99% Done: Kitchen Shelving Project

After a wait of over a year followed by a 6-week work effort, I'm excited to report that the kitchen shelving project is nearly complete! Scott has done a great job, and has designed and fabricated a system that is not only stylish but also massively strong. I'm am quite confident that my Fiesta will be safe and secure in its new home. Here's how it all came together:

The shelf brackets are six pairs of cut and shaped 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 angle iron. This was a noisy and time-intensive process! Scott let the sparks fly with his angle grinder doing the tough work.

Each pair of brackets was secured in place with clamps and leveled with the magnetic torpedo level. Scott then had to drill holes through four layers of steel before securing with a nut and bolt.

The brackets were placed approximately 12" apart. The top shelf will be pretty high but will make a wonderful display area for special pieces.

After the first bracket was in place (note the "acorn" nuts at right), Scott couldn't resist placing two dinner plates.

Once all six brackets were installed, Scott knew that all the hardest work was behind him!

Scott found a 12"-wide oak board in the basement and sliced it in two to create temporary shelves. We loaded them up with a selection of dishes Saturday evening. The oak didn't sag and the steel performed to perfection!

Sunday, the task of installing the poly-carbonate panels began with even more drilling! Scott pre-drilled a series of six holes per three panels through the vertical supports.

Following the style of the adjacent stair system, Scott left a 2.5" gap between the steel surround and the top & bottom of the panels. He used wood blocks and clamps to keep the panels in place while he attached them.

Isn't this amazing? I can't believe how great it looks from the hallway.

Here's the "finished" project from inside the kitchen. We've been tossing around different shelving ideas - anything from lumber we had milled last year (too thick) to glass (too modern) to plate steel (too metal-y) - we are currently leaning toward 3/4"-thick x 12"-wide oak which we could stain to match the kitchen cabinetry. The final width of each of the three shelves will be 54 inches (slightly wider than the prototype shelves shown.)

Just for fun, we loaded just about all of our Fiesta onto these temporary shelves. There's actually room to spare! This project has turned out exactly as promised - and I am so very pleased with the result. Another awesome Scotty project!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!