HOW TO PUT UP A SHELF ON A MASONRY WALL - Putting up shelving in your home is a great way to create storage space for books and other times you may want to display or have easy access to. Fitting shelving to any wall is an easy DIY job that anyone can do and in this DIY Carpentry Guide we show you how to put up a shelf on a masonry wall, with easy to follow instructions.
Step 1
Decide on the length, height and where you want to fit your shelf. If you decide you want very long shelves then you will need to buy additional brackets to support the shelf.
Step 2
Take your shelf and place it on the wall at the desired height and using a pencil mark either end of the shelf on the wall.
Step 3
Take a tape measure and measure IN from the marks to approximately 100mm. Do this for both ends. This allows for the shelf to overhang the brackets when secured to the wall.
Step 4
Before going further you need to check that the place you are fitting the shelf does not have any electrical wiring or water pipes behind the wall. Use a multipurpose detector and run this over the area slowly. Once you know there are NO obstacles behind the wall it is safe to drill.
Step 5
Place a bracket on the wall and mark the TOP hole position, on the wall, with a pencil. Only do this for the first bracket.
Step 6
Because you are fixing a shelf to a masonry wall you will need a masonry drill bit and suitable raw plugs. Make sure the ‘Hammer Action’ on your drill is turned ON.
Step 7
One thing you do not want to do is to drill the hole too deep. If you do the raw plug won’t fit snugly and you find the brackets coming away from the wall once you start placing items on the shelf. To avoid this problem, take a raw plug that you will be inserting into the wall and place it against the drill bit. Now take some masking tape and wrap this around the drill bit just below the raw plug. The masking tape will act as a guide, so once you drill to the depth of the masking tape you know you have the right depth.
Step 8
Using your power drill, with the hammer action on, drill the hole that you marked and insert the raw plug. Tap the raw plug gently home with a hammer until it sits flush with the wall.
Step 9
Place a bracket on the wall screw it to the wall in the TOP hole. Leave the bottom hole for now, that comes later.
Step 10
Take a spirit level and place this on top of the bracket you have just fixed to the wall. Now take the other bracket and place this on the wall and using the spirit level, slide up and down until it is level. Once the bracket is level mark the TOP hole on the bracket with a pencil.
Step 11
Drill the hole and insert a raw plug in the same way as above and then screw the bracket to the wall in the TOP hole.
Step 12
Take your spirit level again and check that the brackets are level, both horizontally and vertically. Once the brackets are level mark the bottom hole positions with pencil.
Step 13
Slide the brackets to the side, so that you can drill the bottom holes for each bracket and insert a raw plug in each, tap home gently with a hammer, and then slide the brackets over the holes and screw to the wall.
Step 14
Take your shelf and place on the brackets. Using your spirit level check that the shelf is level.
Step 15
Make sure you have an even overhang on the brackets at either end and then secure the shelf to the brackets with screws. Make sure the screws you are using are not too long – you don’t want the screws to protrude through the shelf.
Acknowledgements: Video – WoodiesDIY.com
