How To: Mounting Shelving in Wooden Studs

NOTE: This guide is for mounting objects directly in to wooden studs (houses and buildings under 5 stories). There will be another guide for mounting in drywall, steel stud, and concrete coming soon!

A lot of friends and customers ask me for help securing shelving, cupboards and other items on their walls. Little do they know that it's a simple recipe! We'll detail shelving with underside (L-Shaped) brackets below, but with a few alterations this can be used to hang cabinets and TVs as well.

 

Milwaukee is my favorite drill brand, and both of these tools will last you a life time.

Tools and Materials:

• Pencil (Swanson Tool CP700 Carded Carpenter Pencil, Amazon)

• Shelving Brackets (OVOV Heavy Duty Shelf Brackets Triangle Shelving Brackets, Amazon)

• Shelving Board(s). This can be cut from 1/2 in finishing plywood at a hardware store or purchased as shelving board but should generally be 8" deep.

• Tape Measure (LEXIVON 25Ft/7.5m AutoLock Tape Measure, Amazon)

• Stud Finder (Tavool Stud Finder - 4 in 1 Electronic Stud Sensor, Amazon)

• 4’ Level (Johnson Level & Tool 7748-O Structo-Cast Level, Amazon)

• Drill or Impact Driver (Milwaukee 2697-22CT 18V Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit, Amazon)

• 2.5" wood and/or deck screws

• 1/2" wood screws

Cost of basic tools: ~$300
Cost of materials $35-100

Preparation:

• Place your item! If you want to centre it on a wall measure the total distance of the space, the size of the item to mount, and divide the remainder by half. This will give you the left and right most barriers of your item and perfectly centre it.
  TIP: Remember that bulk heads, crown moulding and other "built in" items or divisions can affect the perception of a space. If your placement seems off, try redoing your measurements considering the space those take.

• With your pencil and level, draw a line at the top of your item. Make sure that your level is reading flat.

• Take a look at the backside of what you want to mount and consider the space that the supports leave from the top and outer edges of the item. Shelving and cabinets usually have either L shaped brackets to support the items, or a steel bar to sit the cabinet on. We'll be specifically dealing with L shaped brackets in this guide.
  TIP: Use the back of the item to write these numbers down!

An alternative to step 6: Use the horizontal mount on the shelving.

• Shelving, cabinets and other heavier items have to go in to studs. Thankfully the horizontal placement of these are generally more flexible than other decorations. To use most stud finders, run it flush against the wall while holding down the active button. When your stud finder begins to respond, you have found the EDGE of a stud. Continue until the response ends to find the other edge, and mark your space in between. 
  TIP: Studs are typically spaced 16" apart and 1.5 inches thick, depending on the type of building and age of construction. 

•  It's time to make your first hole! If you are nervous re-measure from your corner until confident. Using a 2.5" wood or deck screw, attach the first side of your mount into the stud. If you must go in to drywall then an anchor is necessary here. Each type of anchor has different strengths, which we explain here.
  TIP: Test your stud’s location with the smallest drill bit or thinnest nail you have. If it doesnt hit wood patch it up later. This way, if your stud finder is innacurate you won’t have much to patch and your shelving won’t fail.

• We're going to use the level to finish marking everything from here. Use the level's measuring tool to find your next hole and repeat step 5. Alternatively, if you are hanging a short shelf, you can place the level on the shelf to mark down the top of your next bracket.
  TIP: Use the level to vertically straighten your brackets before putting in the supporting screws.

• Place the board over your brackets and secure with 1/2" screws.

If you follow these seven steps you should have some nifty looking shelving up in no time.  It's basically the same for paintings, TV mounts, anything really!

A very large painting we hung for a client, December 2016

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment! If you're stressed for time or want professional assistance, give us a call at 604 816 7942, email us at admin@brownbox.ca, or use the form on our home page to get a hold of us about your project!

More hanging tips to come!
-Mathieu