Wall shelves can be installed easily usingmetal standards and brackets. This hardware is readily available, inexpensive, strong, easy-to-install, and adaptable to a wide range of shelving options. Metal shelving standards and brackets can be used for bookcases, desks and other workspaces, media centers, and closet storage systems.
These systems work by means of metal standards attached vertically to the wall with screws driven into studs. Brackets are then placed in the standards to extend out horizontally to support the shelves. Several types of standards and brackets are available;some are appropriate for light-duty use and others suitable for very heavy-duty uses. For most applications, the double-slotted, heavy-duty products are the best choice. You can usually find these in different finishes at big-box stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s, at hardware stores, and from online retailers.
Standards and brackets are available in a wide range of sizes; the widest selection is offered through online suppliers.
Featured Video
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Stud finder
- Cordless drill
- 4-foot level
- Awl
Materials
- Painter's tape
- 2-inch drywall or wood screws (with coarse threads)
- Standards and brackets
Instructions
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Plan the Project
It is always a good idea to start a project with the finished goal in mind. Once you decide on a suitable wall for your shelves, sketch your plan. You'll need to decide how high and low you want the top and bottom shelves, how many shelves you need, and how long the shelves will be.
With that settledand a rough sketch in hand, you can shop for all the materials you need. Plan to buy standards about 10 to 12 inches longer than the intended distance between the top and bottom shelves. This will give you some flexibility in the arrangement of the shelves.
When you move, the whole shelving assembly can be disassembled quickly. Fill and paint the holes in the wall to leave things just as they were before the shelves were installed.
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Locate Studs
First, use a stud finder to find wall studs. The standards must be anchored with screws driven into studs—the vertical framing members to which drywall is attached. The studs should be spaced 16 or 24 inches apart in the wall, measured center to center, although additional studs may appear within the spacing pattern near doors, windows, and corners.
Use a battery-operated or magnetic stud finder to locate the studs in your wall. The former tool will locate the studs behind drywall by detecting density, while the latter tool works by sensing the nails or screws that hold the drywall to the studs.
Move the stud finder straight across the wall, marking each stud location. Rather than a pencil, use small pieces of blue painter's tape to mark the location of each stud.When you’re done, you can remove the tape without leaving any mark behind.
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Plan Locations for Shelf Standards
With the studs located and marked, the next step is to determine the best spot to install shelf standards. For basic bookshelves, plan to set the standards 32 inches apart if the walls have studs spaced 16 inches apart. If your studs are spaced 24 inches apart, plan to attach a standard to each stud.
Shelves should overhang the side brackets by no more than 6 inches. So, for example, if you plan to use three standards spaced 32 inches from each other (total span of 64 inches from end to end), you can safely useshelves that are as much as 76 inches long (or a standard 72-inch, 6-foot-long board would work fine).
(Video) Plywood Shelves with steel uprights and brackets. #044For particularly heavy loads, check the manufacturer's instructions to determine the best spacing for your standards.
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Attach the First Shelf Standard
It is easiest to attach shelf standards with a helper, although it's possible to do the job yourself.
Set the first standard in place at the intended height, centered over a stud. When you are satisfied with the location, stick an awl through the top screw hole in the standard, markinga small indentation in the wall. This will make it easier to set and drive the screw.
Drive a screw through the top hole, just deep enough to hold the standard in place securely; don’t make it so tight that you can’t move the standard a little. Set your level alongside the standard, adjusting the position so that it is perfectly plumb (that is, vertical). Plumb is indicated when the bubbles in the top and bottom vials are centered.
Poke awl holes and drive screws into each remaining screw hole location in the standard, making sure it's positioned perfectly plumb. The standards should be just barely snug against the wall; if you drive the screws in too far, you may damage the wall surface.
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Attach the Remaining Shelf Standards
The shelf standards must be installed plumb, but it is equally important that the brackets, and therefore the shelves, are level across the standards.
Set a level across adjacent brackets, sliding the standard up and down until the bubble in the center vial is centered. Make sure that the standard is resting over a stud, then punch a hole in the wall through the top screw hole and drive a screw.
Use a level to make sure the standard is plumb, then attach the standard to the stud with screws. Repeat the process for any remaining standards.
(Video) Installing Bookshelves with Wall Tracks, Brackets, and Pine Board Shelves -
Attach the Shelf Brackets
Shelf brackets range in size from 5 inches deep (for shelves holding paperback books) to 24 inches (for desktops and other large spaces). Plan to use brackets that are just a bit shorter than the depth of the shelves. For example, if the desired shelf is 12 inches deep, the supporting legs of the bracket must be at least 8 inches but no more than 11 inches.
You don’t have to make all shelves the same depth. Instead, you can install shelves that get increasingly deeper from top to bottom, allowing you to place smaller items on top and bigger items on the bottom, or the other way around.
Slip the bracket into the slots on the standard, then give it a little push down to make sure it's set properly. A tap with a mallet or hammer is sometimes necessary.
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Attach the Shelves
You can buy shelves ready-made or you can make your own. There are several options.
- Solid wood is the strongest choice and the one that works best if loading books on brackets and standards spaced 32 inches apart. Shelving that spans 24 inches can be safely made from wood, plywood, melamine, and medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
- Wire shelves are available in light- to heavy-duty options.
- The least expensive shelving option is to buy large 4 x 8-foot sheets of 3/4-inch plywood or MDF and cut your shelves to size. Often you can have the sheets cut to size (or at least to a size that you can haul home) at the lumberyard or home improvement center.
Pre-cut melamine (that glossy white plastic surface so common in kitchen cabinets) does not require any additional finish. The other materials should be painted or, in the case of solid wood and plywood, sealed with a clear wood finish.
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Enclose the Shelf Ends (Optional)
To ensure that books and other items don’t fall off the shelf ends, simply to stack books on their sides at the ends of the shelves. Another method is to use the special bookend brackets that slip neatly into the slots in the standards.
Bookends are available in several sizes.To use bookends on the top shelf, the shelf must beset at least 6 inches below the top of the standards.
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FAQs
How do you install wall shelves with brackets and standards? ›
Then just scoot your standard over making sure that it's in place. Then take a level and lay it
How do you hang shelves with brackets? ›And then attach this bracket to the wall stud using timber screws let's do that step to put our
How do you put up shelf standards? ›Plan Locations for Shelf Standards
For basic bookshelves, plan to set the standards 32 inches apart if the walls have studs spaced 16 inches apart. If your studs are spaced 24 inches apart, plan to attach a standard to each stud. Shelves should overhang the side brackets by no more than 6 inches.
How to Hang Shelves | DIY Projects | The Home Depot - YouTube
What screws to use for shelf standards? ›GRK #10 wood screws, 2 1/2" length are our screw of choice. You're using one of the strongest screws on the market. GRK screws fit perfectly into our countersunk holes. When it comes to installing shelves, every expert - this is now you - knows that studs are your BFF.
How do you secure a shelf to the wall? ›How To Secure Furniture To The Wall-Full Tutorial (Shelf ... - YouTube
What are shelf brackets called? ›Types of shelf supports: L-shaped shelf supports are named shelf bracket and they are a subset of angle brackets. Cabinet shelf support, wardrobe shelf support, shelf pin, shelf support peg, shelf support push, plug-in shelf support - when used in a wardrobe or cabinet.
Where should shelf brackets be placed? ›For light to medium loads, shelving brackets should be spaced no more than 24 inches apart. For longer wire shelving, attach a bracket at least every 48 inches. For heavier loads, increase the size of your brackets and decrease the space between them.
How do you attach shelf brackets to drywall? ›How to Install a Heavy Shelf With Brackets to Drywall : Wall Repair
How many brackets do you need for a shelf? ›Supporting brackets for most shelves should be spaced no more than 24 inches apart for light to medium loads (15 to 20 pounds per foot). This means that the vertical slotted pilasters must be spaced at about that distance from one another on the wall.
How do you make a simple wall shelf? ›
How to Build a Simple Shelf - YouTube
Which way do shelf brackets go? ›The long part goes against the wall, under the shelf. The length of the actual bracket under the shelf should be three quarters the width of the shelf. Save this answer.
How long should a shelf bracket be? ›Ideally your bracket should be 2”-4” shorter than your shelf length, as a rule. This means it will cross as many anchor points as possible on the wall. More places to anchor to the wall, equals more strength.
How do you hang a floating shelf on a wall? ›If you want to hang floating shelf brackets, use a stud finder to find the studs in the wall and drill into the stud where you want to hang your shelf. Next, secure the bracket in the drilled hole and use a level to figure out where to drill a second hole for the second bracket.
How do you hang a shelf without brackets? ›Easy DIY FLOATING SHELVES No bracket | DIY CREATORS - YouTube
How long should a screw be for a shelf? ›For fixing shelves into masonry you need at least 50mm screws and wall plugs for the most stability. If you're fitting shelves onto a stud wall then heavy gauge 38mm or 50mm screws offer the most stability.
How do you hang shelves on drywall? ›How To Put Up Shelves On Dry Wall Or Plasterboard - YouTube
How do I stop my shelves from falling? ›To alleviate this, use closed back shelving units or install safety nets on the outside of your shelving to help stop items from falling out. The heavier it is, the lower it should be stored. Like pallet racks, shelving does better if the heavier loads sit on lower levels, not higher.
How do you bracket a bookshelf to the wall? ›- Measure the Bookshelf and Wall. ...
- Locate Wall Studs. ...
- Measure the Nylon Strap. ...
- Press a Washer Against the Strap. ...
- Drill Through the Washer and Nylon. ...
- Super Glue Velcro to Nylon. ...
- Measure on Top of the Bookshelf. ...
- Apply Double-Sided Mounting Tape.
Easy DIY Floating Shelves | The Best Floating Shelf Bracket? - YouTube
How do you attach a shelf to a wooden bracket? ›
How to put up a shelf with brackets - YouTube
How are shelf brackets measured? ›First, measure the height of the shelf, then measure the distance on the wooden shelf bracket from the end of the bracket to the top of the screw slot. Add these measurements together, then add 1" to allow for the brackets to be slid down into position. For my shelf, this total measurement was 2 1/2 ".
What are shelf brackets used for? ›Shelf brackets' primary purpose is well known and documented: prop up and secure boards to create wall storage.
How do you support a shelf? ›Four Ways to Install Shelves Perfectly -- WOOD magazine - YouTube
How do you hang a heavy shelf? ›How To Hang a Heavy Table and Shelves on Drywall - YouTube
Where should shelf brackets be placed? ›Plan Shelf and Bracket Placement
On drywall, the brackets should be secured to the wall studs, so the bracket locations should line up with your marked wall studs. Use a level to make sure your planned bracket locations are along a straight, level line. This will ensure your shelves are level after installation.
Supporting brackets for most shelves should be spaced no more than 24 inches apart for light to medium loads (15 to 20 pounds per foot). This means that the vertical slotted pilasters must be spaced at about that distance from one another on the wall.
Which way do shelf brackets go? ›The long part goes against the wall, under the shelf. The length of the actual bracket under the shelf should be three quarters the width of the shelf. Save this answer.
How do you support shelves on drywall? ›How to Install a Heavy Shelf With Brackets to Drywall : Wall Repair
How do you secure a shelf to the wall? ›How To Secure Furniture To The Wall-Full Tutorial (Shelf ... - YouTube
Should shelf brackets be as wide as shelf? ›
Typically it's a good idea to use brackets that are 1 inch shorter than the depth of the shelves. For example, if you want shelves that are 8 inches deep, use 7 inch brackets.
How do you support shelves without brackets? ›The Easiest Way to Install No-Bracket Shelving at Home - YouTube
How many brackets do I need for a 36 inch shelf? ›Choose the number of brackets to use for the shelf. If the brackets are spaced too far apart, the shelf will sag. A good rule of thumb is to place a bracket every 16 inches. Place one at each end of the shelf, 1 inch from the outside edge, and every 16 inches along the shelf length.
How many brackets do you need for a 72 inch shelf? ›A: We recommend 4 brackets for a 72 inch shelf. 2 large brackets hold a 36 inch shelf that is 10 inches deep very well, and you will be happy with how 4 can hold a shelf this size.
How long can shelves be without support? ›The standards tell us that a wide hardwood shelf that carries a heavy load should be no more than 36-in. long.
Do shelf brackets need to be in studs? ›Shelf Bracket & Hardware Installation. As a general rule, it's always ideal to install shelf brackets into wall studs. However, it can be difficult to install brackets directly on a wall stud In that case, we recommend using a toggle anchor (which are available for purchase here).
How do you hang a heavy shelf? ›How To Hang a Heavy Table and Shelves on Drywall - YouTube