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How to hang a shelf on the wall

Timber wall shelf on wall with black brackets.

Overview

You can never have too much storage! Shelf space is a great way to store things out of the way in your laundry, kitchen, bedroom or home office. They're easy to build and look great when matched to your decor and furnishings. Create a design focal point for your room AND store all your gear.

Steps

1Locate the studs in your wall

Before you hang your shelf work out where you'd like it to go and check to see whether there are any wall studs – these are the parts of the wall you can drill straight into. Use a stud finder to locate them – these nifty contraptions will beep when you locate one. If you don't have a stud near the spot you want to hang your shelf, no worries. You can use a wallmate – more on that later.

Person making a mark on a wall using pencil and stud finder.

2Mark where you want the shelf to go

Get as creative as you like with your shelf. We're using a piece of timber from our local Bunnings, but there's no reason why you couldn't use a piece of driftwood you found at the beach, or an old re-purposed piece of recycled timber. Hold the shelf where you would like it to go, and mark the height with a pencil – this is where you'll screw in your brackets. Use a spirit level to make sure everything is straight.

Person holding a timber wall shelf against a wall and using a pencil to make a mark.

3Mark your screw points

Grab your shelf brackets, place them up against the wall, and mark where your screws will go. Then get your power drill and drill directly into the stud (if there's one where you're hanging), or grab a nifty wallmate and pop this into your plaster – this will protect your wall and allow you to screw through your bracket to the wall. Drill pilot holes for your wallmate first.

Person holding a black bracket against a wall and using a pencil to make a mark.

4Screw your bracket in

Our first bracket is going straight into the wall, but we're screwing the second one into the plaster using wallmates we drilled in through our pilot holes. Once these are in, you can grab your bracket and drill directly into the wallmate. When using your drill, don't forget to use safety glasses.

Person drilling black bracket into a wall.

5Hang and secure your shelf

Once your mounting brackets are secured into the wall, grab your piece of wood and make sure it's central to the brackets. Then, locate your screws and use your drill to secure them into the wood from the bottom of the brackets. 

Person wearing safety glasses and drilling a black bracket and piece of timber together.

6Shelf-tastic!

With two brackets, some screws and a piece of wood we've created a beautiful shelf to display or store keepsakes. How easy was that? You are now an official D.I.Y. hero!

7Watch more from the home office episode

Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer.