMDF have you used for the 'inner' carcass and the side panels?


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## Chris Knight (30 Jan 2010)

Thanks for showing the fixing method - it is a regular question here.

The usual answer includes reference to a steel fixing rather than a wooden one however and personally, I'd feel a bit happier with a bit of studding.


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## wizer (30 Jan 2010)

Nice work Karl, I take it those shelves are solid planks?

I used a sandwich of 6mm oak, 25mm ply, 12mm mdf and 6mm oak. Leaving two gaps in the 12mm board for 12mm steel bar. Lipped the whole lot and jobs a good'n. Didn't feel the need to glue anything as it was all a tight fit.


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## Karl (30 Jan 2010)

Cheers guys

Pren - the carcass is 18mm MRMDF, 6mm back panel and 25mm side panels.

Chris - what advantage do you see in using studding as opposed to dowel? The dowelling makes a piston fit in the shelves, something which the studding wouldn't do. That's why I went for dowelling.

Tom - the shelves are solid timber. Seemed much more faffing about doing it any other way.

Cheers

Karl


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## Mr Ed (30 Jan 2010)

Very good Karl.

I am being pressed for some shelves like that, but managing to resist so far...

Ed


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## Chris Knight (30 Jan 2010)

Karl,

Just a tendency to overbuild I guess - I haven't worked out the stresses but the dowel is probably fine indeed.


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## eggflan (30 Jan 2010)

I used a similar method fitting an oak floating fireplace , i used threaded steel bar because of the weight and gripfill in both holes , i aint had a phonecall to say its fallen off the wall yet and its been up a few years now .

I like the painted 
finish against the oak it looks very classy with a modern twist of floating shelves , good job :wink:


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## Karl (31 Jan 2010)

Got the unit finished today
















I am going to move the phone socket to the left so that it sits behind the unit.

The only other thing i've got to do is pick up a new blade for the Fein Multimaster and then I can trim the skirting board so the unit slides back up against the wall.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Karl


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## woodbloke (31 Jan 2010)

Karl - nice job...glad you've hidden those cables :evil: Just one question though. When you need to redecorate, how easy is it to remove the shelves? - Rob


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## Evergreen (31 Jan 2010)

Karl

Now that looks very classy!

I'd have nightmares about getting all three shelves exactly horizontal because I imagine last minute alterations would make a right mess of the wall?


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## wizer (31 Jan 2010)

Proper Job Karl. Like it.


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## Karl (31 Jan 2010)

woodbloke":2feveu4m said:


> Karl - nice job...glad you've hidden those cables :evil: Just one question though. When you need to redecorate, how easy is it to remove the shelves? - Rob



Cheers Rob. 

The cables are hidden underneath the unit, in the void between floor and bottom shelf. The cables running to the speakers and the TV run behind the skirting.

The shelves are easily removed - the dowels are fixed into the wall, but not into the shelves. 

Cheers

Karl


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## woodbloke (31 Jan 2010)

Karl":1ow7p69k said:


> The shelves are easily removed - the dowels are fixed into the wall, but not into the shelves.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Karl


Karl, thanks for that. I only ask as you mentioned that the dowel was a tight fit into the hole and after a while, might not there be a tendency for the shelf and dowel to 'stick' :duno: in which case it would be very hard to break the seal. Also, if the dowel were to swell (unlikely in a ch house) the joint would become even tighter. 
I'm interested in this project as I want to do something very similar in our lounge later, but I think rather than dowel I might consider some 12mm mild steel rod. Got a linky for the adhesive in the wall? - Rob


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## Karl (31 Jan 2010)

Rob - I waxed the dowels to make them slip into the shelves easier. To secure the dowels into the breezeblock I just used Gripfill.

Cheers

Karl


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## woodbloke (31 Jan 2010)

Karl":zuwm2i9z said:


> Rob - I waxed the dowels to make them slip into the shelves easier.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Karl


Cunning...like it 8) 8) :wink: That answers the question...thanks Karl - Rob


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## wizer (31 Jan 2010)

Mine are a relatively loose fit both in the shelf and the wall. No glue. When installed, they're rock solid, but when I want to take them down it's a breeze.


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