How to Build a French Cleat Shelf

How to Build a French Cleat Shelf to Hold Virtually Anything

French cleats are magical in their strength and simplicity. Here's how to make these amazing joints.

By Timothy Dahl

Dec 9, 2015

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French cleats are often used to secure cabinets to walls, but can also be used to build modular shelves that can help organize your workspace. A French cleat system will be just as strong as most store bought wall organizers, and the hanging storage possibilities are only limited by your imagination and skill level.

To build this basic hanging system, start with 3/4-inch plywood and cut a strip that's 5 inches tall and at least 30 inches in length. This will be the section that attaches to your wall, and that the cleats hold onto. Of course, you can also cut the length of this strip to suit your needs but it should be long enough to be anchored into two wall studs that are typically 16 inches apart on center.

Make 45 Degree Cuts

Use a circular saw or jigsaw and adjust the shoe to a 45 degree angle. Use a guide or fence to keep the tool straight and cut along the length of the plywood.

Cut the Cleat for the Shelf

Use a shorter piece of plywood for the cleat that will be attached to the shelf. Make another 45 degree angled cut along the length of this piece, and line them up when you are finished to see how they will be attached.

Build Your Shelf

Attach two pieces of small plywood using wood screws to create your shelf and then attach the small cleat to the back of the shelf using wood glue and wood screws.

Secure Wall Cleat

Use a level and attach the long plywood cleat to the wall using wood screws. It's best to install the cleat into studs which are typically 16 inches to 24 inches apart.

Attach the Cleat to the Wall

Hang the shelf wherever you'd like along the length of the cleat.

Check the Cleat for Strength

If you can view a side profile of the French cleat, you should see the two angled pieces of plywood sitting flush against each other with the shelf flat against the wall cleat.

Start Using Your Cleats

We tested this French cleat connection and shelf using a 10 lb. accessories box filled with screws. The joint held up well, but for a shelf this size it's better suited to hold smaller individual tools.

Add Side Supports

You can reinforce the shelf by adding side supports which will help prevent items from falling off as well as provide additional strength when holding heavy items such as pipe clamps.

More Uses

Building Code Violations To Look Out For

Ducking Permits

You may think not applying for a building permit helps shave costs and sidesteps all the bureaucratic BS, and you'd be right—and wrong. Skipping permits means you won't have access to your local building inspector, somebody who knows all the codes and can ensure your project is in compliance. That translates to the utmost safety for you and your family, and avoids code violation stumbling blocks when it comes time to sell your house.

"By far the biggest mistake do-it-yourselfers make is not getting the right permits," says Rich Nolan, a structural engineer and owner of Nolan Engineering in Burt Hills, N.Y., a firm that specializes in home inspections. "You may think you can do without permits, but that can really come to haunt you in the end."

Want more motivation? Your insurance company may not cover your loss if it was due to improper installation or construction.

Improper Bathroom Venting

Got that new humidity-controlled venting fan all snugged up in the bathroom ceiling? Good job, but if your fan vents into an enclosed attic space, it's a code violation.

Dumping humid air into an enclosed attic can lead to mold growth and rotted wood. Codes say your fan should expel humid bathroom air to the outside via a 4-inch diameter vent pipe, typically the shortest route possible for maximum efficiency. A soffit vent is a good exit point.

Many Happy Handrail Returns

Whew! You got that new handrail on the stairs to the second-floor bedroom just in time for grandma's visit. But unless the ends of your wall-side handrail make a 90-degree turn and dead-end into the wall, you're violating code. Why? The open ends of a handrail can easily snag a purse strap or loose piece of clothing. Combine that goober with a set of stairs, and you've got a recipe for a hospital visit.

Bad Ledgering

Your accounting skills may be fine, but if your deck isn't properly attached to your house with a safe and secure ledger board, you could be putting your whole graduation party at risk. According to the North American Deck and Railing Association, some 40 million existing residential decks were built prior to 1990—before stricter codes for deck construction mandated safer techniques.

Ledgers are key points of deck failures. A ledger should be bolted or screwed directly to the house framing—not nailed—and must be protected with flashing to prevent moisture damage.

Wrong-Way Smoke Detection

The best protection you have in the event of a fire is a smoke detector. They're required on every floor of your house, inside every sleeping area, and outside every bedroom entry. Alarms on ceilings must be at least 4 inches away from walls, and alarms on walls must be 4 to 12 inches from the intersection of the wall and ceiling. For optimum performance, keep alarms at least 3 feet away from HVAC vents, ceiling fans, and lighting fixtures.

Smoke alarms in new construction must be hard wired and include battery backup, and multiple alarms must be wired together so that all alarms go off at the same time. If you're doing a renovation project on a house, you must update any battery-only alarms to meet the current requirements.