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Cinder Block Shelves: A Laundry Room Shelf With No Glue That Won’t Tip

ByCozy Room Co Published
Left: a woman lays the first pine board on two white cap blocks against a bare dusty-blue laundry room wall. Right: the same wall with four shelves of white cinder blocks and honey pine boards holding baskets, rolled towels, glass jars and plants, a jute runner on the floor
The same laundry room after: white cinder block shelves with baskets, plants and jars
Slide the line to compare Same laundry room. White blocks and four 2x10 boards.Save

Picture a Saturday morning with the laundry going. The detergent, the dryer balls and the clean towels sit within reach on white block shelves with honey pine boards.

Nothing is piled on top of the washer anymore. Your sister helps you fold and asks, "Since when do you have shelves in here?"

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You built them yourself, from eight concrete blocks and four pine boards. That's the cinder block shelves from our video. Two columns of white blocks hold four 2×10 boards, five feet wide. Nothing is glued, so it all comes apart when you move. Two small brackets hold the top board to the wall, so it can't tip. You can build it in a weekend, and most of that is paint drying. It costs about $105 to $150.

When a cinder block shelf video goes around, the comments ask the same things. Why glue it? Is it safe with nothing holding it to the wall? Didn't everyone have these in college? Every answer is below, with 6 steps and a picture for each, plus the five mistakes that make block shelves fail.

At a glance

  • Time: a weekend: one day to paint the blocks and coat the boards, an hour or two to stack them
  • Skill: beginner. You spray paint, lift heavy blocks and drive four screws.
  • Cost: about $105 to $150
  • Best time to build: now, while it's still warm enough to spray paint outside. Most spray paint wants 50 to 90°F and dry air. Built this month, the laundry room is sorted before the holiday towels and guest sheets pile up.
Watch the whole build (22 seconds).
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If you buy one thing

Don't skip the wall brackets

The blocks and boards hold themselves together, but the stack is only 9 1/4 inches deep. Two small L-brackets under the top board, screwed into the studs, keep it from tipping when someone pulls on a shelf.

See options on Amazon →

How the Cinder Block Shelves Go Together

Diagram of cinder block shelves: two columns of white blocks standing on end on solid cap blocks, four 5-foot 2x10 boards with rubber pads at every block, shelf tops at about 5, 23, 40 and 57 inches; a side view shows the 9 1/4-inch depth and an L-bracket under the top board screwed into a wall stud

Eight blocks and four boards make four shelves. Weight holds it together, rubber pads stop it sliding, and two brackets stop it tipping.

  1. Each column starts with a solid cap block laid flat as a foot. Three standard blocks stand on end above it, holes facing out.
  2. A 2×10 board, 5 feet long, sits on the caps and on each level of blocks. Rubber pads go between every block and board instead of glue.
  3. Two small brackets screw the top board to the wall studs. The stack is only 9 1/4 inches deep, so this is the part that keeps it standing.

The shelf tops land at about 5, 23, 40 and 57 inches, with about 16 inches between shelves. That's room for a laundry basket on every level.

What You Need, and What It Costs

A woman lays a pine board across two white cinder blocks standing on the first shelf, with more blocks waiting by the window
  • Six concrete blocks, the standard 8 x 8 x 16-inch size, about 37 1/2 pounds each.
  • Two solid cap blocks, 4 x 8 x 16 inches, for the feet.
  • Two 2×10 boards, 10 feet long, cut in half for four 5-foot shelves.
  • Masonry spray paint in white, about four cans. Check that the label lists concrete or masonry.
  • Water-based polyurethane, 1 quart, for the boards.
  • Rubber shelf liner, one roll, cut into squares for the pads.
  • L-brackets, two, about 3 inches, with screws.
  • Stud finder to locate the studs.
  • Tools: drill, level, tape measure, brush, drop cloth and work gloves.

What it costs: about $105 to $150 in all. That's with prices we found at US stores on October 15, 2026. The blocks are about $2 each, so all eight cost about $15 to $22. The boards are about $30 to $40, and the paint and polyurethane about $50 to $60. The pads, brackets and screws add about $13 to $25.

Two buying tips:

  1. Ask the store to cut each 10-foot board in half. Most home centers will make a few cuts for you.
  2. Pick blocks with clean, unchipped edges, and bring a helper or a cart. The eight blocks weigh close to 290 pounds together.

Step 1: Paint the Blocks Outside

A woman bends over a row of cinder blocks on a drop cloth on a patio and sprays them white, some still gray
  1. Brush the dust off each block, and set them in a row on a drop cloth outside.
  2. Spray each block in light coats, inside the holes too.
  3. Let them dry as the can directs, then add a second coat.
  4. Brush polyurethane on both faces of the four boards while you wait.

Watch out: spray on a calm, dry day, between 50 and 90°F, as the can directs. Wind carries the paint mist onto anything nearby.

Step 2: Set the Feet and the First Board

Close-up of a woman's hands lowering a solid white cap block onto the floor against the baseboard
  1. Lay the two cap blocks flat against the wall, so a 5-foot board just covers both, end to end.
  2. Cut the shelf liner into 14 squares, about 4 inches each.
  3. Lay a pad on each cap, and set the first board on top, its back edge against the wall.
  4. Check it with a level. Slip a thin shim under a cap if the floor slopes.

Watch out: lift with your knees, and keep each block close to your body. A standard block weighs about 37 pounds.

Step 3: Stack the Blocks and Boards

Close-up of a woman setting a white cinder block on end on the first board, right above the cap block
  1. Lay a pad on the board right above each cap.
  2. Stand a block on end on each pad, holes facing out, its back against the wall.
  3. Lay pads on top, then the next board. Repeat until three boards and six blocks are up.
  4. Check every board with the level before the next layer goes on.

Watch out: skip the glue. Weight and pads hold it together, and it comes apart in minutes when you move.

Step 4: Add the Top Board and Fix It to the Wall

A woman on tiptoe lays the top pine board across the highest white blocks of the shelf unit
  1. Lay the last two pads and the top board, back edge against the wall.
  2. Find two studs behind the top board with the stud finder.
  3. Screw an L-bracket under the top board at each stud: 1 1/4-inch screws into the board and 2 1/2-inch screws into the stud.

Watch out: this step isn't in the video, and it's the one that matters. The stack is only 9 1/4 inches deep and weighs about 340 pounds. A child pulling on the top shelf could tip it forward. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says existing furniture can be anchored with inexpensive anti-tip brackets.

Step 5: Fill the Shelves, Heavy Things Low

A woman bends and slides two woven baskets onto the bottom shelf of the white block shelves
  1. Put the heaviest things, like detergent jugs, on the bottom shelf.
  2. Put baskets of towels and supplies on the middle shelves.
  3. Keep the top shelf for light things, like a plant or spare towels.

Watch out: if small children visit, keep detergent pods and bleach in a closed bin, out of their reach.

Step 6: Slide the Washer Back, With a Gap

A woman rocks a white front-load washer back into its nook beside the filled block shelves
  1. Walk the washer back into place, rocking it corner to corner.
  2. Leave about an inch of air between the washer and the shelves.
  3. Run a spin cycle and watch the shelves. Nothing should rattle.

Watch out: a washer shakes on the spin cycle. If it touches the shelves, it can nudge a block out of line over time.

Then roll out the rug and fold the first load right there. Everything finally has a place that isn't the top of the washer.

The Mistakes That Make It Fail

The finished white block shelves full of baskets, towels and jars as a smiling woman sets a trailing pothos on the top shelf

These five come up again and again under cinder block shelf videos, and each one has a simple fix:

  1. Gluing the blocks. The shelves can't come apart when you move. Use rubber pads instead.
  2. Nothing holding it to the wall. A tall, shallow stack can tip forward. Bracket the top board to two studs.
  3. Lifting blocks with your back. Each one weighs about 37 pounds. Bend your knees and keep it close.
  4. Blocks that don't match. Mixed sizes make crooked shelves. Buy all eight at once, from the same stack.
  5. Raw gray blocks and bare boards. That's the old dorm look. White paint and honey boards make it look planned.

Get those five right for the shelves in the picture: white blocks, honey wood and a washer top you can finally see.

Keep It Tidy: Dust, Damp and Wobble

Close-up of a hand setting a glass jar of clothespins beside two jars of dryer balls on a honey pine shelf, a basket of towels below
  • Dust: wipe the shelves when you clean the room. The paint keeps block dust down.
  • Damp: wipe drips off the boards. The polyurethane keeps water out of the wood.
  • Wobble: check the stack with a level each season, and tighten the bracket screws.
  • Moving: unscrew the two brackets, fill the holes and take it apart from the top down.

Then fill a basket with clean towels and wait for the first visitor who asks where the shelves came from. For more ways to sort the house, see our home organization hacks.

Watch this build, and the next ones, on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Start here

Want the laundry sorted before the holiday guests arrive? Start with the brackets: they're the part that makes the shelves safe.

See options on Amazon →

FAQ

Are Cinder Block Shelves Safe?

Yes, when the top board is bracketed to the wall studs. Without that, a tall, shallow stack can tip forward if someone pulls on it or climbs it.

Do You Need to Glue Cinder Block Shelves?

No. Weight and rubber pads keep the blocks in place, and the shelves come apart when you move.

How Far Apart Should the Blocks Be?

About 3 feet between the columns, for 5-foot 2×10 boards. Set each column about 4 inches in from the ends of the boards.

How Do You Keep Cinder Blocks From Scratching the Floor?

Put a rubber pad under each cap block, or a felt pad on a wood floor. Never slide a loaded stack.

How Much Do Cinder Block Shelves Cost?

About $105 to $150 at US stores, checked on October 15, 2026. The blocks are the cheapest part, about $2 each.

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