Hey there guys!! By now most of you know that I’ve opened and closed an Etsy shop. I had all kinds of fun things in there from lighting to bathroom decor to kitchen paper towel holders! But you know? I discovered I’m passionate about real estate and needed to close a few side hustles (I had seven at one point!)
Since we moved in to our fixer upper just a short while ago, we’ve already made massive steps forward on the master suite upstairs… I can’t wait to add over 300 square feet to our living space!! (I think my thoughts of living in a tiny house are done for. We live in just over 1100 square feet and it feels tight!
If you guys remember, we installed butcher block counters in our kitchen and we had a TON left over! At first Mr. Stone Head was like “great, what are we going to do with all these weirdly shaped pieces?” My eyeballs lit up and I was like “SHELVES!” “TABLES!” “LAMP BASES!” “NIGHT STANDS!”
After looking through all the scrap, I found two really nice sized pieces of butcher block and decided that we’d use those two for shelves!
And his next question was “what brackets are you going to use?” And I said “MY OWN!”
But before I go any further I must make the rudely interrupted announcement that you’ve read on all the other blogs you read that if you click on a link within this blog you can probably bet your ass that I’m making a small commission, with no increase in cost to you of course. But that’s how us bloggers make a living! I give you great authentic NOT SPONSORED content (except this one hilarious post) with all the details and in return I make a little money for helping you with a DIY project? I’m in! WIN WIN.
Industrial Shelf Brackets? Yes please!
I’ve seen the industrial pipe shelves trend coming for a while on Pinterest and I’ve ALWAYS always always wanted to make these brackets but never had a home of my own to put them in! Until now.
While you can find these in this Etsy shop, I’m going to give you the break down of where to get the parts and how to put the shelf brackets together if you feel like doing a fun DIY project!
A lot of people are asking me why I’m putting up blog posts that tell people the “secrets” behind how I make my home decor items (if you missed it, here’s my post on how to make a DIY pipe toilet paper holder.) I’m like… first of all, if someone is determined to to make the shelf brackets totally on their own (b-t-dubs, I totally get that and is why I have an Etsy shop now) then that person isn’t going to be my customer anyway… so why not give them the list on my blog and make a small commission if readers click and purchase from my links? I truly believe it’s a win win for all.
I was beyond frustrated when I wanted to make my first pipe decor item and couldn’t find any good tutorials on it. So here ya good… a really good tutorial on how to DIY industrial shelf brackets for industrial pipe shelves. And if you guys have any questions at all, leave them in the comments and I’ll answer you and probably even update the post thanks to you!
DIY Industrial Shelf Brackets Supplies
- (2) Two 1/2″ Floor Flanges [Amazon]
- 5″ Pipe Nipple [Amazon] [6″ from Home Depot]
- 90 Degree Elbow [Amazon] [Home Depot]
- 1-1/2″ Nipple [Amazon] [Home Depot – Only have 2″ but that would work too!]
As usual, here’s a list to a pre-made cart in Amazon with these parts in it!!
This industrial shelf brackets supply list accommodates a shelf up to 9″ deep.
There are soooooooo many ways to design the brackets for plumbing pipe shelves and this is JUST ONE. I hope to update this page frequently with new types of designs and I’m even taking suggestions!!
Tools/Supplies List
- Gloves – [Get them here] I highly recommend a thick pair of gloves for screwing the parts together. Not only does it help with grip but it also prevents tiny cuts from the threads of the pipes!
- Coarse Sanding Block [Get it here]
- Primer Spray Paint For Metal [Get it here]
- Steel Wool [Get it here]
- Flat Black Spray Paint for Metal [Get it here – Even if you’re not doing black, there are 30 colors to choose from]
- Flat Clear Spray Paint for Metal [Get it here]
- Thread Locker [Get it here]
- Drywall Screws 3″ [Get them here]
Instructions for DIY Industrial Shelf Brackets
If you follow these instructions and do the optional extras I mention, you’ll have beautiful, durable and long lasting diy industrial shelf brackets just like if you bought them from my Etsy shop! Not looking to paint them black? That’s cool, leave them their natural metal color or use the the link I reference below to check out 30 metal ready colors!
Before I go into handling these pipe parts… I’d like to put a WARNING at the top of these directions and tell you right off the bat that the threads on the pipes are sharp. Whenever I’m handling the threads I always put a towel between my hand and the pipe because it is incredibly easy to slit your fingers on the threads without even realizing it until you look down a few hours later and have all these tiny cuts all of your fingers! True story.
Degrease The Pipe Parts
This is probably the absolute worst part of making industrial shelf brackets!!!! Right when I get a delivery of pipe parts, the first thing i do is degrease every single piece of plumbing pipe. This can be a really messy process and no matter how hard I try I seem to get it all over my hands!
Make sure to really clean the parts because any grease left behind won’t allow the primer to adhere and might cause chips or peeling paint down the road.
I use my most favoritest cleaner in the entire universe, Thieves Cleaner. It’s a plant based, non-toxic cleaner that works part time as a miracle worker. Full disclosure: I am a Young Living Distributor and if you purchase from my link I make a commission [Here’s the link to my Young Living Website.] BUT even if I weren’t a distributor now (I didn’t sign up as distributor with YL at first) I’d still be telling you that it’s the cleaner you need in your life. Not just for the chemical free aspect, for the aspect that is actually freaking works!
Sand/Scuff/Deburr The Pipe Parts
While cleaning the parts you’ll probably realize that some of the pipes aren’t exactly smooth and some pipes may even have “burrs” on them which should be sanded off so they don’t snag fingers (and when using the pipes for other decor items, so it doesn’t snag fabrics.)
I use a coarse grit sanding sponge because I’m kind of obsessed with sanding sponges but 100-120 grit sandpaper would work well also to remove any burrs on the pipes.
Then I use steel wool to clean/scuff the surface further and get it looking a little shiny.
Put The Brackets Together
I also want to mention that you can totally change around the lengths of the nipples to change the final measurements for your plumbing pipe shelves! You guys… this is such a fun DIY project and you can find all the supplies either on Amazon or at your local big box store or even a plumbing supply place (maybe… some only sell to plumbers.)
But the bottom line is have fun!!!
While you can hand tighten these I highly recommend screwing the floor flange down to a scrap piece of wood and using leverage to tighten the assembled brackets together even more.
- First attach the floor flange to the 5″ nipple.
- Then attach a 90 degree elbow to the end of the 5″ nipple.
- Then attach a close nipple to the 90 degree elbow.
- Then attach the second floor flange to the close nipple.
**IF you want to go the extra mile like I do, I also use thread locker on the first few threads of each part to add even more strength to the pipe to make sure it doesn’t come apart. Threadlocker is meant to withstand high vibrations from motors so you can see why it would be helpful (especially if you plan on only hand tightening these together.)
Prime & Paint the Pipe Bathroom Fixture Parts
In this step you’ll have to find somewhere to spray paint the piece! Obviously where you won’t suffocate yourself or spray paint stuff that doesn’t need to be spray painted (like your countertop combost bin… true story.)
I usually do two coats of primer and two to three coats of paint.
I do not suggest putting the industrial shelf brackets on newspaper because they will very easily stick to it and pull up little pieces of paper that will get stuck to the pipe and then you have to sand the piece and start over… go ahead, ask me how I know.
So prime & paint the piece on cardboard or better yet do what I do… I screw 3″ drywall screws (or deck screws or whatever) onto a scrap 2×4 and then hang it from the screw. Just make sure to balance the piece of wood if you don’t secure it!
I use a flat black spray paint that is meant for metal and that also has a rust inhibitor for even more rust protection. It’s a flat black and leaves this beautiful matte finish that I love! But feel free to spray paint them ANY COLOR you want (the link to the black spray paint also has over 30 colors to choose from!! All ready to paint metal!) Make sure your paint is meant for metal and I highly suggest one with a rust inhibitor.
Or… leave them their natural metal color and just coat them in clear to prevent rust!
Lastly, Use a Topcoat For Extra Durability
Now that you have your shelf brackets put together you’re ready to put yet another layer of paint on!!
So after everything is dry, use a clear matte spray paint meant for metal. Two coats should be plenty good.
Whew… after all that spray painting you’re finally done!!! You now have beautiful industrial pipe shelf brackets to install onto a beautiful piece of wood, or butcher block in my case!
There you have it! How to DIY industrial brackets for plumbing pipe shelves!
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