Description
I've been in LOVE with the color bar ledges from The Land of Nod for as long as I can remember. But at $30 a pop, the total price to create the whole rainbow was little steep. So I took matters (and lumber!) into my own hands and made this fabulous hack for a fraction of the cost!
Full details here at my blog.
Design Inspiration
The color bar rainbow ledges from The Land of Nod.
Decorating Style
Colorful and eclectic with a touch of quirk!
Project Details
Before I get into the details, here's a list of SUPPLIES I used to make five 30 book ledges:
10 pieces of 1X4 lumber cut to 30 in length (for the back and base of my ledges)
5 pieces of 1X2 lumber cut to 30 in length (for the front "lip" on my ledges)
1 1/4 steel nails
Hammer
Gray Spray Primer
White Spray Primer
Satin Clear Coat Spray Paint
Colored Craft Paint
Spackle
Hand-Held Electric Sander
80 Grit, 120 Grit and 240 Grit sandpaper
Steel Screws for hanging in Studs
The lumber department at Lowe's cut all of my pieces to size for FREE, which is great because this is the tricky part! At least for an inexperienced carpenter like myself. One afternoon when my son went down for his nap, I nailed together two of the 1X4s to create an "L" shape. To do this, I pounded one nail right in the middle, then I did one on each end to make sure everything was lined up nicely. I pounded in a few more nails across the back just to make sure the shelves were sturdy. I did the same with one 1X2 across the front to make the little lip that sticks up on each ledge.
I sanded each picture ledge using my hand-held sander, then wiped my ledges down with a wet cloth to remove all the sawdust. Next, I sprayed them with spray primer. Since I was using a few dark paint colors I opted for a gray spray primer on the ledges that I would paint red, green and blue. I used white spray primer for the other two ledges, which I would paint yellow and aqua.
Because I knew I wouldn't need much paint, I saved a buck by purchasing small containers of craft paint from my local craft store. I used multi-surface paint in a satin finish. After brushing a few coats of color onto each ledge, I sprayed them with a very fine coat of Satin clear finishing spray in order to protect the ledges from scrapes and scratches.
Favorite Items
I hung the ledges to create a rainbow-inspired installation. Each ledge holds books with coordinating colors to give the rainbow effect maximum impact! This is one of my favorite projects! It is so playful - perfect for a playroom or nursery and it keeps the books from cluttering up our storage cubbies! Although there isn't enough space to display all of his books, I was able to make sure all of his favorites are here and easy to see!
Advice
Hire a pro (or a handy friend) to screw the ledges directly into studs for maximum security and safety for your little one!