Crown molding as a bracket or upright shelf

• 1
  Use of crown molding in an upright shelfmagnificent shelf image by terex from Fotolia.com
  
  Measure the space where you are planning to add the shelf or bracket. Use a “stud finder” that can be purchased at a hardware store to locate the wall frame supports or studs. A shelf or bracket should be screwed into a stud for the best stability. Dry wall is not sufficiently strong to support a shelf.
  
  
• 2
  Decorative crown moldingtribal abstract gold image by Nicemonkey from Fotolia.com
  
  Select the crown molding that will fit the items you are putting on the shelf. A bookshelf needs to be flat and sturdy, whereas a shelf holding collectible objects might be more ornate. Crown molding can even be selected with grooves already carved into it to hold decorative plates. Brackets to be placed under the shelves can be purchased separately or cut from the crown molding itself.
  
  
• 3
  Deep crown molding on building exteriorlarge white columns image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  Choose a deep molding to use as a bracket for your shelves. The “projection” of the crown molding is how far it extends from the wall. Some large crown molding sections can be eight or nine inches or more of projection from the wall. This is wide enough to cut and use under a flat shelf as a bracket or as a shelf all in itself. A standard bookshelf width is 12 inches; therefore eight or nine inches is wide enough for a fairly deep shelf.
  
  
• 4
  Wide crown moldingwide angle lens 23. image by mdb from Fotolia.com
  
  Cut the length of large crown molding you want and mount it with screws every 16 inches into a stud. It will be screwed in place and provide more strength than the nails commonly used to hold the molding to the ceiling or floor.
  
  
• 5
  Using a miter boxwood saw image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
  
  Large crown molding placed flat against the wall will allow the top to used as a shelf, since it won't be against the ceiling. Crown molding comes in large, medium, and small widths of projection.
  
  
• 6
  Sand and painta brush for painting image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  Cut a two-foot section of large eight-inch crown molding at a 45-degree angle with a miter box. Cut two smaller sections of eight-inch lengths with the same 45-degree angle, and nail the smaller sections to the ends of the two-foot piece. This U-shaped shelf will need to be sanded and painted but will make a single finished shelf unit. Cutting the crown molding can be challenging. A coping saw or miter box saw is used for cutting angles. The hardware store you purchase the molding from will also cut it for you for a small fee.
  
  
• 7). Purchase metal hangers that will attach to the back of the shelf. Hammer the nails into wall studs the same distance apart that you place the hangers. Brackets will not be needed.
  
  

Crown molding as a flat shelf

• 1). Select crown molding that is flat for an actual shelf. Many of the moldings have a beveled edge that slopes downward and may not be suitable for a flat surface. However, the beautiful designs also lend themselves to unique shelves with decorated edges.
  
  
• 2). Choose brackets to support the shelf. These can be purchased separately at any home improvement center or made from smaller pieces of the same molding.
  
  
• 3). Cut the crown molding the length you need and screw the brackets to the outer edges of the length of the shelf. Screw a third support bracket into the center If the shelf is more than three feet long.
  
  

Crown molding as customized built-in shelves

• 1). Major reconstruction, such as removing walls, may require permits from the city where you live. Check with your city planning commissioner.
  
  
• 2). Always check to be sure you are not removing a load-bearing, supporting wall. The load-bearing wall supports the roof line and upstairs of the house. If you are not sure, check with a professional.
  
  
• 3). Fit the lengths of molding into the wall between the framing studs for a customized shelving unit. The studs are 14 inches or 16 inches apart. For wider shelves, remove the upright studs with a reciprocal saw and add a header horizontally to the top of the wall. The wall studs will now rest on this header instead of on the upright studs that go all the way to the floor.
  
  
• 4). Remove one side of a wall's dry wall or paneling and remove any insulation. Interior walls are usually not insulated. The wall can be removed with a hand saw or reciprocating saw. Finish the edge of the wall with dry wall tape or wood trim.
  
  
• 5). Use nail boards known as 2 BYS (backyard specials) to make a deeper customized shelf. In this case you do not need to remove the outer wall at all but use it as the back of the entire unit: two-inch by four-inch boards are nailed to existing two-inch by four-inch boards to make a two-inch by eight-inch frame for the crown molding shelves. BYS come in widths of up to 12 inches. An entire wall can have two-inch by 12-inch boards nailed in an arch: two boards at the ends of the wall and one board the length of the wall, nailed to the top of the end boards.
  
  
• 6). Purchase and add brackets that support the depth of the shelf. Buy crown molding to fit your depth and attach it to the brackets. For extra support, apply a thin layer of glue to the back of the shelf and press the shelf to the wall.
  
  
• 7). Place a bracket wherever the shelf is more than three feet in length to keep it from sagging.