Floating Shelf/Hidden LED Lighting 2026

Floating Shelf/Hidden LED Lighting, this floating shelf features a hidden LED lighting panel at the bottom, making it perfect for placing over the bed or anywhere you want direct downward lighting.

Floating Shelf

I used a piece of maple, however you can use any piece of wood you have on hand, a 2x4 would be great!

Project: Similar Ideas

Step 1: Equipment

I am using floating platform equipment, and this is very easy to put together. Simply attach the brackets to posts on the wall, assemble the pieces, and drill holes in your shelf to slide over the equipment.

Step 2: Preparing the wall

The first step is to prepare the wall, then drawing a level line between them and marking where you should place the supports. Next, pre-drill and secure the brackets with screws - I used 2-inch screws and it's a good idea to use the longer ones for extra support. Once the brackets are in place, and the bolts are screwed in, I marked where on the wood the holes needed to be drilled.

Step 3: Drill the holes

Once you've prepared the wood by cutting it to a size that fits your space and making sure it's nice and level, it's time to drill the holes to attach it to the wall hardware.

I invented a small jig, drilling a block of wood on the drill. I used that guide to drill into the wood, thus making sure it was perfectly straight. It is important that the holes are drilled straight, because the shelf will not work properly in the kit, and for this I used this extra long 7/16″ bit.

Step 4: Recessed Area

Now to create the recessed area underneath, I'm going to route two different depths, the first shallower, and this is where the acrylic will sit, and a deeper depth for the lights. I made a small router template with an adjustable guide to make sure it stayed within the space I wanted for routing.

Once I finished the route, I sanded the wood everywhere.

Step 5: Acrylic Insert

For the frosted "glass" insert, I am using a piece of acrylic, this is 1/8 inch or 3mm thick. This cuts pretty well on the table saw. The section I had routed into the wood was only a little longer than the acrylic piece, so I had to cut an extra piece and then cut it to fit.upiera.

When I use a router, you get rounded corners, so to adjust the acrylic I am cleaning up the edges with a chisel.

To create a cloudy effect on the acrylic, I spray both painted sides with frosted glass paint.

Step 6: LED Lights

I started by cutting four LED strip lights to fit inside my recessed area.

Step 7: Hide cables

In order to hide the cables behind the shelf, I am first drilling a hole and then routing a section for the cables. This is a small template for the router, and this is so we can route a straight line on the edge of the wood that the wire can fit into.

Step 8: Type of LED lights used

I decided to use high quality 90+ CRI LED lights that are daylight balanced. The setting here draws about 36 watts at full brightness, which is very bright, most of the time you'll probably keep them dimmed. So I added a larger 60 watt DC adapter to handle that.

Step 9: Soldering

So I'm just connecting the positives on one line, and the negatives on another. And of course, test with the multimeter to make sure I don't have shorts anywhere.

At the end of one of the strips, I soldered on wires that were pulled through the drilled hole and then hidden inside the routed section.

Step 10: Placing the acrylic

To secure the acrylic, I'm using a small amount of hot glue in a couple of places.

Step 11: Finishing

To finish, I'm using water-based polyester, because it dries quickly and I like how it doesn't add a yellow cast.

Step 12: Twisting the cable

We used a drill to twist the wire and then solder it onto the plug-to-lights connection.

Step 13: Wax

Finally, I just finished the wood with a coat of oil and wax with some steel wool.

Step 14: Installation

To install on the wall, simply cI placed the shelf on the brackets inside the holes drilled in the back of the wood. I then used a self-adhesive plastic channel to hide the cables. I plugged it in, and everything is done!

Step 15: Watch the video

For a much better perspective, be sure to watch the video that goes through the general steps of this build.

Learn more at Perfectidea.com and on our Facebook for more Floating Shelf/Hidden LED Lighting.

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