How far apart should floating shelves be?
Floating shelves can have as much or as little space between them as a decorator wants when it comes to horizontal placement. However, vertical placement is limited by the location of the studs in a room. Always secure floating shelves to wall studs under the drywall.
How much do floating shelves weigh?
Since we are shelf geeks and own a company that manufactures floating shelves, this is an easy one for us. The answer is, a lot of weight—if it is done right. Like anywhere from 25lbs to well over 300lbs. That is a big range. So here's the catch, the answer to this question is essentially based on a sliding scale of factors.
How do you make a floating shelf?
How to Create Long, Deep, & Thin Floating Shelves. 1. Create the frame. The frame is pretty easy to make; I used 1x2s for the sides of each shelf, cut to length for the back and front pieces (so 69″ or ... 2. Installing support through a tile wall. 3. Add the middle supports to the back cleat. 4. ...
What size bracket do I need for floating kitchen shelves?
If you are floating kitchen shelves, 12" usually works since most cabinets and the plates, cups, and bowls they house, are 12" or less deep. Second lesson, pick a bracket that can handle the dimensions of your project.
How deep can shelves be?
1. The shelves shouldn't be too deep. The standard depth of most shelves is 16 to 20 inches deep. The highest shelf should be shallower, like 12 inches deep, to make those items easier to access.Oct 16, 2017
How deep do floating shelf brackets need to be?
Typical shelf depths are 12” for kitchen, 10” for living room/bookshelves. A 3/4” diameter rod will handle both with ease. Using smaller rods like 5/8" or 1/2" means you wont be able to go as deep, or hold as much. Using larger diameter rods means you can go deeper.Jan 18, 2019
How thick should a floating shelf be?
The thickness of the wood should be around 2”. This thickness will make your floating shelf sturdy without looking too bulky. Aside from thickness, you also need to consider the type of wood that you are using and to make sure that it's good for us.
How thick should floating shelves be in kitchen?
For kitchens, you want to have a depth of at least 10 inches. This is important if you want to store dinner plates or other wider items on your shelving.Feb 1, 2021
How deep should a bookshelf be?
For example, if you are floating a bookshelf, typically your shelf won’t need to be deeper than 10" since most books are less than 9" deep.
Do floating shelves hold weight?
Clearly weight capacity matters more for Eric. Floating shelves can only maintain high weight capacities if they are mounted into something solid like wall studs or masonry block. They hold the most weight when they are secured into something solid all the way across the length of each shelf.
Can you screw a floating shelf bracket into two studs?
If you only screw your floating shelf bracket into two studs then the entire shelf system is literally supported by only those two screws. They essentially have to do all of the work to support the bracket, shelf, and everything on them. In cases where weight capacity isn’t critical, this isn’t a problem.
Floating shelves - how deep are yours?
If you have floating shelves in your kitchen, how deep are they? Are you happy with the depth or would you go deeper or more shallow? I appreciate pics too!
Comments (5)
Mine are 8" deep. Our cabinet maker said that their standard is 12", but I didn't want the shelves to stick out that much. I measured some bowls and jars to see what depth would function for the items I had in mind, and this was perfect for me. My 2 shelves are in an "L" in a corner.
1. Create the frame
The frame is pretty easy to make; I used 1x2s for the sides of each shelf, cut to length for the back and front pieces (so 69″ or 5’9″ long) and width for the sides, minus the width of the front and back pieces (I wanted 12″ wide shelves, but the actual width of 1x2s are 1 1/2″ wide, so that meant only 9″ for the side pieces).
3. Add the middle supports to the back cleat
With the longer pieces of each shelf cut to 69″ each, I used some remaining scrap 1x2s and 1x3s to fill in the middle section of the first shelf. I drilled pocket holes using my Kreg Jig and 1 1/4″ screws (determined based on the thickness of the wood, which is 3/4″).
4. Add the frame to the wall
With the side cleats installed (remember to leave a gap to fit the back piece), screw in the back cleat and rest of the frame to studs in the wall.
5. Add plywood
With the frame in place, you can then add plywood. Since I don’t have a table saw in my garage right now, I had my local Blue cut down a piece of 1/2″ sanded plywood and 5mm sanded plywood to 12″ lengths for me. The rest of the cuts I did at home using my circular saw and a piece of scrap wood clamped to the plywood to use as a guide.
6. Attach the front piece
When all pieces are attached, they wound up being just shy of 1 1/2″ thick, so I was able to use another 1×2 for the front to hide the plywood edges.
7. Finish and decorate!
After all of the finishing steps (filling holes with wood filler, sanding, caulking, priming, painting, etc.), here’s how things look now:
Height of Floating Kitchen Shelves
There are so many decisions to be made when you are installing floating kitchen shelves. Decisions on questions like:
Heights for Hanging Shelving
I know when I’m trying to make a decision on specific sizing, finishes, etc., it’s always extremely helpful when I find a tutorial that lists EXACTLY what I’m looking for. I’m really hoping that this post on the height of floating shelves will walk you through your options and help you decide what will work best in your space.
Floating Shelves Kitchen Ideas
This lovely kitchen is by Aniko from Place of My Taste. Her shelf placement on the wall is a bit higher than some of the other inspirations.
Purpose Is Important
Floating shelves are a smart solution for storing books, plants, spices and a panoply of different items. However, when mounting these kinds of shelves, it is critical to take into consideration the purpose of the shelf and how much space will be needed for the items it will house.
How Far Apart Should Floating Shelves Be?
As far as horizontal placement is concerned, the biggest factor impacting this is going to be the location of wall studs. The fact is that the bracket system used by floating shelves demands that they be secured to studs if they are to bear any kind of weight.
The Bottom Line on Floating Shelf Spacing
The bottom line here is that these are just general guidelines. You can truly have as much or as little vertical space between shelves as you desire. Just keep in mind that spacing them too close or too far apart can diminish the aesthetic value.
How to determine the horizontal distance between floating shelves?
The horizontal distance between floating shelves is determined by the height of the items that are being displayed or stored on the shelf. When placing the shelves horizontally, allow room for the tallest item on the shelf plus space for visual effect.
Can you secure floating shelves with drywall?
Floating shelves' hidden brackets must be secured to studs. They cannot be secured with drywall anchors, or the weight of the shelf and contents will eventually pull the shelf away from the wall. Floating shelf brackets bear all of the weight.
Can floating shelves be horizontal?
Floating shelves can have as much or as little space between them as a decorator wants when it comes to horizontal placement. However, vertical placement is limited by the location of the studs in a room. Always secure floating shelves to wall studs under the drywall.
