Every day, you head to the grocery store for a shopping trip and spend way too much time staring at the various sections in search of what you need. Often, it’s challenging to find the exact product you were looking for, and after navigating through aisle after aisle, all you end up with is a headache.
You’ve just stumbled upon your best solution: pantry shelves! Not only will they save space in your kitchen, usually used for food storage, but they’ll also make everything easier to reach. So, if you want to get organized, this is the perfect place to start!
Plywood: what is it?
Layers of real hardwood are glued together to form plywood, which is the simplest explanation. The most magnetic layers are reserved for the outside (called the veneer). Exotic wood types (and hence more expensive) might be utilized to make a very visually attractive or uncommon product.
Plywood is characterized by layers set at right angles to one another, with the grain of each layer perpendicular to the one directly beneath it. This has a significant influence on the size of the finished product. Since the overall movement is reduced, the line is kept straight for a greater distance. Plywood may be finished like natural wood by painting or staining it, drilling holes in it, and adhering it with adhesive.
The Grading of Plywood
Plywood, like timber, has its own grading system. In most cases, it will be made up of two letters representing each side.
- It has been sanded smooth and is ready to be painted. Repairs or seams may be noticeable, but finding “perfect” isn’t hard.
- Unbroken surfaces with patches, most often in the shape of footballs. It may have minor cracks or tight knots up to 1 inch.
- Some cracks and discoloration; knotholes up to 1 inch; tight knots up to 1 1/2 inches when the form is not a priority.
- Some breaks, often no repairs, snags, and knotholes up to 2 1/2 inches.
Extreme care must be taken while cutting exterior-rated materials since they have been chemically treated to withstand moisture. Changes in the materials used to pressure treat wood have been connected to an increase in reported incidences of skin reactions. Therefore, when working with pressure-treated materials, you should wear protective gear, especially a face mask and a pair of respirators, and wear long sleeves. Getting a rash from pressure-treated wood is no laughing matter and can last for days.
Choosing plywood for the shelves in the pantry
You should consider using more expensive timber for your pantry shelves only for aesthetic reasons. Pine is sufficient to support canned goods, etc., that you will keep in a pantry, making it an excellent choice if you only care about functionality. Similarly, plywood has a thickness of half an inch. You may get a sheet of plywood measuring 4 feet by 8 feet cut into strips for use as shelves at the home center. Plywood is typically more affordable than pine, and it may be embellished with a half-inch strip across the front to give the appearance of solid wood while also increasing its tensile strength.
In general, you will want to make sure that the width of the space between the shelves in your pantry is less than 30 inches. Simply reinforcing them should be enough if you find that you need them to be broader. You may make the shelf broader by installing supports every thirty inches along its length.
- The supports can be made of half pine boards. Adding a piece of 1×2 wood to the middle of your shelves and screwing it down significantly improves the weight that they can hold.
- Another option for supporting the shelves along the wall is to use 1×2 wood. In addition to the two shorter sides, you should consider providing support on all three sides, including the back. You may drastically reduce the sagging of the shelves by attaching them to the supports.
Pantry Shelves: Advantages of Buying Plywood Pantry Shelf Kits
1. Saves Space
Pantry shelves will let you store all your food in a little more space than you would otherwise be used to. For example, you can store bottles, supply cans, jars, spices, and other food items on a pantry shelf.
2. Helps keep foods fresh
If you live in a studio or other small residence, this is the most critical pantry shelf feature. Pantry shelves will create a more airtight environment to keep your food fresher for longer.
3. Unclutter your kitchen
With this extra storage space, you’ll get rid of all the clutter in your kitchen and be able to keep everything organized.
4. Built-in design.
Pantry shelves are made so that they will easily fit into any interior design or layout without having to make any changes. Look at the attractive designs available on Amazon and choose the best option for your home!
5. Easy to install
Pantry shelves are easy to install. In other words, you don’t need to be a professional carpenter or home renovation expert to perform it. Instead, they may be easily installed by a novice do-it-yourselfer and used effectively in many spaces.
6. Durable
The materials that these shelves are made from, more often than not, are hardwood. This means they can withstand the effects of time and wear and tear.
7. Finishes
The finishes that various pantry shelf kits come with are available in a wide variety of colors, from natural to painted finishes. Choose a solid or straightforward color.
8. Attractive and modern
Pantry shelves don’t just look great; they’re also functional and highly customizable. As a result, they fit every style and taste of décor.
9. Eco-friendly
Since you can choose from various materials for pantry shelves and decide how you want them to be finished, it’s completely eco-friendly.
If you are looking for the best materials for pantry shelves, then Amazon is your best bet. The wood comes from sustainable forests, and it is FSC-certified. Not only that, their plywood pantry shelves are easy to install.
Pantry shelf kits also come with a lifetime warranty, guaranteeing that you will enjoy your new shelves for years and years to come. If anything happens before then, contact them so they can offer you a replacement!
Is it wise to use plywood for shelving?
Plywood, in my opinion, is the superior material for shelves. When correctly supported, its smooth surface is aesthetically pleasing, but its ability to sustain more weight than a solid wood board of the same size is a significant practical advantage.
Plywood is significantly more cost-effective than other types of lumber used in construction because its distribution model makes it possible to produce larger and deeper boards with less effort.
What sort of plywood do you typically use for the shelves in the pantry?
If you don’t make the shelves overly lengthy, you may construct the pantry shelves out of pine boards with a nominal thickness of one inch or half an inch of plywood. Wood and OSB are unsuitable materials, and reinforcing on all four corners is an absolute must when using them. Because canned foods can be rather heavy, the shelves in the pantry need to be pretty sturdy.
Should I use MDF for the shelves in my pantry?
Creating a plan for the shelves and purchasing the necessary materials For projects like this, we preferred working with MDF since it is less expensive than plywood and finished with a more excellent surface. If you want your product to have the appearance of stained wood, however, you will need to utilize plywood because MDF must be painted.
What is the appropriate depth for a pantry shelf?
The depth range of 16 to 20 inches is generally accepted as the optimal depth for pantry shelves. But, if you have a tiny pantry, shelves that are only as deep as a single can, which is around four to five inches, can still be handy. However, it is essential to remember that shelves that are too deep will necessitate continuous restacking to prevent the contents from becoming stale.
When building a shelf out of plywood, what thickness should it be?
The most commonly utilized shelving thickness is three-quarters of an inch. However, in most cases, a mixture of 1/2 and 3/4 inches, and even occasionally 1/4 inch, is used for cabinetry, furniture, and smaller ornamental tasks.
How much will it set you back to construct a pantry shelf?
The cost of your shelf will be determined by the dimensions of your pantry and the materials you want to use. Professionals often construct shelving with materials such as melamine and maple or birch plywood, and the price ranges from about $400 to $750. All labor costs, including framing, mounting, and custom fitting, are included in this price.
How can a pantry be created without such a limited space?
Even the smallest kitchens can accommodate a pantry with these eight space-saving hacks.
- Rethink the use of a bookshelf.
- You need to get in between the studs.
- Make use of the wall.
- Move it so that it is near the refrigerator.
- Reconsider the function of the coat closet.
- You may store dry products by suspending them from the higher cabinets.
- Devote a cabinet.
- Put up shelves wherever you have the space.
How should a pantry be organized?
- Begin with a blank sheet of paper. Before organizing your pantry, ensure it is entirely bare and has been meticulously cleaned.
- Carry out an inventory. After removing outdated things, it is much easier to determine what still needs to be organized, saving you from buying additional storage space.
- Categorize. Put objects of the same kind together. A lazy Susan makes it simple to store items like oils, snacks, or baking materials all in one location, where they are easy to locate.
- Use Containers. To make the most efficient use of space, you should store food in baskets and containers. In contrast to regular-shaped boxes and bags, irregularly shaped-boxes and bags fit neatly in storage containers.
How can I construct these shelves?
- Reduce the length of the shelves as necessary.
- Next, putting the parts together: Putting the components together is the focus of this stage.
- Disengaging the box is the first step, followed by applying glue and driving nails to bond the bottom, top, and side pieces together.
- First, construct the shelves to fit within the dadoes, and then secure the side piece to the frame using screws.
How do you construct a shelf?
- Choose a particular set of brackets. You can choose the simple option or the more elaborate one.
- Pick out a piece of the shelf board. If it is not already the proper length, you should cut it to make it so.
- Place a bracket on the wall at the desired location for the shelf and hold it there. Use a pencil to make a mark at the site.
- Drill a hole or holes into the wall where the markings you’ve created are located, using the first bracket as a guide. Before drilling, you should always look for buried electrical wires or pipes.
- Keep the bracket in its current position. Put the screws in place by turning them in as far as possible with the screwdriver.
- Mount the shelf board to the brackets using the screws. Maintain the position of the board with one hand.
- Drill a hole for the second bracket in the wall. Take note of the instructions that are provided during the first bracket.
- Connect the shelf panel to the brackets using the appropriate screws. Place the board so that it spans the brackets, and then nail it to the brackets from the bottom.
- Grab the drop sheet and throw away the debris left by the drilling. Check that the shelf is securely fastened to the wall by applying light pressure to it.
- Arrange your ornaments, books, and other items you want to show off on the new shelf.
