In this post I’ll share with you one of the easiest DIY projects ever! A DIY art ledge! The perfect thing to fill up a large blank wall and you can swap out the art seasonally for extra charm throughout the year!
DIY Art Ledge
This project started out as a project idea I had for a group holiday event on Instagram. We each needed to share an easy holiday DIY on a specific day and mine was an art ledge with DIY holiday decor!
I knew right away where I’d put it, the blank wall in my hallway!
This wall is in the section of hallway that leads to the guest bathroom and my sons room.
This wall has always bothered me because I never really had a great vision for what to do with it! Until now!
Want to save this tutorial for later? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
Gathering your materials
I used a scrap piece of wood that I already had and I ripped it down with my table saw. If you don’t have scrap wood, I would recommend getting two 1x3s (or 1x4s depending on how far you want it to stick out) and a 1×2 at whatever length you want (8 foot should be more than enough, you can always cut it to length or have your local store do it for you)
Next, you’ll need whatever type of finish you want: stain or paint. I chose stain for mine!
I do also recommend sanding the wood smooth before you stain or paint. You can use an electric sander if you have one or sand it by hand.
Assembling the art ledge
You can assemble the ledge one of two ways. You can have the bottom be flat and attach the back piece and the front pieces to the sides. This was is easiest.
Be sure to add plenty of wood glue and attach with nails. I use the Ryobi battery operated nail gun and I absolutely LOVE it!I also choose to add a few screws to the back for added strength.
Because I didn’t want my ledge to stick out very far, I opted to assemble the back on TOP of the bottom piece. So to add screws, I did a few pocket holes on the back. Then I attached the front piece to the side of the bottom.
Here’s a look at what I’m referring to:
I opted to stain my wood before assembling, but you can certainly choose to stain after as well.
Now that the ledge is assembled, let’s hang it up!
Hanging the ledge
First, you’ll need to identify where your studs are. If you have a love-hate relationship with stud finders (or a hate-hate relationship) then I highly recommend Franklin pro-sensor. I delayed buying this for so long because of the price tag and when I finally did, I immediately regretted that I hadn’t bought it sooner! It’s never wrong, shows you EXACTLY where the studs are and it’s a thousand percent worth every penny. If you want to see a demo of how this works, check out my Art Ledge highlight on Instagram!
I figured out the height that I wanted my ledge and then I marked my studs. To make things easier, I put the ledge up and pinned it with one nail from my nail gun in the center just to hold it to the wall.
Then, using a level (the pro sensor stud finder has a level on it) I made sure the ledge was straight and I drilled 3 inch screws directly into the studs all the way across. I used four screws for mine but yours will vary depending on how long it is.
I promise once you style your ledge, you won’t see the screws 😉
Styling your art ledge
Art does NOT have to be expensive. Between my Anthropologie mirror DIY dupe, and some DIY art in thrifted frames, I styled the whole ledge very inexpensively!
You can also add some garland, candles, and whatever else you’d like! Have fun with it!
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