INDUSTRIAL CHIC

CONCRETE AND
PIPE SHELVES
TUTORIAL
Article Posted By: Ashley
Phipps
of Simply Designing

The Home Depot Blog !

These concrete and pipe shelves by

Ashley from Simply Designing
combine the best of pipe projects and
concrete projects. They’re great for
SHOP THIS
giving a room an industrial chic or
rustic look, and they’re a practical way
PROJECT
to add some shelf space.
$5.73/each $7.97

Just following along with Ashley’s

SHOPtutorial
THISto create
PROJECT
your own concrete
"
and pipe shelves.
1 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. MDF Moulding
Board - 204468324
$5.73/each
CONCRETE AND
PIPE SHELVES 3/4 in. x 12 in. x 36 in. White
Thermally-Fused Melamine Shelf -
I am currently203806147
working hard to create my dream
office space and love how it is turning out! It is a
little bit rustic, a little bit industrial chic and a
little bit fancy.1/2
It isin.the
PVC Sch.space
perfect 40 S to
xS Coupling
get
- 310559932
creative in and I can’t wait until it is finished! You
can read more about it in my post about craft
room inspiration.
#8 x 2-1/2
One of the projects I wasin. Gold to
excited Phillips Bugle
work on
Screw (1 lb. per Box) - 203111653
was to build a shelf unit for one wall in the
$7.97/box
office. This wall isn’t very large and is between
two windows but it is the perfect place to add a
little storage 25-Piece
and a little 5/16
personality to the
in. Zinc-Plated Flat
space. I love Washer
industrial- styles,
204276370
and so after a lot
$2.96/bag
of thinking and an evening in my favorite store
(The Home Depot), I came up with plans to
make these beautiful concrete and pipe shelves!
7 in. Quart Plastic Storage Bag
with Douple Zipper 50-Bag (9-

MATERIALS
2 — 1-in. x 2-in. x 8-ft. Melamine Boards
3 — 8-in. x 36-in. White Melamine Shelves
6 — ½-in. PVC Pipe Couplings
1 lb —2½-in. Gold Screws
6 — 5/16-in. Zinc Washers
6 — 5/16-in. Nuts
6 — Plastic Bags
Clear Silicone Caulk
Caulking Gun
Olive Oil
Paper Towels
14-gauge Welded Wire
80 lbs Countertop Concrete Mix, grey
5-gallon Plastic Bucket
Trowel
Wire Snips
Piece of scrap board approximately 18″-24″
long (we used a scrap 1-in. x 2-in. we had
lying around)
16 — Triple-Grip Drywall Anchors (holds up
to 100 lbs)

PIPE
4 — ¾-in. Black Malleable Iron Threaded
Floor Flange
5 — ¾-in. Black Malleable Iron Threaded
Tee
6 — ¾-in.Black Malleable Iron Threaded
Coupling
5 — ¾-in. Black Malleable Iron Threaded 90
Degree Elbow
3 — ¾-in. Black Malleable Iron Caps
8 — ¾-in. x 2-in. Black Steel Threaded
Nipple
4 — ¾-in. x 5-in. Black Steel Threaded
Nipple
4 — ¾-in. x 3-in. Black Steel Threaded
Nipple
6 — ¾-in. x 8-in. Black Steel Threaded
Nipple

TOOLS
Compound Miter Saw
Nail Gun with 1½-in. Brad Nails
Electric Sander
Gloves
Electric screw Driver and hand screw driver
Level

STEP 1: BUILD
THE MOLDS FOR
THE CONCRETE
SHELVES
Our concrete and pipe shelf design consists of
three concrete shelves, each measuring 24-in.
long and 6-in. wide. To make these, we built
three molds using melamine shelf boards for the
bottom of our molds and 8-ft. pieces of 1-in. x
2-in. melamine board for the sides. We cut the 1
x 2’s into (6) 24-in. lengths and (6) 7½-in.
lengths. If you are careful, (2) of the 1-in. x 2-in.
boards will be sufficient to make three shelf
molds.

We attached the 1 x 2 side pieces of our mold

to the melamine shelf bottom using our brad
nail gun.

In order for the piping to go through the

concrete shelves, the concrete shelves need
holes at both ends wide enough for the steel
piping to pass through. To create these holes
we used PVC couplings to create a negative
space in the mold where concrete would not go.

In order to locate where to place the couplings

in the mold, we assembled the steel piping
section that would pass under and through the
concrete shelf. Then we traced the locations on
the mold where the pipe would pass through
the shelf with pencil.

We attached the PVC couplings to the mold at

the traced locations in the following manner.

We wrapped each coupling in a plastic baggie

first.

Then we used a washer, nut, and screw, as

shown in the photo above, to secure the
coupling to the mold. We needed the nut for
spacing to keep the screw from going all the
way through the mold. We wanted to create a
tight seal between the coupling and the bottom
of the mold so this was the best way we could
think to ensure a tight seal.

Next, we used silicone caulk to seal all inside

edges of the mold and let it dry completely.

Coming later in this process, we’re going to add

wire reinforcement to the concrete. Since the
concrete dries pretty quickly, you’ll want this
wire reinforcement cut and ready. While the
caulk is drying is a good time to prepare your
wire reinforcement. We used wire snips to cut
the rabbit fence into (3) pieces approximately
22-in. x 4½-in. in size, and set them aside.

After the silicone caulk was dry, we coated the

entire inside of the mold with olive oil to help the
concrete release from the boards when it
was ready to come out.

STEP 2 : MIX AND

POUR THE
CEMENT
Next, we mixed our cement in a 5-gallon
bucket. I used a my drill and a mixing paddle
attachment to make this part easier.

You want to mix the concrete thin enough that

you can easily pour it into the mold and ensure
it gets in all corners and spaces. We found that
somewhere around a thick toothpaste
consistency worked well, but you can vary it a
bit to your preference.

We filled half the mold with concrete and then

placed our pre-cut rabbit fence into the wet
cement.

We then filled the rest of the mold with cement.

We used our scrap 1-in. x 2-in. board to smooth

the top of the concrete by running it along the
top of the mold in a back and forth motion. This
removed any concrete that was above the top
of the mold, creating a flat surface. (This will be
the bottom of the shelf but we still wanted it to
be nice and flat.)

After the molds were filled with cement and the

top was leveled, we tried to get as many air
bubbles out as possible. We did that by placing
the electric sander without sand paper along the
sides of the molds. We let it run for several
minutes to let the vibrations of the electric
motor encourage the bubbles to surface. The
longer the sander ran the more air bubbles
came up in each area.

Then we used our 1-in. x 2-in. board to remove

any excess concrete again.

We cleaned off all excess cement from the

edges of the molds and then set them aside to
dry.

If you are in a particularly dry climate, I would

consider covering your shelves with plastic
while they dry so that they don’t dry too fast
and crack. Indiana is pretty humid right now, so
we just let them sit in our garage.

STEP 3 : REMOVE
THE CONCRETE
FROM THE MOLDS
After three days, we carefully used a flat-head
screw driver to loosen the side boards of the
molds.

Be careful that you do NOT put any pressure on

the concrete edges when doing this or the
concrete might crack. But you can apply
pressure to the other molding boards.

You will only need to loosen these side boards,

you do not need to remove them completely.

Then we unscrewed the PVC couplings.

And then we gently removed the concrete

shelves from the mold and popped the PVC
coupling out of the concrete shelf.

The concrete shelf was molded upside down,

so the part that was against the melamine board
will actually be the top of your shelf.

If you want a smooth finished look, you can

sand your concrete and fill in any holes with a
concrete filler, wait for it to dry and then sand
and buff it. But we wanted a rough industrial
look, so we did not sand or fill the shelves. We
really love the imperfect look it gives. It is not a
finished countertop look, but it is perfect for this
project.

STEP 4:
ASSEMBLE THE
PIPE SHELVES
After our concrete shelves were created, we
began to assemble the shelving unit!

I like to wear gloves when working with metal

pipe as it is a bit dirty, but that is up to you.

To make it easier, use this image showing where

all the pieces go. This reflects what the final
pipe layout will look like without the shelves. But
you will actually assemble it one section at a
time as shown below.

We assembled the metal piping into three

separate sections, one for each concrete shelf.

Then we attached the concrete shelves to the

metal piping using a metal coupling on one end
and a metal end cap on the other.

We left the three shelf sections separate at this

point because they are very heavy, and it would
be too difficult to install the entire shelving unit
at one time. We attached one shelf unit at a time
to the wall to make installation easier.

STEP 5: MOUNT
THE PIPE
SHELVES ON THE
WALL