Our main bathroom originally had a stackable washer and dryer in this space. We needed a changing area for our new baby, as well as shelves, so I built these floating shelves out of my ample store of white oak.
It’s very difficult to find wide oak boards, so these shelves are made from narrower boards that are glued together. I used a PVA-based waterproof glue — since these are in a bathroom, they’ll be exposed to a lot of moisture. I also attached a front lip to each shelf using glue and pocket screws. This hides the supports that hold the shelves on to the wall and gives the shelves a “floating” effect.
I wanted to darken these shelves so that they wouldn’t clash with the color of the existing cabinets. Different species of wood absorb stain differently, so it’s almost impossible to exactly match the cherry veneer on the cabinets, but I was able to find the same stain used on the cabinets and the color doesn’t clash, at least.
After staining, I finished the shelves with a few coats of polyurethane to make them water resistant.
My brother (an excellent handyman) spray painted the door and helped with the shelf installation. We attached mounting brackets (boards) to the wall, securing them to studs, and installed the shelves in place. We installed the door, and now we have a changing area and additional storage!