I bought the following shelf online: http://www.mygaragestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=1366. Dimensions are 12 in. Tall x 48 in. Wide x 16 in. Deep
It didn’t come with any mounting hardware, instructions, or even suggestions on sizes of screws, etc , etc.
My first thought was to get 2 or 3 L-Shaped brackets, attach them to the wall long side down and set this shelf on the horizontal parts of the L-Shape - but then thought that may look kind of ugly. The pic on the web site doesn’t show any mounting, so I think they just drilled holes in the back of the shelf (back plate is the full 12"x48") and into some studs in the wall. There are no predrilled holes or anything - which I guess is best because you’d need to adjust to where your studs are.
The lower shelf is only 7" deep, so there is a hollow space (9"x8"x48") between the lower shelf and the back plate. Looks like a good place to put some mounting screws since they would be hidden. Think this would suffice, or should I put some in the upper part of the back plate, also (top shelf and top of the back plate is 4").
If I go this route - how many screws, where and what size? Do I need anything like washers or large screw heads to distribute the load? Shelf is about 30 lbs and probably needs to hold an additional 20-30lbs.
Any other ways to mount it? The garage is brand new and still kind of nice so I’d like to do this as cleanly as possible. Anything else I need to know? I’m not much of a handyman so any advice appreciated.
Buy an 8-foot section of 1" X 2" or 1" X 3" oak board. Cut it in half. Mount them to the wall, horizontally, 8 to 12 inches apart. (Bolt into the studs.) Mount the shelf to the oak boards.
I would drill three holes spaced 16" apart from one another to align with the studs in your garage wall.
I would screw in something like 1/4" X 2" lag bolts through about a 1" diameter washer.
Something like that anyway. On the top shelf; the one without the hollow space.
First I would mark where I wanted the assembly. Then I would mark the studs. Then I would make a cardboard template with the position of those studs marked. I would pre-drill the holes in the studs. Put the template against the back of the assembly and drill those holes. Then I would apply a wood ledger board below where the assembly will go so it can rest on that. With help to hold it in place, then screw it directly to the studs using “cabinet” screws as long as 3".
Perhaps this order works better:
Template
Ledger board
Drill holes in assembly
Hold assembly up and predrill through to studs
Screw the assembly in place
I would email the company and ask them. Seems pretty silly to be selling something like that and then not even have any holes on the backside so that you could hook it over some nails! Maybe the hardware and directions got left out of your package. For that price, they should be providing some hardware.
Can you post a picture of the back of the shelf?
Is there any reason you don’t want to fasten to the drywall? With a 60# load, you should be able to anchor the shelf with either molly bolts or toggle bolts directly to the drywall without worrying about finding a stud, though you should still be aware of where your studs are if you are drilling into your wall, especially since you will be trying to avoid them with either of those fasteners.
If you are renting, a toggle bolt will put quite a hole in your wall, but they can hold a lot of weight.
Here is a website that talks about fasteners in drywall.
At the bottom of the page there are links to individual charts with weight ratings for single fasteners of various types including toggle bolts, which I think is your best bet.
direct to studs. Locate them, hold shelf up where you want it to go. Drill holes. screw to studs.
Thanks for all the replies.
The template sounds like a good idea. I’ll start taping some paper together til I get it big enough.
I did e-mail the website about mounting - haven’t heard back from them and it’s been over a week.
The back of the shelf is just a 12" x 48" metal/diamond plate. No reason not to attach to drywall, other than I wasn’t sure if drywall would hold it. It does sound easier just to find the studs. For some reason they are not the standard 16" between, but I should be able to find them. They are still building in the neighborhood, I may be able to find a partial garage to help figure out the stud pattern.
Mostly I’m concerned with size and number of screws/bolts based on the shelf size and weight.
There are basically two ways of doing it: 1) Bolt through the shelf and directly into studs, or 2) Bolt a couple horizontal wood strips (oak is best) to the studs, and then screw the shelf to the wood strips.
Personally, I would do #2 for the following reasons:
- Crud can’t get stuck/wedged between the shelf and wall.
- You can use many small screws to mount the shelf to the wood strips. This will make the shelf flatten out nicely, and distribute the load more evenly.
The chart I posted will tell you the load capacity for the specific hardware I suggested and from there you can figure out how many pieces to use.
However you decide to hang the shelf, I would not advise that you use drywall screws. They are fasteners and not load bearing hardware. However if you don’t want to rely on an anonymous voice on the internet, go to your local hardware store and ask for suggestions.
Also, if your studs aren’t on 16" centers, check 12 and 24. More likely 24" if it’s a non-load bearing wall, and 12" centers if it’s an exterior facing wall.
It’ll be tough to span 3 studs if they’re on 16" centers. I’d drill 2 holes lined up on each stud it crosses and hang it with 1/4 x 2 lag bolts and washers.
To expand on Projammer’s point, if you want to put the shelf up in a particular location, the studs may not line up well as anchor points. You could easily get a stud close to one end, one sort of in the middle, and no stud on the far end. In that case, go with toggle bolts, they’re plenty strong, 4 would be more than strong enough for this application, and you can set them more or less exactly where you want.
To find a stud, you can tap the wall with your knuckle until it sounds solid, then test with a finish nail to determine exactly where it is centered. Test where you will be putting the shelf, so you won’t see the holes.