How to build a microwave shelf?

Sarahaiez

I would like to get a shelf similar to those for my microwave but I’ve been struggling a lot to find them how am I able to make one or where am I able to find one. They are either too small or don’t look like this I am trying to put my microwave ontop of it 

  

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Sarahaiez. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about floating shelves.

Those very thick floating shelves you’re seeing, often around the 40 to 50mm mark, aren’t usually made from a single solid piece of timber. Timber in that size isn’t readily available off the shelf and if you do find it, it’s generally sold as rough construction timber in long lengths, often around six metres, and it won’t be finished or furniture grade. Buying it just to cut a short shelf out of it ends up expensive and impractical for most DIY projects.

In most cases, shelves like this are actually built up rather than solid. They’re constructed from smaller sections of pine or similar timber to create the appearance of a much thicker shelf. This method makes the shelf significantly lighter than a solid timber option, easier to customise to your exact dimensions, and much easier to securely fix back into the wall framing. It also allows you to run concealed fixings inside the shelf, which is how you get that clean floating look.

Because you’re planning to put a microwave on it, the fixing is the most important part. The shelf needs to be solidly connected back to structural timber studs, not just plasterboard. In your second reference image, the shelf is well supported on both sides, which helps take the load. In the first image, the microwave is tucked into the corner where the shelf is strongest. You’ll notice there’s no weight sitting right out on the unsupported front corner, because there’s nothing there to carry that load safely. That’s something you really need to keep in mind when deciding how deep the shelf can be and where the microwave will sit.

If you can share a bit more detail about your space, such as how wide the shelf needs to be, whether you have side walls or cabinetry to support it, or if it will be completely floating on a single wall, it will make it much easier to suggest the right construction method. Below, I’ve put together a simple rendering to show how a thick floating shelf can be constructed using built-up timber, which should help visualise how these shelves are usually made.

You might like to check out @Tara86's Pallet timber floating shelf project, as it shows this method.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell