Furniture Plans: 4-Foot Beadboard and Batten Wall Shelf

The above picture is a 3-foot beadboard and batten wall shelf (the plans below are for the 4-foot wall shelf). This is very beautiful with a glaze finish and it is fairly simple and cheap to make. The project is very similar to the classic beadboard shelf with a few minor changes such as vertical battens and crown. The details of the project don't require a lot of material, but they do require some tools.

Cost: $30

Time: 2-4 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Tools Required

• Tape measure
• Table saw
• Jig saw
• Miter saw
• Air compressor
• Pneumatic nail guns (16 and 18 gauge) 
• Router table or handheld router
• 1/4 inch roundover or 3/8 inch roundover router bit
• Kreg jig *

*Recommended but you could use other forms of joinery

Optional Tools

• Keyhole router bit
• Random orbit sander

Lumber and Materials 

• 1” x 6” x 10’ Whitewood board @ $6.78
• 8-foot piece of crown around 1 3/4 inch @ $5.39
• Beadboard v-groove panel or planks (3 planks @ $2.76)
• High quality spray paint @ $5 (approx.)
• Brown glaze @ $5 (approx.)
• Ring picture hangers or a keyhole hangers if you don't have a keyhole bit with your router

Consumables

• Wood glue 
• Sandpaper 
• Wood filler 
• 5/8” to 1” 18 gauge brad nails 
• 1” 18 gauge brad nails (or staples) 
• 2" to 2 1/2" 16 gauge nails 
• 1 1/4-inch coarse pocket screws  

Steps

1. Cut the 1" x 6" x 10' into Four Pieces
Make a 90 degree crosscut to make the following pieces: 

• 46” (going to be the top) 
• 4” (going to be the bottom and top rail) 
• 9” (going to be the corbel)
• (4) 3 5/8" tall by 1 1/2" wide (going to be the battens)

Cut the 3 3/8 inch and 2 inch piece on the table saw.

2. Cut the Corbels
Trace the corbel layout below onto your 5 1/2 inch by 9 inch block of wood.
Use a jig saw to cut out the corbels.

3. Sand the Corbels to get Smooth Curves

I like to clamp the corbels together and then sand them with my random orbit sander or sheet sander. If you don’t have these, you can sand them by hand. Sand the other parts of the shelf as well.

4. Cut the Beadboard
Get your bead board piece and rip cut it 8 1/2-inch on the table saw (make sure the grooves are vertical at 8 1/2-inch. Cut the bead board on the miter saw at about 41 3/16 inches long.
5. Router the Edges to Create a Decorative Edge
Router the top piece (46” piece) and the corbels with the 1/4 inch (or 3/8 inch) roundover bit. 


If using a keyhole bit on your router for the keyholes, place keyholes on the back of the corbels about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up. See my keyhole router tip here.

6. Assemble the Shelf

Drill pocket holes in the top rail and battens in the locations shown below. Place the top rail, bottom rail and battens on a flat surface. Place clamps on the areas you are screwing to ensure a completely flush front face. Screw 1 1/4-inch self-tapping course screws into the pocket holes.

Example Picture with Clamp for Pocket Holes

Place the corbels up and put assembled piece in the middle. With your pneumatic nail gun, nail them in place with at least three long nails (nails 2 inch to 2 1/2 inch).

Put the top piece in place and center it. Nail the top to the corbels and top rail. Cut the crown molding to length and then nail it in with 3/4 inch or 1 inch brad nails. 

7. Install the Beadboard

Line up the beadboard on the back of the shelf. With a jig saw, notch out the keyhole slot or a place for the ring picture hangers or a keyhole hangers. Be careful not to notch it out too big or you will see the notch on the front. 

Place adhesive on around the bead board and nail it in on the corbels and long the top piece. Place clamps where the adhesive is and let it dry. 


8. Measure and Install the Crown
Measure the space between the two corbel and cut the crown molding to fit. Nail the crown into the back and top piece with  3/4-inch to 1-inch brad nails.

9. Finishing Touches
Fill the nail holes in with wood filler. After it has dried, sand the wood filler.

Paint the shelf with high quality spray paint. I like to use the Rustoleum brand furniture spray paint. Apply several light coats to prevent drips and runs.

If desired, get a glaze and rub it on with a damp cloth. Wipe the excess glaze off with a dry rag until the desired glaze is achieved.