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Floating shelves turned Industrial Pipe Shelving

We wanted an industrial look for the bar we were planning. So decided to hack the LACK wall-mounted shelves into an industrial pipe shelving.

Lack wall shelf black brown

LACK shelf | IKEA.com

Once we had the materials, the whole process probably only took an hour or so. The cost was the biggie — these iron fittings are not cheap. We probably spent around $100 for the fittings. There may be another cheaper supplier, but I got these from Lowe’s.

Material list:

Related: Another moody LACK + EXPEDIT bar

Tool list:
  • Screw gun or screwdriver with Phillips head bit
  • 6″ extender for the bit (helps get to the tight areas around the flanges)
  • Measuring tape
  • Level
  • Pencil
Hack instructions for LACK industrial pipe shelving:

1. Hang the IKEA shelf as directed by the IKEA instructions.

2. Clean all iron fittings with warm water and liquid soap. Dry thoroughly.

3. Screw one 6″ iron nipple fitting into a flange. Hand tighten.

4. Screw one 90-degree angle onto the other end of the 6″ nipple fitting. Hand tighten.

5. Screw one 2″ nipple fitting onto the other end of the 90-degree angle. Hand tighten.

6. Screw one flange onto the other end of the 2″ nipple fitting. Hand tighten.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 for all other shelf brackets.

Preparing the LACK shelves

8. Measure and lightly mark the center of the shelf along the bottom edge.

Industrial Pipe Shelving for a Bar

9. Line up the first iron shelf bracket on the bottom of the shelf so that the 6″ side is parallel to the shelf, and the 2″ side is perpendicular to the shelf. One flange should be flush against the wall, and the other should be flush against the shelf.

10. Ensure that the flange near the front of the shelf is centered on the center of the shelf, and that the flange against the shelf is firm against the shelf without pushing it.

11. Mark all four holes on the wall with a pencil. Make sure the wall flange holes are accessible for your screwgun or screwdriver.

12. Remove the bracket, and install four drywall anchors where you marked the wall.

13. Re-align the bracket on the new anchors and attach the bracket with the 10 x 1 1/2″ screws.

14. Screw the 10 x 3/4″ screws through the flange into the bottom of the shelf. Do not overtighten these, as the shelf is not designed to support this modification. The goal is to make the shelf flange snug against the shelf.

15. Repeat steps 9-14 near the ends of each shelf. As this is flexible to your preferences, simply ensure that you measure in from the edge to the same distance for both brackets.

Industrial Pipe Shelving for a Bar

What’s the hardest part of this industrial pipe shelving project?

The hardest part about this industrial pipe shelving was making sure that the flanges are aligned to the wall and shelf without putting much added stress on the shelves.

They should be extra support for the shelves, but you shouldn’t need to push the shelf down to get it to attach to the flanges. Also, if you are aligning your brackets as I did in the picture, you will need to do some upfront planning with your measuring before you hang the shelves initially.

What to pay special attention to?

We bought extra screws, because the flange holes were too big for the screws we had in the anchor pack. You may not need to do this depending on what you use.

Many brands and sizes of the anchors could work, but we chose ones with heavy holding strength and that would be hidden behind the flanges.

You might also want other sizes of iron pipe — we used 3/4″ diameters because we liked the heft of them, but you could certainly use others.

~ by Tim

The post Floating shelves turned Industrial Pipe Shelving appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

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