I had been trying to come up with something for the wall behind our couch but working around our thermostat was tough! I had an idea to build a picture ledge and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. It was SO easy to build.
Materials Needed:
- (1) 1×2 furring strip
- (1) 1×3 furring strip
- (1) 1×4 furring strip
- Stain (I used dark walnut and 1 top coat of classic gray)
- Wood screws
- Thin nails or nail gun (I just used regular nails and a hammer)
- Frames (sizing guide and frames linked at the bottom)
Step 1: Cut down the boards
The wood will come like this when you buy it from home depot. You can then cut it down to any length you want for your shelf. Ours is 65 inches for reference. Make sure you examine the boards when you pick them out at the store to make sure they don’t have knicks, bowing or notches taken out of them. You’d be surprised how many bad boards there are.
Step 2: Stain the boards before assembling the ledge
You can stain it after you assemble if you’d like but it will be harder to get in the cracks. I recommend painting or staining the boards completely before.
Step 3: Attach the 1×2 to the 1×3 using the nails
Lay your 1×3 on the ground (this is the bottom of your picture ledge where your pictures will sit. Attach the 1×2 to the board using the nails. Be sure to check that the bottom of the boards line up so its level.
Step 4: Attach the 1×4
Once you have attached the 1×2 (the front ledge) you can flip it over and use wood screws to attach the 1×4. I recommend drilling small pilot holes so that you don’t risk splitting the wood.
Step 5: Hang on the wall
Locate the studs on the wall and screw directly through the 1×4 to attach your ledge!
Unsure about what sizes to use for the frames? See the example below!
Tips for choosing frames:
- Pick 2-3 “themes” for the frames. Example: I chose metal, wood and gold.
- Start with a large frame and work off of that. Try not to let any frames be the same size unless they are opposites of each other. You’ll notice that my frame to the left and right of the middle frame are different heights (this helps with the “random” look you are going for)
- Check out marshalls, home goods and thrift stores for frames! No sense in spending the big bucks if you don’t have to.
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16 COMMENTS
Alanna
2 years agoHow do you get the wood to not split? I’m having that issue
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHORTry smaller nails/screws!
Shelley
2 years agoHi Amanda!
Beautiful work! Love your picture ledge! Wondered what your wall paint colour is please! Love that as well.
Shelley
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHOROur entire house is repose gray sherwin williams!
Erin
2 years agoLove this idea. While looking I loved your couch in the picture. Can you tell me where it’s from? Thanks!
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHORHey! http://comestayawhile.com/gardner-white-whitney-sectional/
Zoe Walker
2 years agoCould you go into depth more about how you mounted it I’m having trouble figuring that out. Also how did you connect them could you add pictures of where you placed nails/screws. Hopefully all goes well I’m picking up the word from Home Depot tomorrow!
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHORHi there! All we did was take some long screws and screw right through the picture ledge (the back piece) into the studs! The placement will be different depending on where your studs are but we did one screw per stud!
Barb
2 years agoOh my goodness, I finally found a living room in the same color palette of neutral grays, light/white, and natural woods – it’s yours! THIS is what I’ve been looking for above our sofa, and didn’t even know until now. Thank you for the instructions – sending to my husband now (he needs a new project! LOL)
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHORHaha!! Yay!
Cassidy
2 years agoLoving this I can’t wait to try! Where is your rug from???
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHORHere is a link!Rug link!
Valerie Romero
2 years agoHello I was wondering how long is this piece?
Amanda
2 years ago AUTHOR65 inches!
Christie
1 year agoHi, I was curious if you have issues with your thermostat and accurate temps with covering it up?
Amanda
1 year ago AUTHORWe haven’t had any issues with ours 🙂