DIY Knee-Wall Shelf Build
I’m going to walk you through a (hopefully) very simple tutorial to build these roll-out knee-wall shelves that we built in our attic master suite.These serve as shelving in our space but they’re also removable so that we didn’t lose access behind our knee walls! We needed to maintain access to our first floor bathroom fan as well as the shut off valves for our bath tub. Not to mention, there’s tons of storage that we didn’t want to lose out on.
Design Sketch
This conceptual sketch served as our base plan. We used it to determine rough cut lengths, angles, and build our materials list.
Materials Shopping List
Shop the materials here:
Four 5-3/8” x 8 ‘ pre-primed Shiplap boards
1 pack of 1-1/4” cabinet screws
We used these caster wheels on the bottom of the shelves.This made it easier to pull the shelves in and out to access the knee wall space.
We used KILZ primer to prime the shelves!
*All lumber should be grade A or B except for the 1x2 (that can be common grade).
Tools We Used
Circular Saw
Miter Saw
Tape Measure
Make The Cuts
For the top end of the shiplap cuts, set the miter saw bevel to match the pitch of your roof (ours was approximately 30˚) and cut to the final length. Our desired final width allowed us to install the shiplap without needing to make any rip cuts on the width of the shiplap. If your width does not work out this way, lay out the shiplap and determine the width you need for the rip cut. Divide this number by 2 and rip the left and right side shiplap pieces to that width. This will help keep the backing symmetrical rather than having all full width pieces with one narrow one.
Begin To Build
Add Shiplap Backing
The top cap gets installed similar to the shiplap backing. For this part though, the top furring strip will need ripped on the table saw at 60˚ (or whatever 90˚ minus your roof pitch is). This strip will get installed flush with the face of the shelves and will serve as a nailing strip for the top trim as well as securing the tops of the shiplap caps.
Finish by adding the 2” casters to the base. We chose swivel casters to make it easier to navigate the shelf once it is out of the wall but fixed wheels would also work. Similar to the top, a bottom trim nailer needs added that is flush to the face of the bottom shelf. Use the rest of the furring strip or some scrap wood (1-by or 2-by will work) and cut a length that fits between the casters while still allowing them to fully rotate. Secure the nailer to the bottom shelf using screws and get ready to add the finish trim.
Add Trim
Dry fit the base and top boards and measure the distance between them for the side trim. Cut everything to length, prime/paint and let it dry. Finish the job by nailing each trim board in place with a brad nailer. Push the shelf back into place, style, and enjoy!
The Finished Product
I hope you found this DIY tutorial helpful! Let us know if you have any questions it the comments!