Do any of the hardware manufacturers make standard brackets for building “floating” shelves with hidden brackets.
I am looking for the look you see more and more in the magazines of ~1″ thick shelves about 12″ deep that have no visible brackets. I have considered using steel rod epoxied into the studs and into the shelf, but I hate having to find out why it won’t work after installation.
Load on the shelves will be plates and glasses.
Note that I posted this to the kitchen forum, but got no bites. I apologize for the duplication but I am looking forward to a sage response!
Replies
One way to do it is to rout grooves into the ends of the shelf boards, then put a spline in the upright. I have seen bent wire thingies that do the same thing. There's a series of small holes in the upright, and the end sof the wire go into them. The wire sticks out about a half inch, and the groove in the end opf the board slips over the wire. Check Woodworkers Supply or Rockle ... I forget where I saw it.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Your idea of steel rods into the studs will probably hold the weight, but the epoxy will make subsequent removal nearly impossible.
And make no mistake, sooner or later, the shelves WILL need to be removed. After all, how long will it take for those home fashion magazines to start showing some other type of shelves. Six months? Maybe a year or two?
Instead, you might want to think of shelves that are just a bit thicker, and are constructed as a 6-sided box. One of the sides (actually the back) is lagged onto the studs. The remaining 5-sided box is pre-assembled, and pinned to the piece that is now on the wall.
As an option, you could lag a piece of angle iron to the wall. Then kerf the back edge of the wooden shelf so the kerf slides over the protruding steel edge. A couple of recessed wood screws or stove bolts then holds the wood to the steel.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
I have made something like that.. a sort of french cleat on the wall.. Wood or formed metal..
Cut a half dovetail in the shelf back edge that will fit the french cleat with a little extra room to fit.. . Assuming the shelf edge allows it.. I use some small threaded inserts through the bottom of the shelf for two machine screws to lock it in place.. 'T' nuts will work.. works for me...
I just installed some floating shelves myself a few months ago and labored over the exact same thing. After a lot of searching I didn’t find a suitable bracket. I posted a message on this forum and got some great advice. I ended up screwing 8” lag bots into the center of each stud, perfectly straight and then cut off the heads. I made corresponding holes in the shelf and it slid right onto the wall. I scribed to match the wall for a tight fit and added some pintable caulk for a clean look. The tricky part was making sure the lags went in straight and at 90° to the wall. I got the tip right here so do a search and you’ll get plenty of old chats. Good Luck.
Ryan
No reason why you'd need to use lags. Just steel rod that's a tight fit into the hole should work.
A few years back we bought in some small shop (don't even remember where) funny-looking bent wires with a wood screw tip on one end. They're bent in a sort of mutilated L, with the short leg of the L threaded. You screw that end into the back of the shelf, then insert the long leg through a small hole in the drywall. The shape is such that the long leg of the L rests on the back of the drywall and holds the shelf securely horizontal.
They had them in several sizes, including some fairly large ones. (We needed some small ones for a small knickknack shelf that kept jumping off the picture hooks.) Would obviously not be strong enough for a bookshelf, though.
Although I'm all for craftsmanship, I'd suggest you go to http://www.IKEA-USA.com They feature a floating shelf in many colors and finishes in two lengths. Their shelves are constructed similar to a hollow core door, which makes them very light and fairly strong. They are also pretty cheap, so if you ABSOLUTELY have to make your own, buy one of theirs, toss the shelf and use the bracket. I've been very happy with this product of theirs.
The brand name of the shelf is "LACK". All of their products have unusual names.
Buy them from ikea.
I used to go through this mental masterbation all the time when doing these shelves. I always felt that there was a way to "build a better mouse trap". Did the hidden cleat. Did the welded sq pipe to a flat then screwed to the studs... You name it, I did it.
Then one day I came home to my apt and saw my neighbor throwing out her floating shelves. From afar, I thought " Who did she get to build those? She doesn't have that kind of money or body." Then I asked and she said she got them from IKEA. Can ya beat that? They are great, and look so good in MY apt! From then on this item was a total money maker for me. We make the shelves, custom sizes, materials and finishes. IKEA provides the bracket.
F
Try these Floating Shelf Brackets: https://rightonbracket.com/product/floating-shelf-bracket/
the have a thick back-plate and are welded all the way through on the mount rods that come out.
Or these Mantel Brackets: https://rightonbracket.com/product/fireplace-mantel-bracket/
They mount to the stud and work quite well will super heavy stuff. Railroad tie mantels, stone or granite shelves, etc. See picture