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Before hang up anything on your paries , it ’s important to calculate out what your wall is made of . Ideally , you should tie floating shelves ( or anything else you ’re hanging ) to a bulwark stud , because it support the shelves ’ weightiness full . A stud viewfinder — a paw - held gadget that uses a magnet to observe metal , such as the nails and gaoler in the wall rivet of your home — can aid you locate these .
Installing Floating Shelves on Drywall or Plaster
What if you want to fall a ledge in a fleck where there ’s no stud ? First , check to see if your wall is made of drywall or plaster by knocking lightly on the paries . If it sounds empty , it ’s drywall . Not hollow ? belike plaster . Another test is to see how readily a nail go through the wall . If it slides mighty in , you ’ve got drywall . If it lead a few more taps , then you ’ve either got poultice or you have found a wall stud ( wiretap around the sides of the arduous area will help you limit which ) . Once you get it on what type of paries you ’re work with , you ’ll have a good idea of the kind of hardware that is necessary for your project .
Tried-and-True Advice
“ My mystery to instal shelf , float or otherwise ? Invest in astud finder . Fixing your shelves to studs helps you avoid having to mess up around with paries anchor . And a stud poker finder helps you avoid having to knock blindly on the paries , hoping you ’ve found the correct spot to take your piece of tail .
I ’ve never try it , but I ’ve heard you’re able to even use your smartphone as a stud discoverer if it has a built - in gaussmeter sensor , which many do . ”
— Chase Brush , Contributing Writer
Photo: Olga Yastremska, New Africa / Depositphotos
Installing Floating Shelves on Wall Studs
If you ’re going to be impound your floating ledge and bracket out to a paries stud , you do not need any anchors . If you are working with plaster or wallboard , however , the shelves will need extra financial support . Wall anchors , also call molly stopper , will help you build a sturdy foundation for your shelf . unconstipated hollow wall linchpin are o.k. for poultice ; for wallboard you will need butterfly or toggle anchors . Before decide whichtypes of wall anchorsto buy , consider what you want your ledge to hold . Anchors are rated for how much weighting they can support ; to be safe , it ’s skillful to aim for the low end of an anchor ’s maximum weighting rating .
How to Install Floating Shelves
Tools & Materials
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stair 1 : measuring rod and pit the space on the wall ( on both ends ) of where you need the ledge to go .
Step 2 : Using a level , draw a crease in pencil across the wall to ensure that your shelf will sit square .
Photo: PixelVista / Getty Images
footstep 3 : Use the hand drill todrill pilot holesinto the rampart for the anchor .
Step 4 : put in vacuous anchors into the holes , following the directions on the parcel .
Step 5 : Align your square bracket with the linchpin - filled archetype mess . Using a steady screwdriver , seize the bracket to the wall by screwing into the anchors .
Photo: PixelVista / Getty Images
gradation 6 : Slide the ledge onto the bracket .
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