Tips for Fastening Shelves to Walls and Ceilings

No shelf is finished until it’s installed. Does it need to be attached to a wall, ceiling, or floor? The type of surface will dictate the kind of fastener needed. Here are some tips:

Most house walls and ceilings are not solid’ they’re built of sheet materials laid over a framework of studs and joists. Wall studs are structural members, usually of 2 by 4 lumber, that run vertically at regular intervals between a sole plate at the floor and a top plate. Ceiling joists run horizontally above the studs to frame the ceiling or upper-story floor.

Common sheet materials include gypsum wallboard, plaster (with wooden lath or wire backing), and paneling. These materials alone will not hold much weight. In contrast, masonry walls, which are solid, will hold plenty of weight. With them the problem lies in attaching the fastener itself.

Studs and joists are spaced – usually 16″ or 24″. Once you’ve found one stud, locating the rest should be easy. There are several methods for finding the first stud. From one of the four major corners of a standard house, try measuring in 14 ½”. If you find the first one there, the next studs should be at 16″ intervals.

Paneling and wallboard often show where nails have been driven into studs and joists. If nails don’t show, use a stud finder, an inexpensive device that has a magnetized needle that dances as it nears a nail head. If you’re still uncertain, make exploratory holes in a likely but inconspicuous spot with a small drill.

The same methods apply to finding joists. If the ceiling is suspended, push up a section and look for solid wood. If you’re working on the top (or only) story of the house, you may have access to an attic or crawlspace where the joists are exposed. If necessary, studs and joists can be bridged with cross-members, and the shelving unit secured anywhere along the bridge with nails or woodscrews.

If anchoring into the house framing isn’t practical, or if you’re dealing with a masonry wall, you can still attach your shelves securely. Spreading anchors, consisting of a bolt and a metal sleeve, are pushed through a hole or tapped into the wall. Tightening the bolt expands the sleeve against the wall’s back side. The bolt is then backed out, slipped through the fixture to be attached, and tightened in the sleeve again.

Toggle bolts have spring-loaded, wing-like toggles that expand once they’re through the wall. Drill a hole large enough for the toggle when compressed, then pass the bolt through the fixture to be mounted. Slide the toggles through the hole – they’ll open on the other side and pull up against the back of the wall when the bolt is tightened.

Plastic anchors expand inside the hole itself; they’re not as strong as either spreading anchors or toggle bolts, but they can be removed. Expanding anchors for masonry walls are lead, plastic, or fiber sleeves with a hollow core for bolt or screw. Drill a hole the diameter of the sleeve and slightly longer than it, and tap the sleeve in. Slip the bolt or screw through the fixture to be attached, and drive it into the sleeve. Use lag screws or machine bolts for greatest strength.