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HOW TO: Put up wall shelves

Introduction
This 'How To' gives directions for hanging a single shelf or multiple shelves
on brackets, and adjustable shelving on tracks. You'll find lots of information
on the materials you can use to make shelves and the fixings that are best
suited to your walls.

Your choice of shelving depends on whatever you intend to store or display on

the shelf. A heavier load requires a stronger shelf. Check beforehand that your
wall is solid enough to carry the weight of both your shelving and its load.

What you’ll need

Materials Tools & equipment Hammer drill and drill bits for wood and masonry
Brackets or adjustable brackets and wall track Adjustable try square Jigsaw
Glass paper Bench plane No.4 Marking gauge
Screws (length dependent on use of shelf) Centre punch Pencil
Shelves Cork sanding block Screwdriver to suit screws and fixings
Wall fixings Craft knife Spirit level – 900mm
Glass paper Steel rule – 300mm
Hammer – 16oz claw or 10oz Warrington Steel tape measure
Wooden stud/cable/pipe finder

Shelving options
• Softwood
Available in various thicknesses and in widths up to 300mm. Paint, stain and varnish,
or treat with Danish oil. Choose timber that's straight, close-grained and fairly
knot-free.

• Plankwood, stripwood, pineboard

Different names for boards made from narrow strips of pine glued together, planed
and sanded. The boards are stronger than pine and less prone to shrinking and
warping. Finish as for pine. fig. 1

• Decorative chipboard

Available in a range of melamine wood effect finishes, and in white, grey, cream and
black. Also available as real wood veneer face boards.

Thickness 15/16mm
Width 150mm, 225mm, 305mm, 455mm, 535mm, 610mm
Length 1830mm, 2440mm

fig. 2

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 HOW TO: Put up wall shelves
Introduction (cont.)

• Medium density fibre board (MDF)

A man-made board ideal for painting or staining. If painting, always prime with
water-based primer/undercoat.

Thickness 12.5mm, 15mm, 18mm, 21mm, 25mm

Width by length 1220mm x 600mm, 1220mm x 1220mm
1220mm x 2440mm
Also available as windowboards 25mm x 218mm x 1500mm
• Glass
For shelving, this must be safety glass. Talk to your glass supplier before starting. fig. 3

• Ready-made shelves are available from DIY stores.

About fixings
Choose the correct fixing for your wall:

• Brick or concrete block plaster finish (fig. 1)

Use heavy duty plastic wall plugs and wood screws, 3.2mm (No. 8) or 5.5mm
(No. 10)

• Lightweight block with plaster finish (fig. 2)

Use universal plugs.
fig. 4
• Stud wall with skimmed plasterboard
It's always best to screw into the wooden studs. Don't use wall plugs, screw straight
into a pilot hole (fig. 3). If you can’t screw into a stud, use hollow wall fixings but
limit the load (fig. 4)

• Dry partition wall

Similar to stud wall with skimmed plasterboard (fig. 5)

• Lathe and plaster wall (fig. 6)

For very light weights use sprung or gravity toggles. The strength of the lathes is the
limiting factor and it's better to screw into the vertical studs. The studs will be at 406
or 460mm centres but could be as much as 610mm. To compensate for the wide
span, reinforce the shelf by lipping one or both edges (fig. 7).

Hint fig. 5
If using brass or aluminium screws, which are soft and liable to break, insert a
steel screw first to cut a thread then use the softer screws

Before you begin

Check for cables
Check the wall with a cable/pipe finder and mark the position of any cables or pipes.

Protect surfaces
Move furniture out of the way and put down dust sheets. Have a vacuum cleaner handy.

fig. 6

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 HOW TO: Put up wall shelves
Hanging a single shelf on brackets

1. Mark guidelines
Mark the wall where the bottom of the shelf will be. Mark a horizontal line through
this point, using a pencil and spirit level. If you have a short spirit level, rest it on the
edge of the shelf (fig. 8).

Mark the length of the shelf on the horizontal line. Then mark the position of the
brackets, based on the span chart (fig. 9- see p. 4). Set the end brackets in from the
shelf ends by 100–150mm (fig. 10). This reduces the likelihood of the shelf bending.
Mark vertical lines where the brackets will go (fig. 11).
fig. 7

2. Attach brackets
Hold a bracket against the wall, with a piece of wood on the projecting arm, and align
it with the vertical and horizontal lines of an end bracket (fig. 12).
Mark the screw holes onto the wall with a pencil or bradawl (fig. 12). Use a hammer
and centre punch to mark the screw positions (fig. 13). Then use a hammer drill and
masonry bit to drill holes to suit the wall plugs or fixings you intend to use. Insert plugs
or fixings and attach the brackets firmly to the wall.
fig. 8
Fix the bracket at the opposite end of the shelf then run a line of tailor's thread or fishing
line between the two end brackets. Use this to line up any intermediate brackets (fig. 14).

3. Fit shelves
Screw the brackets to the shelf to prevent the shelf tipping up under an uneven load.

Hanging multiple shelves on brackets

To fix several shelves above one another, attach prepared wooden battens to the wall and
screw the brackets onto the battens. The brackets should conceal the screws holding the
battens to the wall. Notch the shelves to fit around the battens (fig. 15).

Putting up adjustable shelving

1. Mark guideliness
Mark the wall where the top of the track will be. Ideally this should be 150mm higher
than the top shelf. Mark a horizontal line through this point, using a pencil and spirit
level. fig. 10

Use the span chart (fig. 9- see p. 4) to determine the distances between the vertical
track sections. Mark these positions onto the horizontal line. Then use a plumb line or
spirit level to mark the vertical position of the track centres.

Position one piece of track and, using a bradawl, mark through the top screw hole
onto the wall (fig. 16). Measure the distance between screw hole centres and transfer
these measurements onto the first vertical line. Use a spirit level, with a straight batten,
to mark across the wall (fig. 18).

2. Attach tracks
Drill the holes, insert the fixings and screw the tracks to the wall using 4.7mm (No.8) fig. 11
or 5.5mm (No. 10) screws to suit the fixtures. To determine the length of screw you'll
need, add the thickness of the plaster to the depth of the track, then add a further 30mm.

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 HOW TO: Put up wall shelves
Hanging multiple shelves on brackets (cont.)
The tracks must all be in the same vertical plane. If the wall is out of alignment, you
may have to pack out the tracking to make it vertical.

3. Fit shelves
Mark the position of the screws with a bradawl, then drill pilot holes and screw
through the brackets into the shelves using 4mm (No.6) screws.

Screw one shelf at a time and work from the top down.

Hint fig. 12
If only two tracks are used, all of the shelves must cover both tracks. If more than
two tracks are used, some shelves need only cover two or more tracks. HB

fig. 13

fig. 14 fig. 15

fig. 16 fig. 18 fig. 9

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