How to Install Open Pipe Shelving
Replacing your upper cabinets with open pipe shelving will give your kitchen a more contemporary, urban farmhouse look and make it feel larger. Learn how to install open pipe shelving in this DIY Network video:
1. Remove upper cabinets: Start by pulling off any ceiling trim surrounding the cabinets. Modern cabinets only require removing a few screws to take cabinets down. Using a sledge hammer and a pry bar is the right way to remove cabinets that were custom built in place.
2. Install new backsplash of faux marble tile created from plywood covered in contact paper. They can be glued right on top of the wall. Staggering the wood tiles will make them look like real tiles.
3. Plumbing pipes are used to hold the shelves and are available as most home improvement stores. Clean them first with acetone and steel wool. Piece them together, then give them a coat of matte black.
For this project, the shelves spanning the windows are turning the corner, so there need to be four supports. Determine the spacing of the supports and make sure the shelves are level horizontally and vertically (use a laser level and a three-foot level).
4. Measure and mark studs. There will be a lot of weight on these shelves, so hitting a stud is key. If the flanges are wide, you may need toggle bolts to supplement the studs.
5. Install the pipes. Secure a 12-inch piece of pipe to the bottom flange and tighten. Put an elbow joint at the end.
6. Add shelves. The shelves in this project are 1 x 12s. Cut two pieces at a 45-degree angle and attach them together with two corner braces. Paint the shelf and let dry. Put the bottom shelf into place. Add two flanges with elbows to support the corner of the sheld to prevent sagging.
7. The vertical pipes in between the shelves are 16 inches long and are connected by a tee joint. Another 16-inch piece above that, then an elbow joint, then back to the wall near the ceiling.
The side shelves were easier to put up. The pipes went up in one piece instead of being pieced together on the wall. Straps were added at the bottom of the smaller shelves to prevent them from moving.
