Floating shelves look like carpentry sorcery, but the construction is straightforward. A solid board sits on hidden brackets, and the only real work is making sure everything is level before the screws go in.
Materials
- One board, 25 mm thick, 90 cm long (oak, pine or walnut)
- Two or three heavy-duty shelf brackets
- A spirit level, pencil, tape measure and stud finder
- Screws suited to your wall type
Step by step
Hold the board where you want it and draw a light line along the bottom edge. Check the line with the level — adjust until the bubble sits dead centre, because everything else follows this reference. Find the studs behind the wall and mark them; if you are not on a stud, use appropriate wall anchors.
Offer up each bracket, mark the holes, drill pilot holes and drive the screws home. Finally, seat the board firmly onto the bracket pins and test it with a firm downward push before loading it.
Three mistakes to avoid
Screwing into a hollow wall without anchors, trusting your eye instead of the level, and choosing a shelf board that is too thin to stay straight across its span. Solve all three before drilling and the shelf will outlive the wall.