How to Build Bookcases & Wall Shelving
You can build shelves into the walls of your home for books or other items. Because most of the homes today use drywall, a wallboard made of composite materials that is very lightweight, you will need to affix your shelves to the wood studs behind the wall with wood screws. Shelving material and brackets can be purchased at your local hardware store. You will need to cut them to the size you need and mount them on the wall using shelf brackets and screws. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Stud finder
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Shelf brackets
- Plywood for shelves
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Drill with screwdriver bits and 1/16 drill bit
- Wood screws
Instructions
-
-
1
Use a stud finder along the wall to locate the wood studs behind the drywall; mark them with a pencil.
-
2
Set a level against the wall where you want to install the shelf brackets and draw a guideline with the pencil. Drill pilot holes with a power drill into the wall studs using the guidelines as a marker; set the shelf bracket against the wall and mark a pencil hole through the shelf bracket to designate where the screws will go.
-
-
3
Drill the wood screw through the hole in the shelf bracket and into the wood stud. Continue this process with the other shelf brackets.
-
4
Cut the plywood with the circular saw to the length needed for your shelves. Sand the edges with sandpaper to smooth the edges. Place the wood on top of the shelf; drill a wood screw through the top into the hole on the top of the shelf bracket. Continue this process with the other shelf brackets until the shelves are attached to the brackets.
-
1
