Scavenger Chic

Easy DIY, Upcycled Corbel Shelves

• By Joan
• August 18, 2021
• 2 Comments

Easy DIY, Upcycled Corbel Shelves

Today I’m working with a pair of fat , chunky corbels and hopefully, by the end of the day I’ll have a set of display shelves to hold collectibles or tchotchkes. Actually, I have no worries, this should be an easy DIY.

This pair of corbels were in fairly decent shape.  They had some excess caulk that could be pulled off and a few sticky outy nails.

My favorite way to get rid of nails that stick out is to cut them off with a grinder.  I use this method all the time with pallets I’ve deconstructed.  In this case I had no idea where the head of the nail was, just the pointy part where it would have been attached to a building was visible.  Cutting it off was definitely the way to go.

Find a piece of wood, hopefully scrap, that extends past the sides of your corbel, about an inch, on three sides.  The back of the wood should be flush with the back of the corbel so it can sit flat against the wall.

If you like, you can also use one long piece of wood to join the two corbels and make one long shelf.

Cut the top shelf to your desired width and length.  Sand the edges well.

The board I’m pointing to above was still intact.  I added a few more scrap pieces of wood for additional support using a nail gun and nailing from the outside.

No part of me wanted to remove the many, many, MANY coats of paint that these corbels were sporting.  I’m also hesitant to sand the blobby edges off, more than likely many of the coats are full of lead and for all I know the paint is the only thing holding these things together.

So I’m just touching up the finish with one more coat of white paint.  In this case I’m using some leftover semi gloss white trim paint.

My freshly sanded top shelf was given a coat of dark walnut stain.  Apply polyurethane for a more durable, shinier finish.

I nailed the top shelf to the corbel with finish nails.

I also covered the jagged edge around the top of the corbel with a piece of molding.  Add D-ring hooks and you’re ready for hanging.

These corbel shelves are perfect for displaying your favorite collectibles.  I don’t have too many collections myself, (other than rusty stuff),  but I do have quite a few mechanical banks.  These are 2 of my oldest.  I believe they are from the 50’s.

If you need more corbel ideas check out my Upcycled Corbel Pinterest page with over 70 ideas.  I’m sure you’ll find something that you’ll absolutely fall in love with.

Until next time, stay inspired.

For those of you who would like to display your tchotchkes but find corbels are in short supply, you may want to try this shelf made from books.  I found this in a vrbo in Idaho while attending my niece’s wedding.  The owner, an avid photographer, was showing off his collection of vintage cameras. FYI, the bottom 3 books are triangles.

Upcycled Mortise Lock Shelves

Or, for the smaller collection, a shelf made of mortise locks and an old interior shutter.