Building a DIY Ladder shelve is a great way to create space in your home. It allow you to create storage space from thin air, making your home tidier and more presentable.
A DIY ladder shelf is easy to build and requires fewer materials and tools compared to other DIY projects.
If you would like to build one, then you should check out these 17 ladder shelves which would add style & storage space to your home.
You may also like to see diy garage shelves, diy floating shelves, diy shoe rack, and diy ladder shelves.
1. Repurposed Ladder Shelf
If you are struggling with storage space, then this DIY shelf made from old ladder will come handy. The design is simple but very sophisticated. It features a slanted double leg ladder with shelves in-between. The original plan comes with five steps of shelves which can be utilized to keep various items in the house.
Apart from the double-legged wooden ladder, you would also need various measurements of planks to be used as shelves, sandpaper and a few other materials. You would also need some basic tools like drills, screwdrivers etc. On completing the project, you can finish it with your ideal color to match your home.
2. DIY Ladder Shelf Organizer
If you have an old drawer lying around, you can follow this plan to repurpose it into a beautiful open drawer ladder shelf. However, if you don’t have an already-made drawer, you can get them from the depot. You will need three drawers, different lengths of woods, wood screw and a few other materials. You will also need new knobs to add class to the drawer.
The project is placed at an intermediary experience level; however, if you already have the drawers, then you should give it a try. The project can be completed within hours.
3. Ladder Bookshelf
If you are seeking to build a classic shelf, then this DIY ladder shelf fits in perfectly. The design is a slanted shelf with six steps. It provides adequate space to place books, files, glasses and other items. You would need various sizes of pine wood to build this project. You would also need other materials like wood screws, sandpaper, your desired color of paint etc, and basic tools like hammer, drills etc. The project can be completed within a day and costs less than $100 to build. It’s placed at an intermediary skill level. The plan contains a step by step guide on how to make ladder shelf from scratch.
4. Wooden Plant Stand
This project involves building a DIY plant stand. It’s the perfect project for the weekend and can be completed in a couple of hours. The design is a slant-legged shelf with four steps. It has adequate space to place your plants. You can also move the stand anywhere you wish.
To build this project, you will need 1×3 or 1×4 and various sizes of plywood. You will also need screws, nails sandpaper etc. The ladder shelf plan shows you how to build this project from scratch and couple the various components. The project can be built by anyone with an essential DIY experience.
5. Frame Ladder Shelf
This is a DIY ladder shelf you can build to add style to your home. The design is a six steps classic shelf made from pine woods. You will need various sizes of pine boards, wooden dowels, trim head screws etc., and a few tools like drill, screwdriver, brush etc.
The project is placed at an intermediate experience level. It may look complicated at first sight. However, it’s very doable. Its designed to enable you easily customizes it to the available size. It provides a template to allow you to create the ladder easily and then couple the whole structure. The original plan was painted white; however, you can stain and finish with your desired color.
6. Wall-mounted Horizontal Ladder Shelf
This project involves building a wall mounted ladder shelf with an old ladder. It’s ideal when you have little space to keep things or desire a less conventional shelf. You only need to do very little work on the ladder to make it suitable for use. Asides the ladder, you will need longs and small brackets of the same color as your walls, bolts, nuts, washers. You will also need basic carpenter tools like saw bolt cutters, drill, screwdriver etc.
A 6.6m ladder was used in the original plan, and it was spilt at the middle. It’s then held to the wall with the brackets, allowing you to place things on it.
7. Unique Ladder Shelves
This fantastic wooden shelve would add color to your home. It provides space to place items like flowers, books, cartons, etc. The design is a slanted ladder structured to rest on the wall, with various steps of shelves in between. The project is easy to build, even for a beginner DIYer. You will need Woods, nails, wood glue, sandpaper and basic tools like a drill, hammer, screwdrivers etc.
The plan contains detailed steps on how to make a ladder shelf from scratch with pictures. It can be completed with a few hours work. It essential you measure the length of your house and the available space and build accordingly.
8. DIY Ladder Bookshelf
Having a small room can lead to a space problem, especially if you have a lot of stuff. However, you can solve this problem by building a DIY ladder shelf. This shelf is designed as a slanted ladder, with a four-step shelf to place things. It’s a little bit wide to provide enough space to accommodate your picture frames, toys and you can keep things at the bottom. You would need two long woods for the side and Various sizes of wood boards for the shelves.
This ladder shelf plan is placed at an intermediary experience level; it can be completed in about 6 hours and costs around $82 to build. You can modify the whole structure to make it suitable for your home.
9. Leaning Wall Ladder Desk
This DIY shelf plan involves building a leaning ladder with 1x boards. It provides the luxury of a dedicated office even in a tight space. It also has adequate shelves to place things. The design is a large shelf divided into three sections. It has five step on each side, while the middle part has two shelves at the top and a third one that’s designed as a desk area. You can place a monitor, keyboard and mouse on the desk area.
The original plan is big. However, you can easily modify the length and width to your preferred size. This shelf has enough space to hold a lot of items. To build this plan, you will need different lengths of wood for the stand and various sizes of boards for the shelves. You will also need other materials like nails, glue etc., as well as some basic carpentry tools.
The project is placed at an intermediate skill level and can be completed in a weekend.
10. Frame Ladder Bookshelf
This project involves building a bookshelf with ladder and 2xs pine woods. It’s the perfect project to embark on a weekend. The design is a two-legged ladder, with shelves in-between. You will need a few materials and basic tools like a table saw, drill, nailer etc.
If you don’t have these tools, then you can either buy precut pine woods or look for someone to cut them according to the specified measurement.
The project doesn’t have a specific skill requirement, anyone with a basic carpentry knowledge can build it. The project can be completed in about 6 hours.
11. Simple Planter Ladder
This project involves building a DIY ladder shelf that can be used as a planter. The design is a slanted shelf with enough space to hold the planter bowls. The original plan is 200mm tall and has four shelves, which are 150mm deep. You will need some wood planks and carpentry supplies like nails, sandpaper and a few regular tools like drills, screwdrivers, etc. The plan contains a well-detailed guide anyone can follow to make the shelf. It can be completed with a few hours with the right tools. Its advisable to use hardwood for this project, since its meant to stay outdoors.
12. Frame Ladder Bookshelf
This project involves repurposing an old ladder into a functional bookshelf. It will not only provide storage space too but will also add color to your home. To build this project, you will need an old frame wooden ladder; you can buy one from the home depot. It should be the double legged ladder.
You will also need some wood planks for the shelves and supplies like wood stain, wood glue, etc. This is one of the most straightforward DIY projects to build as it doesn’t require too much carpentry work. You can have the woodcut at the home depot where you bought it. The ladder used in the original plan had four steps, so four sizes of wood boards were needed for the shelves.
13. Modern Bookshelves
The plan involves building a slanted wooden ladder shelf. The design has two row, each containing four steps of shelves. The original design is built to suit the available space, however, you can easily modify the length and width as you like.
To build this project, you will need some wood boards to be used as shelves and plywood of different length to make the legs. You will also need supplies like nails, screws, etc.
This project is placed at an intermediate experience level and can be completed in a few hours.
14. Ladder Shelf Plans
If you are looking to build a ladder shelf, then this DIY ladder shelf will fit in perfectly. Its elegant structure would make your home super cool. The design is a five steps slanted shelf that rests on the wall. This amazing shelf is designed to be easily dismantled and recouped without damaging any part of it.
The project is easy to build. It can take an experienced DIYer a weekend to complete. However, a novice can also build it within a couple of days following the plan. You will need lumbers, nails, screws, brads, sandpapers etc.
The project also requires carpentry tools like a drill, woodcutter etc. The plan has a PDF version you can download.
15. Wooden Ladder Shelf
If you need something a more antic shelf design, then you should build this shelf. The project is straightforward to build and will provide sufficient storage within your home. The design is a slanted shelf with legs which allows it to stand correctly. The original plan has four shelves of different sizes. The top has to be smaller and the bottom shelves bigger. To build this project, you will need 1x wood boards and 1x3s and 1x8s pine woods. You will also need supplies like nails, screws, wood stains etc. and tools like hammer, drills etc. the plan contains a video guide on how it was built.
16. Ladder Copper Shelf Plans
If you don’t want a wooden ladder shelf, then you should build this copper shelf. The design is structured to maximize space and storage.
The project involves joining copper pipes to make a shelf ladder. You will need various sizes of copper pipe; which you can get at the depot store. You will also need some reclaimed wood to use for the shelves. You will first have to construct the copper ladder before attaching shelf. Take the copper pipe and connect them to shape the ladder. The plan contains photos and videos on the various steps to building this project.
17. Antique Ladder Shelf
This project involves repurposing an old ladder into a functional wall hanging shelf. You can quickly get the ladder from the depot store. The design is a one-legged ladder held to the wall with brackets. It’s the perfect place to keep books. Apart from the ladder, you will need brackets, screws, a drill and a stud finder. The project is straightforward to build; once you get the ladder, anyone can follow the plan to set up the shelf within hours. You can cut the ladder to your preferred size and spray it before mounting it.
Conclusively, DIY ladder shelves not only provide ample space for storage, but they also make your home more spacious and neat. If you need a shelf, then you should build one of the Ladder shelves listed above.