Step 1: Plan out your shelving

Preparation is key - taking the time to find and mark your studs, decide how many columns and rows, the height, width, depth and layout of your shelves. Masking tape helps to visualize.

We went with an asymmetrical plan, which looks awesome, but it does complicate the calculations. The hardware store usually carries extenders and couplings for pipes in various lengths, so we were able to work out combinations that gave us all the lengths we needed, but be prepared to do some math =(

A blueprint is highly recommended. We consulted this thing so many times during the process.

Blueprint Key: Dark circles = base flanges;  X = 3-way tee;  triangle = elbow

Step 3: Degrease your pipes

We used this stuff and it worked like a charm. Some tutorials recommend soap and water but I can't even imagine getting all your pipes in a tub big enough and then waiting for them all to dry.

TIP: If your pipes have insanely annoying individual stickers that you have to peel off one by one, you might want to grab some Goo Gone.

Step 4: Prime and spray paint your pipes

You'll have to spray the pipes from all angles in order to coat them evenly all around. 

TIP: It's super-helpful to assemble your pipes into the smaller pieces that will make up your shelf supports BEFORE you prime and paint. This way you can more easily get at all the sides.

Step 5: Sand and stain your shelves

We sanded once with a medium-grit (#150) sandpaper and wiped the boards down with some old t-shirts.

For the staining, we used a stain+poly in one in Dark Walnut and some cheap synthetic brushes (3-pack for $7).

TIP: When staining, pay careful attention to the edges and sides of the wood, where the stain can pool and create dark borders and drips.

Step 6: Measure and mark your wood

We decided which way we wanted each pine board to face (so we got the prettiest side showing), then marked with masking tape where the front edge would be.

We calculated the holes for the pipes should be drilled 1.5" from the front edge of each plank and centered on each stud. We marked those with a small "x".

Step 7: Drill holes in your wood

This is where things got a little confusing. The tutorials we read said to get a 3/4" hole-saw if you're using 1/2" pipe. But when we tested the hole-saw, it worked terribly and you can see the hole it made (top) was too small to thread our pipe through. Another tutorial said to get a 1/2" hole-saw, which would have been even more preposterous.

Fortunately, we had a 1" wood boring drill bit which worked much better and: 

(1) the 1/2" pipe fit through with just a little bit of wiggle room (which we were grateful for later) but

(2) the 3-way tee did NOT fit through --> This is exactly what you want.

Conclusion: Hole-Saw = NO; Wood Boring Bit = YES