My significant other needed a shelf above the washer and dryer; this was my solution.
I started by cutting the 2x4 rails to length, then giving them a coat of BLO for some protection. I then screwed them into the studs of the walls with 3.5" deck screws.
I then got the exact measurements for the shelf itself and cut it out of a sheet of 1/2" Purebond birch plywood and gave it 3 coats of gloss polyurethane after sanding. While that was drying, I took a piece of oak 1x4 and gave 3 of the long edges a round over with a trim router and sanded to 220 grit and polyurethaned it as well. Once everything was dry, I screwed the shelf and face board in with 1 5/8" black trim screws.
Tricks:
Pre-drill everything possible. This makes alignment that much easier, and reduces the chance of splitting and tear out.
Make sure your walls are square. One of the reasons for using 2x4s was to help un-bow one of the short walls and bring it back into plumb.
When finishing, multiple light coats look much better than a single heavy coat.
My significant other needed a shelf above the washer and dryer; this was my solution. I started by cutting the 2x4 rails to length, then giving them a coat of BLO for some protection. I then screwed them into the studs of the walls with 3.5" deck screws. I then got the exact measurements for the shelf itself and cut it out of a sheet of 1/2" Purebond birch plywood and gave it 3 coats of gloss polyurethane after sanding. While that was drying, I took a piece of oak 1x4 and gave 3 of the long edges a round over with a trim router and sanded to 220 grit and polyurethaned it as well. Once everything was dry, I screwed the shelf and face board in with 1 5/8" black trim screws. Tricks: Pre-drill everything possible. This makes alignment that much easier, and reduces the chance of splitting and tear out. Make sure your walls are square. One of the reasons for using 2x4s was to help un-bow one of the short walls and bring it back into plumb. When finishing, multiple light coats look much better than a single heavy coat.
