Faux granite shelving unit

Made of aluminium, MDF and spruce. No fancy joinery, just rivets and screws. The project combines a modern approach and some Far East techniques.

First I cut the MDF to size, did some light sanding (the edges) and then I prepared the aluminium legs.

I wanted some chaotic pattern on the outside walls so I came up with the idea – to wrap the roller sleeve with some painter’s tape and apply old-fashioned, oil-based paint – white and graphite. I didn’t know what to expect but eventually, I liked what I got.

I covered it with a couple of layers of spray lacquer. Once dried I drilled the aluminium and the MDF, I attached corner braces with rivets and also used washers where needed.

Next, I cut the timber to size. Using my table saw I cut recesses in the bottom and the middle piece to make room for aluminium legs (front) and also had to round some corners at the back due to the unfortunate layout of the rivets.

Burning the wood was next. That was my favourite part, burning, scrapping and waxing.

I also used my heat gun, as always, to let the wax soak in. That didn’t take long and was followed by quick buffing which finished the task. Once the shelves were prepared I attached them with some little screws.

I almost forgot about the thin strip that was supposed to be attached just under the bottom shelf.

Some rivets still need some light sanding and the panels, once completely hard, can be polished in the future using wax and steel wool. But that was it for now. The unit was filled with stuff straight away.