Shelving + Woodwork
Building Recessed Shelves Video

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Building Recessed Shelves Video

You can hide your plumbing and enhance the style of your bathroom just by creating a partition wall. Once you've got the wall supports in place, a piece of judiciously jigsawed plywood will create a stylish front. By putting in a few hidden lights behind the plywood you can create features out of shelves, mirrors or whatever you like. This step-by-step guide will show you the ins and outs of making an expensive-looking sunken shelf space for next to nothing.

Time to complete the job: 4 hours

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You will need:

  • Jigsaw
  • Plywood sheet
  • Screws
  • Drill
  • Pilot hole drill bit
  • Small tin
Step 1: Plan your space

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Step 1: Plan your space

Using the openings in the partition wall as a guide, plan where you want the recessed spaces for mirrors or shelves.
Draw the plan on the plywood sheet that will form your wall. Don't forget to plan openings for pipes and other plumbing you'll need to fit the plywood around.

Tip: To make the corners of your open spaces perfectly curved, use the small tin as a stencil at each corner.
Step 2: Fill in gaps

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Step 2: Fill in gaps

Cut plywood pieces to fill in the space between the solid wall and the partition wall supports. You'll need four pieces for each opening to fill the gaps at the top, bottom and both sides.
Screw the plywood into place to form the sides of your shelves.
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