14 Fantastic Ways to Make Pipe Shelves Work for Your Home Decor
The combination of pipes and wooden shelves is always striking. In this slideshow, we’ve compiled some of the best DIY pipe shelves online. Our Hometalkers have used their skills to bring some extra flair to their projects. From rope inserts to creative color schemes, our top-rated pipe shelving will give you a unique look in your home.
The Easy Way to Make Pipe Shelves
In showing you how to make these pipe shelves, Emy suggests cleaning any grease from the pipes and using the right brackets to get a 90-degree angle. Once the brackets were ready, she used a laser to get perfect spacing. Finally, Emy recommends fixing your brackets into studs. If you can’t do that, use anchors for increased strength. Get tutorial here
Ingenious Industrial Pipe Shelving
Industrial shelving requires thick pipes. Attaching these to the wall can be tough if you try to do too much. This Hometalker’s solution is to work in sections. To start, they marked a 32" line using a tape measure and level. After that, they attached the flanges to the wall before building up the rest of the unit easily. Get tutorial here
Wonderfully Rustic Pipe Shelves
How do you make new wood look old? Simple, pipes and stain. For this project, Marty’s husband distressed wood using a grinder and a light touch. Once they’d stained the wood, the duo sprayed their pipes in Rust-Oleum Brown Hammered paint. This combination of colors is what will give your pipe shelves a vintage vibe. Get tutorial here
Budget DIY Pipe Shelves
For this unit, Blair used longer pipes to keep costs down. By using longer sections, she required fewer joints and cuts. This, in turn, meant she didn’t need as many materials. The other trick for budget pipe shelves is conduit hangers with speed threads as they offer simple support for a variety of joins and materials. Get tutorial here
Perfectly Simple Pipe Shelves
Pipe shelves don’t have to be complex. For this project, Emily needed nothing more than poplar boards, screws, and black piping. Because the pipes came in packs, Emily could screw them together without cutting or soldering. Once the brackets were ready, she threaded the pipes through each board and fixed the unit to the wall. Simple! Get tutorial here
Brilliant Black Pipe Shelves
For these black pipe shelves, the devil is in the detail. To complement the colored pipework, Greg used pine boards. For him, the knottier they are, the better. Working with the wood's natural grain, Greg stained them in light ebony. The contrast in texture between the wood and the smooth piping helped to give this unit a robust yet sleek feel. Get tutorial here
A Desirable Pipe Desk and Bookshelf Combo
For this project, Tasha used elbow joints in a clever way. After piecing together her frame, she angled the elbow joint towards the wall. This positioning meant the shelves didn’t need extra support from the wall. Finally, to secure the desk, a wood baton on the wall worked in tandem with elbow joints on the far side of the board. Get tutorial here
Fantastic Rope and Pipe Shelving
For an industrial and nautical combination, try this project by Meadow Lake Road. Starting with 6" and 48" galvanized pipes, this Hometalker used the former as spacers. From there, she added 90-degree elbow joints before attaching the long pipe. With the hanger in place, rope was looped through two wooden boards to complete this impressive unit. Get tutorial here
Fabulous Pipe Shelves for a Farmhouse Look
For a farmhouse feel, galvanized steel pipes are perfect. As you can see, the light tones of Hayden’s pipes complement her white decor. Before assembling this unit, she scuffed up the pipes. This extra touch is what makes these shelves feel rustic and less like many of the modern looking pipe projects out there. Get tutorial here
Magically Modern Pipe Shelves
For a modern looking unit, Flawless Chaos recommends black piping. Although galvanized steel and copper are great, black pipes can be offset with lighter wood for a sleeker, slightly more office-friendly look. Another important detail is leveling your shelves. As you can see, this Hometalker added ¾" blocks to create a level surface for their contemporary pipe shelves. Get tutorial here
A Grand Stand: Oversized Pipe Shelving
Taking pipe shelves to a new level, Jason combined 2X4s and ½" industrial piping. After sanding and staining his wood, Jason used six tube straps to secure each shelf. As well as triple straps, the crucial part of this project was fixing the shelves to the floor. This made the unit super secure and ready for anything. Get tutorial here
Double Delight DIY Pipe Shelves
For this pair of black pipe shelves, the DIY Playbook wanted style and safety. Hanging them in a nursery, she used metal straps to secure her shelves. After she’d painted the pipes black, this Hometalker secured them to the wall using floor flanges. This combination of features ensured the units remained in place, even if a toddler knocked against them. Get tutorial here
Industrial Pipe Shelving for Teens
Working with the industrial theme her son loves, Melody purchased some DIY plumbing pipes and wooden shelves from IKEA. Screwing the shelves into the pipes, she then attached the units to the wall before decorating. The key here was to match the ornaments with the shelves to create an industrial, "manly" look. Get tutorial here
