
You need side pieces – Cabinets or bookcases often use side pieces.This is a problem with cheap plastic pegs. As a result, the support can fail if there’s too much weight on the pegs (e.g too many books, or heavy garage items). Also, the part supporting the shelf is about that size. The pegs cannot support too much weight – These pegs only travel into the wood 5/16 of an inch or so.If this happens, all the items stored on the shelf can fall and break! The shelf itself is not very stable – Often a heavy weight near a corner can actually cause the whole shelf to tip and fall out of position.Also, you can easily adjust the shelf position to agree with the size of the objects you need to store. That is because the pegs make assembly easy, and are relatively inexpensive. The end part of the peg goes into the hole, the remainder extends outward and serves to hold the shelf up.Īctually, you find this approach used often with furniture from Target or Ikea. The holes on the other side piece must match. First, drill holes along the side pieces. These pegs do just that: They support the shelves.
Build wood shelf brackets how to#
How To Support A Wooden Shelf: What Are Shelf Support Pegs? Many pieces of hardware can be used to support shelves. Possibly, they might look better when stained. They may be heavier than thinner plywood pieces.

Where are the studs in the wall? – You’ll want to locate the wall studs because you’ll be screwing into them for support.You might want to sand the shelf and also hide screw holes through countersinking and wood plugs. Is the shelf decorative in nature? – If so, you’ll be concerned with the appearance of the wood project.What’s the purpose of the shelf? – Are you using it to hold heavy objects, or just display lighter ones?.It’s a good idea to consider how this will be done in the early stages of your project. Then, I removed the bracket and drilled a hole in the wall on the mark.This article shows how to support a wooden shelf. Next, I held the bracket against the wall where I would be installing it and made a mark on the wall through the hole. I chose to use a 1/4″ drill bit based on the diameter of my lag screws. I started by pre-drilling a hole through the back of the bracket. Pre-drill holesīefore attaching the brackets to the wall, pre-drill the holes both in the bracket and in the wall. This will offer plenty of support for the 2″ thick open shelving that will go on top of the DIY wood shelf brackets. We placed our brackets 32″ apart on the wall studs. Next, I used a stud finder to mark the studs. I used a long level to lightly draw a straight line with a pencil. The first thing I did was draw a line on my wall where I wanted the top of my brackets to be.

Installing DIY Wood Shelf Brackets Supplies You can also use 1″ thick boards, but your shelves will not be as strong and may bow under too much weight. If you’re planning to put heavy things on your shelf like dishes or books I recommend using 2″ thick boards. I chose to use 2×10 boards for my open shelving because I like the look of a thicker shelf. If you’re not sure how to shop for good quality boards, I have a whole post that outlines what to look for here. You can also check out these best woods for shelves to use. Trust me – spending an extra 10 minutes picking out the perfect board will save you 30 minutes of headache down the road (and a trip back to the lumber yard). Be super selective with the boards you choose for you shelf. Putting together DIY open shelving is about 100x easier if you use good quality, straight boards. Planning your DIY Open Shelving Choosing boards for open shelving I use easy-to-understand language that’s perfect for beginners.

They also feature digitally rendered images and detailed instructions that walk you through each step of the build.
