How to Hang a Shelf With Hooks

A shelf with hooks provides storage with access to frequently used items.

A wall-hung shelf with hooks is an effective item for storing frequently used items without using precious floor space. This is especially important when furnishing a small room or apartment. Hooks provide an easily accessible place to keep items like jackets, sleepwear and scarves. Installing a shelf with hooks is simple, even for the novice handy-person. No special tools or advanced skills are necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Chalk pencil
• Stud finder
• Drill with drilling and driving bits
• Toggle or winged wall-anchors
• 3-inch nails
• Screws

Instructions

1. Determine the best location to install the shelf, considering convenience, the height of the person(s) using it and where it would best fit into the decor of the room. Measure the width of the shelf and mark its lateral center. Measure the space on the wall and mark its lateral center. Locate wall studs where you plan to hang the shelf, using a stud finder. Mark the positions of the studs on the wall.

2. Hold the shelf on the wall with the center-marks aligned. Use a carpenter's level to level the shelf. Transfer stud locations to the vertical portion of the shelf and mark. If the shelf has pre-drilled screw holes for hanging, pass the tip of a nail through each hole and press firmly to mark the position on the wall. Take the shelf down and mark the indentations with a chalk pencil. If no indentation is aligned with a stud, you will have to drill at least one additional hole in the shelf so the shelf will be anchored to at least one stud.

3. Drill pilot holes through the indentations on the wall and stud with a drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than the installation screws. Change to a larger bit to drill holes in drywall not backed by studs, large enough to fit the collapsed wall anchors. Collapse the wall anchors and pass one through each of the larger holes in the drywall. Push it in so the wall anchor is flush with the wall.

4. Reposition the shelf so its holes are aligned with the holes in the wall. Pass a nail through each hole in the shelf into a wall anchor or stud. The nails will temporarily hold the shelf in place while you are fastening the shelf to the wall with screws. Remove the first nail and replace it with a screw. Attach the shelf to the stud or wall anchors with a drill and driver bit. Repeat until the shelf is securely fastened to the wall through each screw hole.

References

• Help with DIY: Hanging Book Shelf - How to Install a Wooden Shelf
• Scribd: Easy Steps for Installing a Wood Shelf
• Install Molding: Finish Carpentry Guide - Wood Closet Shelves