Shelves expand storage space.
Shelves are used to hold many different items and are a convenient method for saving floor space. Whether you live in an apartment or are a homeowner, you can easily install your own shelves. Often, a closet or pantry will need expanding, and shelves prove to be the perfect addition to open up these closed spaces and allow for more storage efficiency. You can prepare and install wooden shelves with some equipment from any hardware store. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Analyze your closet space. Determine which area in your closet is best suited for additional shelving. You do not want the shelf you are building to limit the storage capabilities of your other shelves or interfere with hanger space within your closet, so carefully measure the distance from other structures in your closet, and keep this in consideration when placing an additional shelf. Identify where studs are inside the walls, using a stud sensor. You must attach your shelf securely to the wall studs when you install it.
2. Calculate the dimensions of wood required for your shelf. Measure the position of the shelf from wall-to-wall and wall-to-door, leaving appropriate space for accessing the closet's contents. Make sure there will be no gap for items to fall through on the edges where the shelf meets the wall.
3. Always use safety equipment when working with a circular saw.
Cut wood to size after carefully measuring and marking it. Have the wood cut at a hardware store, or cut it yourself using a circular saw. If you choose a circular saw, use safety equipment, including goggles. Clamp the wood securely, turn on the saw, and move the saw across the wood. Be sure to cater your technique of cutting according to the type of circular saw you use.
4. Attach supports to the underside of your shelf every 3 feet. If you know you may be using heavy loads and want to be extra safe, place these supports every 2 feet. Drive your screws into the wall at a downward angle, because if they are screwed into the wall at an upward angle, they are likely to fail with heavy loads.
5. Mount your shelf. You can choose from many methods of attachment, several of which will require you to drill holes in the back corners of your shelf. Brackets are a common method of attachment, but you can also consider flush mounts, cleats, clips, clamps, hinges, and brass shelf standards. Hold your shelf in place while using a level to ensure your shelf will not be slanted. Attach the shelf to the wall using a drill to screw the attachment into the shelf and into the wall.
6. Test the weight-bearing ability of your shelf. You can do this incrementally by carefully placing your items on it one-by-one and placing yourself in a safe position as you assess the strength of your shelf, or look at the manufacturer's warnings for a store-bought shelf comparable to yours to determine approximately how much of a load your shelf can endure.
Tags: your shelf, your closet, into wall, every feet, hardware store, heavy loads
