When we were searching for ideas to finish the mater bedroom walls, I just wasn’t finding anything *exactly* like what I envisioned. At least, not in our budget. I love the look of those leather bracket shelves. The ones where the shelf sits inside the bracket. BUT, those shelf brackets are $$$. And with how frequently we move and / or change our minds, big dollars just aren’t in the budget. But you know what is? $3 EKBY LERBERG brackets from Ikea!
2 EKBY LERBERG Brackets per shelf. Black Spray Paint 3/4in Birch Plywood A circular saw 1 140 Tooth Plywood Finishing Saw Blade A cordless power drill 5/16″ Anchors #10 1-1/4 in wood screws Level
FIRST: Spray paint the EKBY LERBERG brackets. For 3 shelves, you’ll need 6 of Ikea’s EKBYs. Let dry overnight. Cut your shelves to size, and confirm they fit nestled *inside* of the Ikea Ekby brackets. Again, my top two shelves are 4′ x 6.5″, and the lower is 4′ x 10″. Decide on where you want to hang your shelves. We made markings on the wall with a light pencil, so we could just wipe off when we were done.
FINALLY: After all your Ekby brackets are hung, grab your cut plywood shelves and slide wood through Ekbys. Attach the plywood to the Ekby brackets with your 1-1/4″ wood screws. [See picture above] You can choose to secure the shelves with one or two screws per side, for a total of 2 or 4 per shelf.
And there you have it! Each shelf is $6 in brackets, and we had wood leftover for another project after spending $25 on the plywood. We already had the can of spray paint, but if not that’s an extra $5. So for under $50, we have three gorgeous, unique looking shelves AND more supplies leftover for another project. I’d call this an Ikea Hack win! Please let me know if you have any questions about this DIY Ikea Bracket Hack with the EKBY LERBERG shelf brackets!