You do not need a table saw, a router, or a workshop full of tools to hang shelves. I built three floating shelves in my living room with nothing but a drill, a level, and boards I had the store cut for me.

Total cost was under forty dollars, and they have held up for two years of books and plants.

Let the store do the cutting

The secret to building without a saw is to have the lumber yard or big box store cut the boards to size for you. They will do it for free or for a dollar or two per cut.

• Measure your wall space first
• Pick a board, usually 1×8 or 1×10 pine
• Have it cut to the exact lengths you need

Mount them with hidden brackets

True floating shelves hide their hardware, but the cheap version works just as well and no one sees the brackets once the shelf is loaded.

• Find and mark your wall studs with a stud finder
• Install L-brackets into the studs, long arm up
• Set the board on top and screw down through the bracket into the board

If you want the truly floating look without visible brackets, you can buy floating shelf hardware that screws to the wall and slips inside holes drilled in the board. You still only need a drill, just add a spade bit the size of the rod.

Whatever you do, anchor into studs. Drywall anchors will fail the first time someone sets a heavy book on the edge.