I have always been kind of a minimalist when it comes to interior decoration. Even so, after years of putting my books on the floor or on small shelves, I decided it was time to add some large shelves to my living room and bedroom. Everyone has their own way of decorating their homes and I wanted something that felt like it belonged in the space without being intrusive, which is why I went with wall-to-wall shelving instead of something just above eye level. After doing this a couple times now, here are my top tips for getting your wall shelving right the first time:
Determine the number and size of shelves you want to put in your home.
When it comes to building a shelf, the first step is deciding how many shelves you want to put in your home. This will be determined by several factors:
- How many items do you want on display?
- How much wall space do you have?
- Are there any other considerations such as pets or small children living in the home with whom safety may be an issue?
Measure out where the sides will be and mark them.
You should measure out where the sides will be and mark them.
- Make sure you are using the right tools. If you have a tape measure, then use it! It is important that your measurements are accurate, so make sure you have a reliable measuring device on hand.
- Make sure you are using the right materials for this project; if not, it may cause issues when building or even damage your wall if done improperly.
Make sure the sides are level.
It’s critical that the sides are level with each other. If one side is lower than another, your shelf will be off-kilter and won’t look right. If you don’t have a level handy, you can use a straight edge (like a piece of wood) to check the sides.
Drill pilot holes for the screws so you don’t split the wood.
When you’re ready to screw in your shelf, take a second and make sure the holes are aligned correctly. You can do this by inserting a pencil through both holes and making sure that the pencil touches both surfaces at once. If you have an exposed nail, use that instead of a pencil so you don’t leave marks on your wall.
Once you are confident in the alignment of your pilot holes, grab a hammer and tap gently until the screw begins to bite into the wood. It’s important not to pound too hard as this could split your board and cause it to break apart during installation: just give it three or four gentle taps with an appropriately sized hammer (the head should be small enough so as not to crack any pieces).
Cut out a section of your drywall and push it aside.
You’ll need to make sure that you don’t cut out too much drywall and take down all the studs. You also want to avoid cutting any electrical wires or plumbing pipes.
You should also be careful not to cut into any gas pipes, as this could be dangerous.
Take this time to make sure your studs are structurally sound, dry and free of mold.
Before you begin, take this time to make sure your studs are structurally sound, dry and free of mold. To do so:
- Use a stud finder to locate the center of each wall that needs a shelf.
- Check for signs of mold or mildew on any exposed wood. If you see signs of mold or mildew, remove it immediately with bleach or baking soda mixed with water (1 cup bleach per gallon). If you can’t remove it, cover it up with drywall tape before mounting your shelves.
Dry fit all of your boards together along with any supports you may need.
Dry fit all of your boards together along with any supports you may need. When dry fitting, make sure that everything is level and the measurements are accurate. Dry fitting also makes it easier to get an idea of how many shelves you’ll need before drilling into the wall.
Attach everything together using long screws through the sides into the supports.
First, you’ll want to drill pilot holes into the wood and make sure it is level. Then, use a screwdriver to secure everything together. Make sure that all of your pieces are straight and securely screwed together before moving on to the next step
Attach a piece of plywood on top.
You will need to attach the plywood to the top of your wall shelving. The easiest way to do this is by using a shelf pin jig, which can be purchased at any hardware store for around $20. It makes it much easier to drill straight holes when you’re attaching wooden shelves to other pieces of wood.
Once you have attached your plywood sheet on top of all four supports, use a hand saw or power tool (depending on what type of material you are cutting) and cut off any excess edges that extend past the support section of each shelf unit. This will ensure that no one can get their hands caught in between those two areas when accessing those particular shelves at ground level.
Replace the piece of drywall that you cut out earlier and screw it back into place after covering up any exposed edges with some drywall tape.
Now that you have the shelves installed on your wall, it’s time to move onto the next step. Make sure you cover up any exposed edges by using drywall tape. This will make the shelf look like it was installed professionally and prevent damages to your walls from occurring in the future.
To finish off this project, use a drywall knife and scrape off any excess drywall compound before applying paint or stain to match the rest of your room’s decor
Apply joint compound to the seams around the piece of plywood on top and then sand it down smooth when it dries completely.
Apply joint compound to the seams around the piece of plywood on top and then sand it down smooth when it dries completely. Use a putty knife to apply the joint compound and sanding block to smooth out the seams. Use a damp cloth to wipe off any excess joint compound or dust that may be left behind after you have finished applying your first coat of joint compound.
Spending some extra time at each step will save quite a bit of time down the line if something goes wrong as well as ensuring that your shelves are sturdy and level.
>If you have time, I recommend spending some extra time at each step to save quite a bit of time down the line if something goes wrong as well as ensuring that your shelves are sturdy and level. It’s not hard to find an extra hour or two in the day to do this, but it will make all the difference when it comes to building in-wall shelves. When you’re trying to install a new shelf system into your wall, there are many things that can go wrong if you’re not careful. This is especially true if the wood has been exposed to water for too long: mold can grow on pieces of wood even if they haven’t been submerged in water! So we’ll take care of all these things before we start building our shelf system so that nothing gets ruined during installation.
Conclusion
I’m sure you’ll agree, these are some great tips for building your own bookshelves. A lot of people feel like they need to hire a contractor but with these simple steps anyone can do it. Just remember to take your time and don’t rush through any part of the process.
