This post brought to you by Elmer’s ProBond Advanced. All opinions are 100% mine.
Little Man’s room is moving right along! A few weeks ago I shared his PVC Light Fixture and today I’m sharing the Industrial Piping Shelves I built to go above his dresser. I am so in love with how they turned out. This was a pretty easy build, but a little more tedious than I had anticipated. But, you’re in luck because I’m sharing some of my tips today.
DIY Industrial Piping Shelves
I knew I wanted to build piping shelves for his room, but wasn’t sure of the design. So I did a little digging and found this layout in Country Living Magazine and fell in love. So that was my inspiration for the post. 
Those little animal bookends were actually once colorful glazed ceramic pieces that I spray painted white for our old family room. And my favorite piece on the shelves is the metal ‘M’ that I picked up on the World’s Longest Yard Sale adventure this summer. It was only $9 and the only thing I could fit home in my suitcase! 
If you haven’t noticed, I’m having way too much fun decorating a boy’s room. I cannot wait to finish it. 
DIY FARMHOUSE SHELVING TUTORIAL
– Galvanized Piping (see image below)
– Black Hammered Metal Spray Paint
– 1″ X 6″ X 30″ Pieces of Wood*
– Dark Walnut Stain – Clear Satin Polyurethane
– Elmer’s ProBond Advanced
– Elmer’s Clamping Tape
* I determined my shelving length based on the distance between my studs. So yours may be different if you chose to secure your brackets into studs versus drywall. 
Here is the list of piping materials that I used. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the most budget friendly project. The piping does add up, but it looks so so cool, right?! :) 
I started by putting together all of the piping. Some areas are more secure than others. Since they all tightened at different angles, in order to get them perfectly level and straight, I had to leave some a little looser. But it will all be secure in the end once you attach it to the wall. Once they were built, I spray painted them in Rustoleum Black Hammered Metal Spray Paint. 
Due to the weight of the shelves, I wanted to secure them to studs rather than put drywall screws in. So first I found my studs and then based the shelving length on the distance between the studs. Hope that made sense. You’ll also want to use a level to make sure they are straight. 
To secure the wood shelves to the metal piping, I used Elmer’s ProBond Advanced. It is the perfect adhesive to secure Mixed Materials together, for example wood to metal (or glass and cement). 
While the glue dried I used Elmer’s Clamping Tape. This is the first time I’ve used this product and I really really loved it. It isn’t sticky, it just sticks to itself so it won’t ruin any finishes. It can be wrapped super tight. I’m going to be using this a lot in the future! 
I’m so excited with how they turned out!
SEE OTHER DIY FARMHOUSE PROJECTS
About Taryn Whiteaker
Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!
Okay – I have been wanting to do this for a long while. Thanks for the tutorial & thoughts on it all.
Love the galvanized look for a boys room. I’m planning on building out a whole wall in my son’s room (once the kitchen is done!)… LOVE it… PINNED!
I love these shelves! Wonderful job!
This looks amazing. My favorite industrial shelves I’ve seen so far on the internet. Would love to duplicate for my boys’ room. I also see your amazing growth chart next to it. Did you seal the growth chart with anything after painting and distressing?
Oh wow you are too sweet! I have not sealed it yet… but I have been meaning to. When I do I’ll use a satin polyurethane.
They look amazing! x
I absolutely love these and want to make some for our new place!
Thanks Megan! You definitely should!
Yep…LOVE!! Need to make these for my son’s room!
Thanks Bonnie!!!
I had to pin this … it will be perfect for my son’s room!
These are amazing Taryn…you are so talented and you inspire me to try new things, like big bad tools..;) xo
well, this just got added to my “to do” list! these are so perfect. thank you for the fantastic instructions :)
Wow.. That’s an amazing shelf. You totally have the vision for the industrial theme. Love it!
I love these taryn!! I think I might need something like this in my bathroom!
Thanks for the plans. The piping does add up, so I used PVC for everything except the flanges. (dont make them in PVC) Painted everything Hammered Black and used dark walnut stain. PVC gluing can be a little tricky as the shelf is not adjustable after the glue sets. Have to be extra careful when measuring:) Turned out nice,
I’m so glad they turned out, using PVC is a great idea!
How did you attach the pvc to the wall fittings?
Hi – This whole structure is made out of galvanized metal pipe and the corresponding metal joints. I didn’t use any PVC for the shelving structure.
Do you have any pictures??
What flanges did you use specifically that connected to the PVC correctly and strong enough?
I love these shelves. Just wondering, did you have to use a threading machine to fit the pipes together?
Hi! No I didn’t have to use a threading machine, I just put them all together. they were a tad wobbly until I secured them into the wall and then they were perfect.
C’est magnifique, je suis française et je suis désolée que je suis pas top en anglais…
Concernant “m”, c’est vous que créez ou achetez ? Si vous fabriquez, merci de me donner le tutoriel
Where did you buy the pipes? I’m having trouble finding the sizes that I need, and Lowe’s says that they are unable to cut and thread anything that is under 15 inches.
I am curious. With the pipes that you used, what is the overall height on the wall from the top of the top phalange to the bottom of the bottom phalange. I have a limited space i am trying to fit them in and wanted to know. Thanks for the ideas.
Hi Jay – The full height from the top to the bottom is about 37″. Hope that helps!
I originally fell in love with the very expensive Restoration Hardware version of these shelves. When I was getting ideas on how to make them myself, I came across your post, which encouraged me to go for it. Thanks for the inspiration! Your blog is lovely.
http://thebacles.blogspot.com/2015/10/its-bit-of-fixer-upper.html
It’s not necessary to glue the shelves is it? Can I just slide them in?
Hi Tracey! The glue isn’t absolutely necessary although it does help with stability. Especially if the weight of the objects on the shelves is unbalanced.
ILOVE this bit I know it’s not cheap to make!
This looks amazing and I’d like to try it myself! I have one question… once the wood is glued down, are the top screws of each flange now inaccessible to unscrew if you ever want to move the shelves?
I never thought of it that way, but I think they would be. You don’t necessarily have to use the glue on them, the shelves could float if you felt comfortable with that. I didn’t since they were in my son’s room.
Made these and I love them! They are in my kitchen and look amazing!!
These are great! Thank u 4 sharing.
Would u also share the PAINT COLOR U used N UR sons’s room please???
Hi! Our house was already painted when we purchased it, but I have been told our interior is either Sherwin Williams Chelsea Gray or Pavestone. I just don’t know which room is which :( So it’s one or the other!
Looks great! I was wondering where you bought the industrial piping? I would like to use some in my kitchen. Thanks
Hi! You can buy all of the galvanized pipe at any hardware store :)
They look amazing, I want them for my basement bar! xoxo Ari xoxo
Hi! I love the look of these shelves! How much was the total cost?
Hi! The total cost was right around $100. Metals pipes are not cheap, but I always try and get the 1/2″ ones because they are the least expensive.
Thanks :)
Did you have to treat the pipe with anything (acetone) so the paint would adhere?
Hi Taryn, love the shelves! Wanted to ask if there was a reason you went with galvanized pipe & then painted it, instead of just using black iron pipe? I would like to make these for my living room, on a shiplapped wall. I’ve use the black iron for shelves before, & I believe it is less expensive than galvanized, & very strong. Thanks for any advice.
Hi Laura! No real reason why I did it that way, other than what is often available in our hardware store. Sometimes there isn’t a huge selection of black and I go with what I can find :)
This looks great. I will try this for times for my kitchen