How to Build Shelves in a Large Nook

Determine the levels at which you prefer your nook shelving to sit. Use your tape measure to mark the height of the first shelf, by measuring its distance from the ceiling. Place the tape measure at the outside corner of the nook cutout and take a measurement from the ceiling. Repeat the same measuring process at each corner of the nook, and at the other edge of the cutout. Mark each measurement with your pencil. Repeat the process for each subsequent shelf location, all the way down the wall.

Use your chalk line to snap the path of your shelf support cleat all the way around the perimeter of your nook cutout. Repeat the process for each additional shelf location. Use your stud finder to locate the support elements behind the side walls. Mark the location of each stud with a pencil, and use your straight edge to draw a guideline up and down the length of every stud.

Install a strip of 1-by-2 inch wooden trim to the wall along each chalk line. Drill pilot holes into the wood at each stud location, and use your screw gun and drywall screws to fasten the strips in place. Use your level to ensure that the strips are perfectly plumb all the way around. These strips will serve as the mounting cleats for your shelves.

Cut 1-by-4-inch boards into 12-inch-long pieces. Use your miter box and saw to cut the corners off one end of each piece at a 45-degree angle. Install one cut 1-by-4-inch plate every 32 inches along the entire length of each strip of trim. Start with one on each outside edge of the side walls, and continue toward the center. Use your hammer and nails to fasten each plate to the studs behind your walls.

Install metal corner shelf brackets to support each shelf. Hold each bracket up to a mounting plate so the top edge is flush with the top edge of the trim strip. Lay a flat piece of wood and your level atop the bracket to check that it's plumb with the trim. Use your screw gun and screws to fasten the bracket to the mounting plate and trim strip.

Measure the distance from the outside edge of the nook cutout to the back wall. Measure and cut your shelving material to fit this width. The depth of the shelf should be determined according to the shelf brackets. The brackets should cover at least 3/4 of the shelf's depth to ensure stability and strength. Use your circular saw to cut each shelf out of 3/4-inch press board. Repeat the process for every level of side wall-mounted shelves.

Cut the back wall-mounted shelves to fit between each bracket location. The shelves should run 32 inches each, and their depth should match that of the side wall-mounted shelves. Use your circular saw to cut both ends of every shelf at a 45-degree slant so they lock into one another when laid, and so the screws which fasten them down to the shelf brackets penetrate both shelves at once. Begin installing the shelves along the back wall so they butt up against the front edge of the side wall-mounted shelves. The result will be a continuous shelf around the entire perimeter of the cutout.

Use your drill to make pilot holes most of the way through the underside of each shelf, through the screw holes provided in your corner brackets. Use your screwdriver to fasten each shelf in place with wood screws.