How to Build Tie Fighter Floating Shelves for Kids Bedroom
These Tie Fighter floating shelves are the perfect addition to any Star Wars lovers room! Below I will walk you through the process of how to make them yourself. Spoiler alert: they are crazy easy and I made mine out of scrap wood for zero cost.
Inspiration for these floating shelves came from a bookshelf I saw on Pinterest. I looked at the plans from the floor shelf and altered it to become a floating wall shelf! So just remember, inspiration is everywhere! If you see something you like but it isn’t exactly what you need or want, do be afraid to tweak it a little and make it your own!
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Supplies:
- Scrap Plywood, MDF, or wide 3/4″ width board
- 1×2 board
- Scrap 3/4″ width board for shelf (dimensions will vary based on the wing size you make)
- Gray and black paint
- Frog tape
- Wood glue
- Nail gun
- Jigsaw
Making the Tie Fighter Wing
First you want to start with a piece of scrap wood or plywood that is 1/2 inch to three-quarter inch thickness. The dimensions of your hexagon will vary based on the size of your piece of wood. But to give you an example, on this 11 inch height piece of plywood I marked the centerpoint vertically on both sides, then marked approximately 2 inches in from either side and used a straight edge to make my lines.
Once you have your design drawn, you can use a jigsaw to cut it out. I kept one shelf with whole wings and the other two I cut the wings in half to make them look like they were flying out of the wall. The wings I cut in half were also smaller than the large wings and were basically made out of a 1×8 and 1×6 board respectively. Cutting the wings in half also allowed me to make one full shelf out of one piece of wood which was helpful as I did not have a ton of scrap wood on hand.
Paint the Tie Fighter Wing
After the wings are cut out, apply two coats of a gray paint on all sides and allow to dry. Then apply painters tape to create the tie fighter wing design. I used frog tape and started with one piece across the middle horizontally. Then I added two pieces across to make an X. Then I added a border around all the edges. Once the design is in place, paint the open areas black. Remove the tape while the black paint is still damp to get crisp lines.
For the half wings, I put them together as a whole wing and applied the tape across both pieces to get a symmetrical pattern.The pattern will need to be done to both sides of the wings. I promise, this is the most tedious part of this whole project.
Creating the Wall Shelf
While the wings are drying, you can get to work on the shelf part! The width of the shelf will be determined by the size of your wing. I chose a shelf width approximately 3-4” less than the width of the wing to accommodate for the 1×2 you will be adding to the back. For example, on the large wing from an 11″ width board, I chose a 1×8 board for the shelf. Once the 1×2 was added to the back, the shelf width was just under 9″ wide.
Length of the shelf is entirely personal preference. That said, the bigger the wing, the longer the length you can get away with without it looking odd. Once you determine the length, cut a 1×2 board to the same length. This will then be attached to the back of the shelf with wood glue and nails (or screws if it needs to bear a lot of weight).
With the shelves assembled, you will want to paint them gray. Then it is time to attach the wings! I did this using wood glue and brad nails. The shelf was centered in the middle of the wing with the back of the 1×2 flush with the back of the wing. You can clamp these in place prior to securing which does make it a bit easier.
Floating Shelf Installation
Ok, now remember that 1×2 board you added when making the shelf? Good, because that is what you are going to use to install the shelf into the studs (or use anchors if wall studs are not available). I prefer to use a self tapping wood screw and screw directly through the 1×2 and into the stud. You’ll need two or three screws to make sure the shelf stays level and secure.
Now you are done and it is time to step back and enjoy your work! We used ours to display lego creations but they could literally be used for anything from books to collections to trinkets. So super cute! I will be adding the lego table tutorial in the coming weeks but, in the meantime, check out my Star Wars Childrens closet , we are kind of obsessed over here in case you can’t tell!
