Hangin’ up Some Shelves

My mom needed some more storage space in her ceramic studio, so we got some shelves, and since I am the resident family builder I volunteered to hang them.
Hanging shelves is not very hard as long as you follow very simple steps.  Before jumping into the actual work, let me just share a a few safety tips.

Working with Electricity and a Power Drill To make sure you are not about to drill or put screws into electric wires use a stud finder to locate the wires before you drill.  If you don’t know how to use a stud finder, find someone who does.

If you need to drill into concrete, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes.  After you are done drilling the hole, be carful not to touch the drill bit right away because it will be hot.  Also, when drilling, make sure that the drill is level at all times (otherwise your holes are going to be on a slant).
The tools you will need:

1. Drill
2. Screwdriver
3. Level (either a 3 foot or a laser)
4. Measuring tape
5. Pencil
6. Awl (or other thin pointed instrument) or masonry drill bit (if you are working on a concrete wall)
7. Plastic wall anchors and screws (there ere different anchors types for sheetrock and masonry)

Here are my assembly steps:

1. Visualize where on the wall you want to hang the shelf (it’s a good idea to draw it on paper first)
2. Mark the corner spot for the shelf (measure it from the ceiling and the closest wall)
3. Use the level to mark (I use light pencil marks every 6 inches) the vertical and horizontal lines on which the shelves will be installed. Pay close attention to the bubble,  as even the smallest misalignment will add up to a large error. 
4. Place the shelf bracket on the wall and mark the holes with the scratch awl.
5. Pre punch a hole in the wall using the awl  (in sheetrock) or pre drill using a masonry bit  (in concrete block)
6. Inset the plastic anchors and screw them into the wall
7. Attach the shelf bracket with 2 screws.  As you are tightening the second screw check to make sure the bracket is level
8. Repeat steps 1-7 for the second bracket
9. Place shelf plank on the two brackets and check the level again.  If it’s good, attach the shelf to the brackets.
10. Repeat steps 1-9 until you are done with all shelves.
11. As you are installing brackets continue to check for level.  I hear from an authority in the field of leveling (my dad) that for every hole you drill you should measure 3 times.

   
The Tools                             Layout                                Leveling     
Punching Hole           Inserting Anchor         Attaching Bracket
  Shelves and Brackets                      Attaching Shelves

Voilà

Stand back and enjoy your handy work.