A room without shelving is a room not kitted out for life. A shelf is more than just a lace to keep books. Those books evoke the interests and personalities of the people who live there. They are interspersed with family photographs, little trinkets and knick knacks that have been collected over the years. The shelves gather dust and memories, which are regularly cleaned down, only to gather those same memories and dust again – such is the cycle of life.
Robust, durable shelving is essential. While it may seem to be one of the simplest of DIY jobs to carry out, it does need to be completed properly if you want the shelves to last a lifetime. Our simple guide below will guide you through the process. However, perhaps our biggest piece of advice would be to call in a professional, who will complete the job in the amount of time it might take you to read through this article!
1. Make sure you have the right equipment
For the shelves you will need to measure the shelves according to the place where they are going to be fixed. Decide whether you are going to use metal brackets, fixed supports, or attempt to put up some floating shelves.
Once you have the shelving support, the shelves themselves, check off your tools as well. You will need a tape measure, spirit level, drill and impact driver bits, screwdriver. Is your wall constructed from brick, or is it a stud and plasterboard wall. This will determine both what tools you need, and how much weight it may be able to support. A brick wall will be by far the strongest, but it will prove to be more challenging to put build the shelves in the first place. Once done, it will probably outast us all.
2. Check the wall for cables and wires
Remember that your walls contain a network of wires, cables and pipes that carry electricity and water around your property. Make sure that you check for the location of these before you start drilling any holes. Get yourself a quality cable detector before you give yourself a shock and damage your house’s electrical circuit.
3. Mark out the location
Mark out the positions of the shelves and where the brackets or supports will need to be located. Use your spirit level to ensure that the location of the screw holes are straight. The last thing you want is a sloping shelf.
4. Drill the holes
Select the right drill part according to the size of screws and wall plugs required. To make sure that you are drilling to the right depth, wrap a small piece of masking tape over the shaft of the drill bit starting at the point you are drilling to. Drill the hole and insert the wall plug. You might need to lightly tap the wall plugs with a hammer to get them flush to the wall.
5. Fix the brackets
Align the brackets with each hole and fix them securely with a screwdriver.
6. Fix the shelves
Lay the shelf across the bracket and line them up with the fixing holes. Screw the shelves securely into place.
The more preparation you take before you start, the better the finished job will be. Mistakes to look out for include:
- Don’t take a guess on where you should be drilling. You could end up creating a labyrinth of holes which look ugly and affect the integrity of the wall.
- Don’t second guess the level – always use your spirit level of you want to avoid stopping objects and books continuously sliding off your shelves.
- Use the right size screws – otherwise you’ll come home one evening to find your shelves and your books in a tangled heap on the floor.
