How To Build A Shelf Using Corbels

I don’t know what it is that draws my eye to antique corbels, but I just adore them.  We spotted some in my favorite consignment shop and I told Rich I had to have them. You see, we have a large mirror hanging on the wall in our eat-in kitchen and it looked silly just floating there all by itself. I thought the corbels would look beautiful holding up a shelf underneath that mirror. So we did a little research to find out how to build a shelf using corbels and this is what we came up with. 

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How to build a shelf using corbels

purchase corbels

When I bought these corbels I really liked the distressed look they had. Once I hung them on the wall I thought they looked a bit too rustic and dark for the space so I decided to paint and antique them to match my décor. Keep reading to see how I changed them.

       *TIP–  If you find something you love but it doesn’t match,  paint it!!!!

purchase wood for the shelf

Based on the area you are going to put the shelf, measure to see how long you want it to be. I wanted the shelf to extend at least one foot on either side of the mirror. We purchased a 2×10 x 12 foot piece of pine at Home Depot and they cut the length to five feet for us.

       *TIP– Let the home store (Home Depot) do the cutting

Decide on HANGING BRACKETS

Our corbels did not have anything on the back to hang them with. So, Rich found an interlocking bracket and ordered it from Home Depot For this bracket the top downward facing part slides down and locks into the bottom upward facing part that you attach to the wall. This bracket had a locking clip but Rich removed it because for this application it could not be used. These brackets were rated to support 15 lbs a piece.

hang the Corbels

Decide on the placement of each corbel.

I had two of my sons hold the corbels in place while Rich held up the shelf, so I could determine where to place it in relation to the mirror. Rich marked the top center and outside edge of the first corbel. Isn’t this going to look great?? Does it make you want to go out and buy some corbels and build a shelf??

Use the marks for first corbel to level and transfer to the second corbel location

Use a tape measure and long level or laser level to transfer marks to the location of the second corbel. In our project we made sure the top center marks were equidistant from the mirror hanging above and that the corbels were level to one another.

Locate where the top bracket goes on the corbels

We know the location of the corbels but now we must locate where the brackets must go on the back of the corbels.

It is best to examine each corbel and then measure down from the top and then center the top bracket in the same place on the back of both corbels. Make note of the distance from top of corbel to the top of the bracket. Position the bracket and mark the location with a pencil and mark screw holes. Pre-drill the holes and then attach the bracket with wood screws.

Locate where the bottom bracket goes on the wall

Now go to the wall with the bottom bracket. Measure down from your corbel’s top center mark on the wall (made in earlier step) the same distance as the measurement you took from back of the corbel and make a pencil mark. Center your bottom bracket on that mark and mark the 4 screw hole placements.

Pre-drill the holes and attach the brackets with appropriate screws.

Depending on the type of wall material you have, pre-drill the holes and attach the first bracket with appropriate screws. Rich had to deal with Florida exterior walls which are concrete block. So he pre-drilled the holes with masonry bit to drill all the way into the concrete block slightly deeper than screw length. Concrete is unforgiving so whatever type wall you have, try to keep the drill as level as possible.

*TIP-put a piece of tape on your drill bit at the depth you need to drill into the wall to make sure you drill just deep enough for your screws.

Next I suggest using level or laser level and double check the location of the bracket for the second corbel. Make sure it is centered and level in relation to first bracket attached to the wall. Once verified then attach the second bracket to the wall just as was done with the first.

Try the corbels out to see how they fit

Now line up each corbel and top bracket against the wall and slide it down to sit into bottom bracket attached to the wall. It should lock securely into place.

Place shelf on corbels and level

Level the shelf on the corbels with wood shims

Position your shelf board onto the corbels. Be sure to test if level front to back and side to side. If corbels are old, they may not be level. Ours were not, so we had to add wood shims.

Mark and cut the shims to fit

Once shims are added and shelf is level, mark each shim with a pencil where the excess can be cut off making it flush with side of the corbel. Also mark each shim to identify its location and on which corbel it was used.

Now cut off the excess. This can be done by scoring the marks you made with a box cutter and snapping off the excess.

Glue the shims to the corbels

Re-position the trimmed shims back on top of the corbels. Once the placement is verified, coat the bottoms with wood glue.

Be sure to spread the glue evenly then place back on the corbels and let dry.

Once glue dries, put the shelf back and check for level. Add and glue any additional shims as needed.

Well, now you know how to to build a shelf using corbels but we’re only half way to the project being finished. Now let’s talk about how to finish your shelf so it matches your decor.

Steps to paint or stain a shelf using corbels

Prep

Decide on paint, stain or both

I decided to do both. I’m going to paint the corbels and stain the shelf.

Gather the items you’ll need

Below is a list of all of the items I used to paint the corbels and stain the shelf.

drop cloth/ plastic

stain (I chose Minwax)

pre-stain wood conditioner(I chose Minwax)

foam brush

tack cloth

lint-free rags

polyurethane

synthetic bristle brush

paint key

stir sticks

sand paper

chalk paint

paint brush

clear wax

wax brush

antiquing wax

small paint brush

plastic gloves

Protect floor

Lay down plastic on floor to protect it and find something to put the shelf and the corbels on. 

Stain Shelf

Pre stain

Use tack cloth to clean any dust off of shelf

Use a pre-stain wood conditioner, to ensure the stain absorbs well and to prevent streaks and unevenness. I chose Minwax Pre-stain Wood Conditioner.

Apply pre-stain with a foam brush and paint in direction of the wood grain.

Remove excess pre-stain with lint free towel.

Apply stain

I chose to use Minwax Wood Finish Semi-transparent Color Stain in Classic Gray.

Stir stain with a stick.  Do not shake the can.

Apply the stain in the direction of the wood grain, using long strokes.  I like to use a foam brush to apply stain but you can use a synthetic brush or a rag. 

Immediately (or less than two minutes) remove the stain with a lint-free towel in the direction of the wood grain.  If it’s not dark enough you can apply another coat. Let dry one to two hours and then recoat.

Let stain dry according to package directions. In this case, I waited one hour. Here is the shelf after the first coat.

I did not think it was dark enough so I repeated the steps and here is what the finished shelf looked like.

Seal shelf

To be perfectly honest, I have not sealed the shelf yet. I’m still deciding if I like the gray stain enough to keep it. I am thinking I might cover it with a medium brown stain. Once I decide, I will do the following steps to seal the shelf!

1) Stir the polyurethane with a stick, do not shake can.

2) Apply in the direction of the wood grain.  A thin coat is all you need.

3) Let dry.

4) Sand lightly in direction of wood grain 

5) Remove all dust with a tack cloth.

6) Repeat steps 1-5 to apply a second coat.  If item will get a lot of use you may need a third coat.

7) Let dry for 24 hours before regular use.

Paint corbel

I chose to use Behr Chalk Paint in Farmhouse White.

1. Stir paint
2. Apply paint going in all directions
3. Let dry and wait two hours before recoating
4. Apply second coat of paint
5. Let dry and wait two hours before sealing with wax.

Here is the corbel after two coats of paint.

Wax corbel

To seal and protect chalk paint, you must use chalk paint wax. First, you use clear wax and if you want an antiqued look you can add brown or black wax over the clear. For this project, I used Annie Sloan Clear Wax and Valspar Antiquing Wax.

Apply a thin coat of clear wax to a small area.

Apply antiquing wax to the areas you want to highlight.

Wipe off the excess wax using a lint free rag or lint free paper towels. Look at what a difference the antique wax makes!

Here is one antiqued corbel and one white one so you can see the difference. Can’t figure out why I like the one that looks old and dirty so much better! These are crazy times we’re living in!!

How to style the shelf

We did it, we figured out how to build a shelf using those beautiful corbels and now it’s time to put on the finishing touches. Let’s start decorating!

I put together this small vignette for the center of the shelf. It’s a wooden tray with a white canister and dried flowers. On the lefts side I placed a cream colored pitcher. On the right side I used two candlestick holders and draped a heart garland that I made around it all.

Well friends, what do you think of our new addition? I just love how it turned out!! The gray stain is growing on me, so I think I’ll probably keep it this way!! Now that you know how to build a shelf using corbels do you think you might try this in your home?? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

If you’d like to see another project we did using paint and stain click here.

Blessings, Rich and Donna