Easy Steps for Installing a Wood Wall Shelf

Often, when someone wants to purchase a new wood wall shelf, they will do research online or go shopping locally. Once the wood wall shelf is purchased, the next step is to choose the area where it will be hung. Then, with a few easy steps, you can have your new shelving up in no time, ready for books, collections, artwork, plants, or whatever you want to display. All you need is a few basic tools, a little bit of time, desire, patience, and good instructions.

Although there are all types of instructions associated with installing a wood wall shelf, we wanted to provide you with some basic steps to show you how easy this type of project is. When done, you can sit back and enjoy something wonderful that you did and in very little time. The instructions below are for a simple wood wall shelf but even the more complicated wood wall shelf designs are not difficult.

Start by determining the wall area where the shelving will go and then finding the studs. Most homes are made with drywall, which makes finding the stud easy. For this, you can use an inexpensive stud finder or a hammer. The stud finder is slid over the wall, indicating where the studs are located. The hammer would be gently tapped on the wall and when the sound goes from hollow to solid, you know you found a stud. Once the stud’s edge is found, make a simple mark with a pencil. Remember, you will need to find two studs but if not, you can always use long screw to ensure both sides of the wood wall shelf are secure.

With the two stud edges marked, the next step is to take a drill and 1/8 inch drill bit to create pilot holes. This helps when you get ready to screw the standards in place so the wall itself is not damaged

Now, the first standard will be installed for the wood wall shelf, using 2 ½ inch long flathead wood screws that go directly into the pilot hole. When the first standard is in place, the second one would be installed. One important note – make sure a level is used to ensure the tops of the standards are even and that the standards are vertically level. In addition, while you want to screws to be in securely, make sure they are not too tight in that they can get stripped. Start with the top of the standards, screwing them in place and then the bottom. Additionally, the standards need to be properly spaced according to the wood wall shelf itself.

After both standards for the wood wall shelf are securely in place, the brackets need to be installed. For this step, simply attach them onto the standards at the height needed

Once the brackets are in proper place, the actual shelves are slid on top. The final step for installing a wood wall shelf is to bore a hole that measures ½ inch in diameter, going through the front portion of the bracket at the mounting hold. Be careful not to let the drill go all the way through but about half way through. Then with the shelf held firmly in place, use a 1 ¼ inch long flathead wood screw to drive up and through the bracket and into the actual shelf. Do this for all the shelves and when done, you have a functional and secure wood wall shelf unit to enjoy.