How Do I Build Wire Hanging Shelves for Small Spaces?
Everybody has small, unused spaces in their home that just go to waste because standard storage solutions are not designed to fit. You can make your own hanging shelves that not only are practical, but also are attractive because they use wire chain to support them. By making these shelves yourself, you can fit storage into the space between closets, under stairs or in other unorthodox places that would be left empty otherwise. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Plywood
- Table saw
- 2-inch-by-4-inch wood
- Power drill
- Wood screws
- Threaded hooks
- Wire chain
- Wire cutters
Instructions
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1
Cut a piece of plywood with a table saw so the wood will fit into the space you have. Use this piece as a template to cut out as many pieces of wood as you want shelves.
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2
Make support braces by cutting two-by-fours to the width of the space. Cut a brace for each shelf you want to hang.
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3
Attach the braces horizontally to the wall in a vertical column -- one brace above the next -- according to your desired shelf spacing. Secure the braces to the wall with wood screws and a power drill. Drive a screw every 6 inches to provide good support for your shelves.
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4
Lay one piece of the cut plywood on the lowest brace. Push the back edge of the wood against the wall.
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5
Drill through the plywood along the back edge where it overlaps the brace and secure it in place with screws. Repeat the process for each shelf.
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6
Screw four threaded hooks into each of the corners on the surface of the top shelf. The hooks should point upward when they're screwed in.
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7
Insert four more hooks into the ceiling or the top of the space, above the highest shelf. These hooks should face downward, directly above the hooks on the top shelf.
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8
Hang a length of wire chain from each of the hooks in the ceiling so the wires are hanging down. Make the wire chain long enough to reach the hooks on the top of the first shelf.
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9
Cut the wire chain with wire cutters. Latch the chain onto the hooks on the top shelf. The wire chain should be tight and holding the shelf securely.
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10
Attach hooks to the top of the second shelf and the underside of the first shelf. Connect them in the same way as you did for the first, with the wire chains on each corner.
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11
Insert hooks and attach chains to each shelf in the same way, until the wire chain is supporting all the shelves.
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Tips & Warnings
You can spray paint the wire to match the shelves.
Do not install the shelves on a weak or deteriorating wall; it will not be able to support the weight of the unit.
