How To Hang Wall Shelves With Brackets

Keyhole slots on the back of shelves are a common way to hang shelves or shelf mounting brackets on hidden screws but you have to get the screws perfectly aligned or you ll have all kinds of trouble.

How to hang wall shelves with brackets.

If you want to hang floating shelf brackets use a stud finder to find the studs in the wall and drill into the stud where you want to hang your shelf. As a general rule it s always ideal to install shelf brackets into wall studs. Mark your screw points grab your shelf brackets place them up against the wall and mark where your screws will go. This project guide shows how to install shelf brackets into wall studs and masonry walls.

Mark inside the holes so you know exactly where to insert the screws. Have someone help you hold the shelf against the wall. Position the shelf brackets against the wall along the bottom of the shelf. For longer wire shelves attach a bracket at least every 48 inches.

Then get your power drill and drill directly into the stud if there s one where you re hanging or grab a nifty wallmate and pop this into your plaster this will protect your wall and allow you to screw through your bracket to the wall. For heavy loads increase the size of your brackets and decrease the spacing between them. Here s one foolproof method for transferring a pair of keyhole locations to the wall for perfect screw placement. They have a seamless and clean appearance seeming to float on the wall without any means of support.

Shelves without brackets are commonly called floating or bracketless shelves. Next secure the bracket in the drilled hole and use a level to figure out where to drill a second hole for the second bracket. Use a standard level to make sure it s placed in a straight line then lightly mark the wall with a pencil on both ends.