How to Hang Wall Shelves
Wall-mounted shelves can free up floor space, give you a way to display your arts and crafts and help you find ways to store tools and other essentials. There are many different kinds of shelving units available, but the concept behind hanging wall shelves is the same for almost all types. Whether you have adjustable shelves or a decorative curio shelf to hang, you can have your shelf up in no time and ready to use. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stud finder
- Marking Pencil
- Level
- Hand drill
- Pilot drill bit
- Wall mount screws with wall anchors
- Philips head screwdriver
- Hammer
- Power screw driver
Instructions
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1
Determine where you want to hang your shelf. It would be beneficial if you selected a spot on the wall that would allow you to use one of the wall studs as an installation anchor. Use a stud finder to determine where the wall stud is located, and then mark the width of the board on the wall so that you know where the board starts and ends.
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2
Place your shelf on the wall, with one of the holes lining up in the area where the stud is.
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3
Using a level, make sure that the shelf sits perfectly level against the wall.
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4
Mark the shelf mounting hole locations on the wall with the marking pencil.
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5
Drill pilot holes directly in the middle of the marked areas.
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6
Take the Philips head screw driver and poke it through the holes that are not backed up by the wooden wall stud. Pull the screwdriver out and see if the wall anchor can be hammered into the hole safely. A wall anchor needs to be snug in the drywall, so there should be a little resistance between the anchor and the drywall when you install it. To make the hole a little larger, just put the screwdriver back in and work it slowly in a circle. Do not make the hole too large.
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7
Gently hammer the wall anchors into the holes that are only in the drywall. Once the outer lip of the anchor is flush with the wall, you should stop hammering.
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8
Line the shelf up with the drilled and anchored holes and then use a power screw driver to screw in the installation screws.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to install your shelf in an area that does not have a wall stud, then just use a wall anchor in all of the installation holes.
Tap the wall anchors into the wall lightly. If you hit them too hard, you will damage the wall.
