Scavenger Chic

Upcycled Ladder Display Shelves DIY

• By Joan
• August 11, 2024
• 2 Comments

Upcycled Ladder Display Shelves DIY

I’ve had this 8 foot ladder sitting in my garage for over a year.  It’s super tall, a little wobbly, a  hinge is bent and  one of the sides was broken, put together with a couple of pieces of plywood.  In other words, it’s perfect for my next project.  I’m envisioning display shelves for my sister’s antique booth.  She doesn’t know it yet, but that is the plan.

I have created a ladder shelf before from a much smaller ladder.  That one is currently holding games and toys.  If all goes well , this one is destined to hold antique hardware , knobs and handles.

Check out my Pinterest board Upcycled Ladders for more ladder inspiration.

The thinner rung side of the ladder will lay flat against the wall, while the side of the ladder with the rungs will  tilt outward.  Use a level to mark the angle of the cut so all legs sit flat on the ground and use a jigsaw to make your cuts.

Does it sit straight?  Do you have do any more trimming?

While the ladder is sitting upright, choose your backing.  The only boards I had that were long enough to cover the back were these old pieces of knotty pine paneling, complete with socket holes.  Place the wood behind your ladder.

Use the ladder as a guide to mark where to trim off the backing  and cut.

Since my backing was just strips of wood, I’m using more scrap wood, screwed on, to hold the pieces together.

I also inserted a piece of wood in the outlet hole and secured that with another piece of scrap wood from the back.

If desired, paint the backing before attaching it permanently to the ladder.

Since it’s 95º outside, I’m moving inside  to do the remainder of the assembly.

For each shelf, cut a piece of scrap wood the width of your ladder rung, minus a quarter inch or so.  The shelf will eventually sit about an inch above this level when you attach the bottom, so you’ll need to make some concession for the ladder sides slanting inward.

Note…I haven’t attached the backing permanently just yet, the clamp is temporarily holding the backing in place.

For the second to top shelf, I cut a scoop front so people can peer inside.  This shelf sits about 5 1/2 feet up.

The very top shelf will have no front or sides just a flat plank of wood.

For each of the side pieces, grab more scrap wood about the thickness of your front piece.  I want my shelves to slant downward for display, resting on the now slanting rungs of the ladder.  Thus, I’m giving the back edge a 10º cut on the miter saw and the front, a 25º degree cut.

The length of these side pieces is determined by where the 25º cut hits the front leg of the ladder.  Of course you could make your shelves deeper.  Cut two side pieces for each ladder rung.

With a nail gun and glue, I attached the three sides of each shelf.  

More scrap wood (hardwood flooring and pallet wood) completes the bottom of each box.   Nail on with a nail gun .  You could use a hammer and nail but once you try out a pneumatic nail gun, you will never go back!  No more squished fingers and bent nails.

For the lower shelves, I did have to  make a cut on the bottom of the shelf to get around the center pole of the ladder.

If you want shelf dividers, cut pieces of scrap wood the full width and depth of the shelves (this is pallet wood).  The side to side pieces will have straight cuts, the ones that go front to back will have the same degree cuts as the side pieces of your shelves.

Decide where you want your dividers and mark cut lines based on the thickness of the wood you’re joining.  Make a mark halfway up (or down) on your two interlocking shelf dividers.

Cut with a scroll saw, jig saw or band saw.

The two pieces should slide together easily.

I divided the bottom three larger  shelves into nice little compartments, the remaining shelves I left as is.

To attach the shelves and dividers I brought out the nail gun and 1 1/2″ finishing nails.  Wherever the shelf hit a ladder support, I hit it with a couple of nails.  I also nailed the backing to the ladder in the same manner.

While I could have inserted a divider in the center of these two upper shelves, I would have hit the center ladder bar.  Instead, I put the divider on opposite sides, giving me more variety in bin sizes.

It was finally time to call my sister to see if she wanted an upcycled, multi-functional, vintage, very tall ladder shelf in her antique booth.

She said YES!  I knew she’d love it! 😕 

Shelves have been delivered and are in the process of being filled.  I left the top shelf as just a display shelf as it would be too tall to look in.  The second board on that top shelf is for leveling.

If you are in need of an old wooden ladder I would definitely check Facebook Marketplace.

As always, stay inspired.

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