How to Build Laminate Shelves

Measure the space where you wish to place the shelf with a tape measure. Purchase laminate planks the width of the shelf you’re making, if possible, so you only have to finish the cut ends along the shelf length instead of the cut ends along the face and rear of the shelf as well.

Mark the shelf measurements onto the laminate plank with a pencil. Create straight cutting lines at the marked locations by placing a straightedge across the plank and using it as a guide to pencil on cutting lines across the plank. Place a piece of clear masking tape over the line you drew; the tape will help prevent chipping as the saw cuts through the piece. Tape the side of the board that the saw will be entering as well.

Place the plank onto a table saw, with the cutting line aligned with the saw blade. Make certain that you use a carbide-tipped blade with as many saw teeth as possible, 80 or more. The more teeth on the blade, the smoother your cut will be and the less chance there is of creating chips on the laminate surface. If only one face of the plank is finished, place the finished side down onto the table so the blade cuts through it first.

Put on a pair of safety goggles and a particle mask. Turn on the saw and carefully push the plank through the blade, cutting it along the marked cutting line.

Place the laminate plank into a vise, with the cut edge facing upward. Tighten the grip of the vise onto the plank, taking care not to indent the plank by screwing the vise too tightly. Cover the cut edge of the plank with a strip of wood veneer or laminate tape the same color and width as you plank. You can usually find tape of the same color at the location where you purchased the plank. Leave an excess length of about an inch of tape on both sides of the cut edge. Make sure the tape is flush with the top and bottom of the plank.

Turn an iron on to the highest setting and allow it to heat up for two or three minutes. Run the heated iron along the strip of laminate tape to activate the tape’s adhesive and bond it to the plank. Remove and turn off the iron after gluing the tape in place.

Roll a laminate roller along the tape's length to make certain it adheres to the plank along the entire surface. Cut the excess edges of the tape from the shelf plank with a utility knife.

Place the new shelf where desired, either within a pre-existing bookcase mounted on pegs or ledges along the bookshelf sides, or by using shelf brackets to mount the shelf onto a wall.

Locate wood studs in walls where you wish to place the brackets, using a stud finder. Mount the brackets to the studs at the shelf height using screw anchors placed into drilled pilot holes in the wall. Mark the drill points through brackets held against the wall. Use a carpenter's level across the brackets to ensure level shelves. Push the anchors into the wall, then screw the brackets in place.

Place the laminate shelf onto the top of the brackets against the wall, then mount the shelf in place with wood screws through the brackets into the bottom of the shelves.