Floating shelves are extremely trendy right now, and for good reason! They save floor space, they look incredible, and best of all, they give you yet another thing to worry about each and every day! Installing one is surprisingly easy. Just follow these simple steps, and then sit back, relax, and enjoy worrying about whether it’s going to fall or not for the rest of your life!
Mark the Shelf’s Placement
First, you’ll want to assess the best location for your floating shelf. You can try to find a spot that isn’t directly over something valuable, but honestly, is there really any good place in a home for a shelf to collapse on? Once you’ve settled on a lamp or plant you don’t mind seeing crushed, mark the placement of the screws on the wall with a pencil. Be sure to use a level. Last thing you want is the shelf to look wonky before its weight violently rips it out of the drywall and ruins your bedroom!
Install the Drywall Anchors
Next, use a stud finder to locate the stud in your wall. Installing directly into a stud ensures maximum sturdiness for your shelf. When you inevitably can’t find one in the area you want to put your shelf, just say “whatever!” and put it there anyway. It’s possible that studs might just be a myth or something! You’ll want to pre-drill holes where you’ve marked your screw placement, then tap in drywall anchors using a hammer. Yes, the weight of your shelf is going to be supported by those flimsy, little, plastic things! Good luck not thinking about that as you go to sleep under this thing every night!
Mount The Hardware
With the anchors in place, hold up the mounting hardware, then use a Phillips head screwdriver to secure the screws in the holes. Don’t worry if the screws never seem to actually tighten, and instead just kind of rest there in the holes. It’s probably supposed to be like that!
Secure The Shelf
Lastly, slide the shelf onto the mounting hardware, making sure it is flush with the wall. You may notice that the shelf appears to be sagging forward slightly. Well, now that you’ve noticed it, you’ll surely notice it every time you walk into your bedroom from now until the end of eternity! It’s very hard not to notice! As a final precaution, you’ll want to screw the shelf to the mounting hardware from below. Because if this thing’s coming out of the wall, you want it all to come out of the wall, right? Right!
And… ta-da! You’re all done! Step back, appreciate your handiwork, and listen intently for the soft, almost imperceptible groaning that is now surely emanating from the shelf. Looks great, right? Now just imagine how it’ll look in three months when you finally work up the courage to put some books on it!
