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What pine is best for pantry shelves?

DaveF
Getting Established

What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Howdy. I am looking at building shelves for a pantry. Fairly rustic as such, think garage shelving but up a notch or two with a bit of detailing. I will use pine and am looking for tips on the best sort for this project avoiding treated I assume.
Cheers
Dave
Edit: Uploaded some images / specs at Jason's suggestions. My area for the shelves is 2540w x 2230h with 4 shelves at a minimum. I initially thought that 45x90mm frames would be good but maybe thinner if I have more uprights as shown in the first image?
shelves.jpgshelves2.png

Jason
Community Manager
Community Manager

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Hi @DaveF,

 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're really pleased to have you join us.

 

Thanks for your question. I'm sure ever-helpful members like @redracer01, @Mathy and our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc will be happy to share their thoughts. Perhaps you might like to share some photos so members can see what you are working with. Dimensions might also be handy. Do you also have a basic sketch you could share at this stage?

 

We look forward to seeing how you can transform your pantry as well as reading about all your other projects and plans for around the house and garden. We're sure you will get plenty of helpful information, advice and inspiration from our amazing community members. Please don't hesitate to post anytime you have something to share with the community or need a hand. We're here to help.

 

Jason

 

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DaveF
Getting Established

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Thanks Jason.

 

redracer01
Kind of a Big Deal

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Hello @DaveF 

 

If your looking for shelving material, you can't go wrong with Clear Pine FJ Laminated Panel 1800 x 600 x 18mm, combined with Porta 40 x 18mm 2.4m Clear Pine DAR Moulding as trim and support edging material it will give you that perfect rustic look your trying to go for. I suggest using Porta 42 x 42mm 2.4m Standard and Better Pine DAR as vertical supports for the shelves. Now some of our readers may think that these materials I've recommended are on the soft side, I can only vouch for their integrity as these are the materials I've used in my shelf building at home. You could use heavier duty material such as Practa 2200 x 600 x 26mm Acacia Timber Bench top, but they tend to start getting on the heavier side of things. As a guide the heavier the shelf the bigger the supports. So you will have to use bigger timber vertical supports to keep the shelves up and makes it look bulky in a confined space. As soon as the opportunity presents itself I will draw some samples for you. For the mean time have a look at the materials below. If you have time come visit the store and speak to the resident timber specialist. I'm sure you'll get heaps of advice and you can gauge for yourself if the timber your looking at will suite your needs. I'm not too keen on using plywood unless its AA grade which means it has been specially made not to have any knots in it. These materials tend to be on the more expensive side of things. Assembled properly the materials I've recommended can hold a great amount of weight.

 

If you look at the picture you've posted, you will see that the person who built it used a timber bead/trim at the back of the shelves to act as support when heavy things are placed on it such as canned goods and glass jars. The center shelf (looks like a bench top)  that's bigger is held in place by a timber frame and is made so that it can support even heavier items such as cooking appliances. The first shelf at the bottom has been assembled in the same manner. The shelves are uneven and has been made to look like cabinetry instead of shelves. It's a visual trick that makes you think that your looking at cabinets without doors instead of shelves. Giving the pine a natural finish will give it that uniform rustic look your going for. I strongly recommend using a pocket hole jig to give it that professional finish!

 

Cheers,

Red

 

Screenshot_2021-05-06 Clear Pine FJ Laminated Panel 1800 x 600 x 18mm.pngScreenshot_2021-05-06 Porta 42 x 42mm 2 4m Standard and Better Pine DAR.pngScreenshot_2021-05-06 Porta 40 x 18mm 2 4m Clear Pine DAR Moulding.png

Screenshot_2021-05-06 Craftright Pocket Hole Jig.png


I am a Bunnings team member. Any opinions or recommendations shared here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Bunnings. Visit the Bunnings website for assistance from the customer service team.


DaveF
Getting Established

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Thanks Red, that is very helpful info and links. Yes I think the way they have made the bottom shelves deeper may be what caught my eye for that build and I might consider doing that. Pocket screws are literally the next purchase. 
Cheers
Dave

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Hi @DaveF,

 

It's fantastic to have you join us and wonderful to see that the knowledgeable @redracer01 has already provided some helpful advice. I'll second the materials suggested as they'll be terrific for your project. The design you've chosen looks relatively straightforward, and I don't expect you'll run into difficulties; we're always here to help, though. As @redracer01 mentioned, fixing the rear rails to the wall will be helpful and save having to construct additional framing. I've had a look at the design, and it looks like it would go together as per the images I've provided below.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

Mitchell

 

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Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

Awesomeness! @MitchellMc 


I am a Bunnings team member. Any opinions or recommendations shared here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Bunnings. Visit the Bunnings website for assistance from the customer service team.


DaveF
Getting Established

Re: What pine is best for pantry shelves?

@MitchellMc - fantastic. Thank you.

 

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