H Mag - The Handy Mag for Home, Hardware and Home DIY Jun. 2014 | Page 35

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on if you want to paint or stain your timber.
Measure your dimensions and then cut
your timber to length with a handsaw or
circular saw. Some hardware stores can cut
your timber to length on request.
2. Brackets
There are three brackets that are widely
used for making shelving. These are:
wooden brackets fixed to vertical battens,
L shaped metal brackets fixed to the wall
studs and metal brackets that clip into
slotted metal strips fixed to the wall stud.
Wooden brackets ‐ These brackets are a
basic three piece triangle construction
which is screwed or nailed into the wall.
Inexpensive and easy to make.
Metal Brackets ‐ These L shaped metal
brackets come in varying sizes, and styles
and achieves maximum strength if screwed
directly through the wallboard and into the
wall stud.

Metal Strips ‐ This system achieves a high
weight capacity with vertical metal strips
that are screwed directly through the
wallboard into the wall studs. The metal
strips and brackets come in varying lengths
and are very easy to install and adjust.
3. Attaching the brackets
Attaching the brackets
Determine where you want the shelving to
be positioned and mark the shelf line using
a spirit level. If the wall is made of masonry,
simply drill bracket pilot holes taking into
consideration any electrical wiring.
If you have plaster walls you have to source
the wall studs as they offer strength and
increase weight capacity. To find the studs,
you can use a stud finder or simply tap
along the wall until you hear a change in
sound. It is now a matter of attaching the
brackets on the masonry wall (use nylon
plugs) or into the wall studs with screws.

You can choose various styles and
types from wooden, stainless steel
and cast iron. Visit your local hardware store to see which best suits
your purpose.