How to Hang Shoe Shelves
Shoes shelves are one of the home organization tools that do the most to remove clutter from a home. The simple act of removing dozens of pairs of shoes from their disordered homes near various doorways and placing them in hanging shoe racks can open up walking spaces. This can make the home feel bigger and can give those entering the space for the first time a more positive first reaction into a comfortable environment. Hanging a shoe rack is a simple DIY project.
Instructions
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Run the stud finder along the wall where the shoe shelves will be hung. Mark their location with the pencil. Line up the pre-made holes in the shoe shelves or brackets with the wall studs.
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Set the carpenter's level on top of the shelf and determine whether the shelves are level. Adjust the shelving until the bubble in the level is directly in the center. Mark the location of the screw holes with a pencil, placing the markings on the wall studs.
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3
Pre-drill the holes with a drill bit slightly smaller than the wood screws you will be using to hang the shoe shelves, making sure the drill bit hits the wood stud on each hole. If the drill misses, locate the stud with a wire and move the shelf to line up with the stud.
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Attach the shoe shelves to the wall with the wood screws by drilling them through the shoe shelves and into the pre-drilled holes. Tighten each screw partway until all the screws are partially installed, then tighten them all fully. This helps ensure that the shelving is equally spaced between the screw holes, and helps ensure that the screws line up with their pre-drilled spaces.
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Tips & Warnings
When attaching a shoe shelf or rack to the back of a solid wood door, you will not need studs or any other anchors, but use short screws that will not come out the other side.
For hollow frame doors, you may need to install drywall anchors so the attachments can support the weight of the shelf.
When spacing shoe shelves to a custom height, allow about 6 inches between shelves for proper spacing. More or less space can be used for boots or flat shoes, respectively.
Some commercial shoe racks can be hung over doors simply by placing the attachments over the top of the door. Some door frames may have to be sanded or raised for the racks to fit smoothly.
Never drill into locations that cause the electric alarm on some stud finders to flash, as this area of the wall contains a live current, which can be dangerous.
References
- Photo Credit Shoes image by vertellis from Fotolia.com
