Wire shelving is an alternative to wooden shelving that is often used in closets, pantries, garages and storage areas. The shelves are constructed of closely spaced metal bars that often have a white plastic or epoxy coating. While metal shelving kits are designed to be installed by homeowners, they must be cut to fit into the desired space. Cutting metal shelves to the proper size is accomplished using hand-held tools. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Place a tape measure against the wall where you are installing the metal shelf to determine the space available for the shelf. If both ends of the shelf will touch walls, subtract 1 1/2 inches from the total length. If only one end of the shelf touches a wall, subtract 3/4 inch from the length
2. Lay the metal shelf on the floor, or a steady work surface, and transfer the proper length and width onto it using the tape measure and a black marker.
3. Wearing work gloves, slide the jaws of a bolt cutter over one of the marker lines on the shelf. Squeeze the bolt cutter handles together to cut through the shelf.
4. Repeat the process to cut through the metal shelf at each of the remaining marker lines.
5. The piece of shelf that you cut off has small rubber caps on the ends. Pull the caps off and slide them onto the newly cut ends of the shelf.
Tags: metal shelf, bolt cutter, ends shelf, marker lines, tape measure
