# New display shelves



## MaitriBB (Jan 4, 2013)

My wonderfully handy father-in-law made me some display shelves for my first craft fair this month!







They're very simple and not fancy, but they're certainly better than shelling out $30+ each for ones on Etsy.

What are some easy ways I can dress them up?  Someone suggested using shelf paper.  Would that make it look tacky?  Should I leave them rustic?


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## Lindy (Jan 4, 2013)

A couple of things you can do.  You could give them a really amazing sanding and then stain them using gel stain which is extremely easy to use.  Once dry you can then apply a top coat that can either be high gloss or satin.  Another thing you can do is drape it with fabric.  I think the shelving paper might look tacky.

And these look fantastic!  Lucky you!


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## Genny (Jan 4, 2013)

Ooh, pretty!!  I like the draping them with fabric idea


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## lizflowers42 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nah-I love the raw rustic look.  Get some good dried flowers, or twigs to accent the space


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## hellogorgeous (Jan 4, 2013)

Oh I love these! I've been begging hubby to make some for awhile, so maybe I'll mention it yet again. lol I like the rustic look and I'd leave them alone, or maybe just a light varnish. I'm not crazy on the fabric thing - I did that for my last show and the table cloths were a mess from all the soap on them. And I'm not talking after the show. I moved so much product that the table was half empty, but had flakes of soap everywhere. Looked messy.


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## Relle (Jan 4, 2013)

I'd leave them alone, when you put your soap on top your not going to see very much anyway. As lindy suggested a light sand and vanish will protect the wood from moisture and staining.


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## Chay (Jan 4, 2013)

I wouldn't leave them unfinished. As mentioned earlier you wouldn't want them to get stained or absorb fragrance and start to stink. Finish them with something that will allow you to wipe them down when needed. As for the draping that will probably depend on the theme and season of the markets you attend.


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## MaitriBB (Jan 7, 2013)

My sweet husband is sanding and gel staining the shelves for me   Thank you to everyone for your thoughts!  Do you think a coat of polyurethane is needed on top of the stain?


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## lsg (Jan 7, 2013)

Very nice!


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## dianne70 (Jan 16, 2013)

love these...I want to make some for myself......did he find plans somewhere online....or is he a good handy man and just knows how to do this sort of thing?  If its not stepping on any toes...would love it if you could post the plans?


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## MaitriBB (Jan 18, 2013)

dianne70 said:


> love these...I want to make some for myself......did he find plans somewhere online....or is he a good handy man and just knows how to do this sort of thing?  If its not stepping on any toes...would love it if you could post the plans?


 
I found this description online somewhere and sent it to him:




> A riser that goes from 36" Long, 18 1/4" Deep, 9 1/2" tall, to a nice transport/storage bundle 36" Long 8" x 9".
> 
> Bottom lip has a 2" rise, the shelf backs are 3" tall with a 3" top board for a sign or just plain support, each shelf 6" deep.


 
I think he modified it so that they're only about 2 feet long.


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## dianne70 (Jan 18, 2013)

Thankyou so much.....tried yesterday to design something....eventually we decided maybe it would be easier to make 3 boxes, in the varying sizes, so you can stack them still, and make it so that you can use that as storage to and from the show as well!  Will let you know how it turns out when we do them    Good luck with your shows


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## kkimins (Jan 18, 2013)

MaitriBB said:


> My sweet husband is sanding and gel staining the shelves for me   Thank you to everyone for your thoughts!  Do you think a coat of polyurethane is needed on top of the stain?



These look wonderful! I think that I would put a top coat on them as I don't think the gel stain really seals them. Even a water based sealer would prevent dirt stains and possible water/odor absorption. (I have some craft fair shelving sets finished with a simple water based stain and then a water based finish that are about 15 years old now and they still look great!) Good luck at you're upcoming show!


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## MaitriBB (Jan 20, 2013)

Ty .. My darling husband put a coat of polyeurothane on them for me, which worked out well.


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## SoapEssential (Jan 21, 2013)

My Dad made some very nifty display shelves and I chose to leave them natural in color but did apply a polyurethane to protect the wood and help with longevity.  What I did learn though is to allow the polyurethane to not only dry but for the odor to completely dissipate in the air.  Some of my soaps took on the smell of the polyurethane which wasn't so nice as you can imagine.  I put the display shelves outside and allowed them to sit in the sun to completely "air" out.  It took several days before I couldn't smell the polyurethane with the nose to wood test (simply sniffing it close up).


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