How to Build a Simple, Built-in, Sturdy Shelf For Your Kitchen (or anywhere, really)

We encourage all DIYers to know their own limits when they take on projects. This tutorial uses power tools that could cause serious harm if operated incorrectly, so please be safe, be smart, and hire a professional if needed. 

After posting our kitchen phase 1 update, we've had so many requests to share how we built the shelves we added to the kitchen. Remember these ones?:

With minimal tools, materials and 30 minutes you can build your own shelf and have it hung in your own home. Here's your shopping list:

Tools
• Saw (miter saw preferably, but you could get by with a circular saw or jigsaw and steady hand)
• Impact driver
• Clamps (if working with crooked or warped lumber)

Materials
• One 1x4 board (I used pine in an 8ft length - choose a length that is long enough for your shelf, plus some extra to make the support brackets
• One 1x8 board (or 1x12 if you prefer a deeper shelf - also make sure you choose a length long enough for the shelf, but you won't need extra)
• 1 5/8in trim screws
• 2 1/2in cabinet screws

To show how simple building these shelves really is, we filmed a quick video you can watch below.

Pine works great on a project like this if you will paint the wood (good idea to prime raw wood before painting!), whereas a hard wood like oak would be better if you plan to stain. But either way, these shelves are sturdy, easy to make and are a quick project that can be tackled in less than an hour.