Key Post: Shelving

D

db2admin

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Hi,
I am planning to shelve a wall in a study at home to give me more space. Has anyone done this before or does anyone have any ideas?
Would it be best to buy individual shelves and stack them or just buy the wood and make them from scratch?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
Re: Shelving

Hi, make them, then they are will fit perfectly, unlike anything you will buy. Also for the price you will pay for shelves, it would cost you about the same to make them.

We've made a couple of sets - one from MDF painted to color of room. Otheres are frosted glass shelves hung on wall brackets. The glass ones were great as they appeared to take up less space.
 
Re: Shelving

Thanks Monkey,
I don't think that I will try glass shelves just yet.
Just a couple of questions if you can help.
Did you work from a plan for the MDF ones?
Also, did you use metal or wooden brackets?
I have seen shelving where there are vertical lathes attached to the wall and then the shelves attach to them. I think that the advantage is that you can move the shelves when you want change the size.
Did you make them like that?
Thanks again
 
Re: Shelving

I don't think I have the guts to chance this but would love to have a wall of shelves in my study too - like those lovely white ones you see in magazines. Is there a rule for how regular the vertical supports have to be to stop the shelf from bowing/bending?

Rebecca
 
shelves

I made a set of shelves to fit an alcove. originally i wanted the ones that have brackets going to a strut on the wall so I could adjust them, but would have needed 3 struts and doubted my ability to get three in perfect alignment, plus I didn't really want to create great big holes there as I didn't intend to stay there forever. So I measured up the alcove and got the shop - Brooks Thomas - to cut the wood to size for me. I put small lenghts of wood to support the shelves at either end, fixed to the length of wood which ran up the side walls. The guy in the shop recommended the thinkness of the wood necessary for the lenght. Then painted them white. And I'm very proud everytime I look at them!
 
Re: shelves

frosted glass shelves hung on wall brackets
Click to expand...

Monkey0804, do you mind me asking where/how you got sutiable brackets made up? We've a couple of 6'-wide-by-18"-deep alcoves on either side of the fireplace and I'd love to try the semi-invisible glass shelves option, but I'm figuring a piece of 6'x18" glass has to be pretty damn heavy, so ordinary off-the shelf brackets are unlikely to be strong enough to support the weight — either one-at-each-end, or even with an extra support added in the middle...

Dr. M.
 
Re: shelves

Hi there, firstly I must apologise as I've given the wrong impressions - my other half made these and not me! But I did chippie's assistant.

So for wooden shelves, we had 4 upright floor to ceiling height 2cm mdf sheets (giving 3 sections), then numerous horizontal 1cm mdf sheets, which worked out about 50cm given the space we had to fill. Holes were drilled in each of vertical sections every 5cm apart to allow us to move the shelf supports up and down. The hardest part was cutting all the MDF, however we've since come across a place that will cut the sections for you.

The glass shelves were hung on brackets that were sold for a shelving system in Woodies, they worked out pretty reasonable. And we got the glass cut in Myra Glas (around Kevin Street) to fix their size.

Hope this helps. Any more questions I'll pass on to my expert DIY hubbie!
 
Re: shelves

Just to add the glass shelves were narrow, enough to hold a CD, but were about 1-1.5 metre wide.
 
Re: shelves

Monkey, Just wondering how you attached the 2cm uprights to the wall. Did you use steel L-shaped brackets? Also, did you put a back on it first or did you use the wall?
Thanks
 
Re: Shelving

"however we've since come across a place that will cut the sections for you"

Nagging for some shelves myself at the moment and want to use MDF. Where did you get the wood/sections cut?
 
Re: Shelving

DB2admin - they were made so "well!!!" that they were so tight we had to hammer into place (and had great fun trying to take out when we moved!), but they were also secured to the wall also with L shaped brackets also.

Sueellen - other half cut ours, painstakingly, however there is a wood yard in Dunboyne that will cut wood for you to whaterver size. Not sure of address or name - it's on left just before bridge on way into Dunboyne (directly before Sean Boylans Herbalist clinic - in case that's of any use). But if you ring around wood yards some will cut for you for a price.
 
Re: Shelving

Thanks Monkey, I think that I might chance making some.
It would be easier if they were for an alcove, then I could use the homebase directions.
Just wondering if mdf is like chipboard or is it better. I know that chipboard warps after a while and is not very strong. I had planned to use pine planks and cut them to size.
 
Re: Shelving

Thanks for the links, sueellen and Hamslicer.

db2admin, pine planks can warp, too — I made up some airing-cupboard-style slatted shelves in our utility room, using boards about 6' long x 3.5" wide x 1" thick, and they've all warped slightly over the last year or two (and all in different directions, giving a lovely "staggered" effect!) Admittedly, there's probably a fair bit of humidity at play there, since that's where the washer/dryer sit...

At least it was cheap!
 
Re: Shelving

MDF is better than Chipboard - it hasn't warped on us yet (5 years) and we've removed then and reiftted them so they are very solid.

Be careful if you chose to use MDF while cutting it and use a mask - I've read that the dust can be very damaging to your lungs.

Good luck with the build - they'll look great when finished!
 
Re: >>Shelving

Hi, I am looking for advice on shelving alcoves for books mostly. I think I want to put upright tracks on the side walls of the alcove , not on the back wall as I think this would look less obvious. No problem finding the upright tracks but can't seem to find supporting brackets that are small peg type. Anyone any suggestions as to where to go to get a better range of fittings. Have been to B&Q and Woodies.

The other alternative I would consider is fitting angle iron to the wall sides and back and sitting the shelf into it. I am thinking this would look a bit more flush than timber battons. Would aluminium be strong enough for 1 inch mdf shelves?

Any advice much appreciated.
 
Re: >>Shelving

You can get these from www.toolshopdirect.co.uk. Just search the site for "shelf supports". They have 5mm Trend branded supports available in plastic, silver metal, and brass at £2.35 for 12, plus P&P of course. They also have a template available to make acurate and regular placement of the required holes easy, perhaps overkill for a one-off though.


The Routing Centre in the Bluebell Industrial Estate are the Irish distributors for Trend products, but they're expensive and only open Monday to Friday. So I always buy online from the UK, and including P&P, it always works out cheaper.

Enjoy!
Leo
 
Re: >>Shelving

Hi Leo, Thanks for that rapid response. I am checking out the web site.

Any opinion on my other option for the aluminium angle iron support? I would lose the flexibility to move shelves but it is still an option I could consider.
 
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