Comments on: Hanging Shelves

By: derobert

derobert — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:47:15 +0000

3M makes some very shallow shelves (think "depth of a soap dish"), but those probably won't work for you. The basic problem is that the tape adhesive is fairly good at holding loads that attempt to pull down, but not away. If you think of the forces acting on a shelf, it actually is trying to pull both down and away from the wall, and further the shelf functions as a lever, increasing the force applied in the away direction the deeper the shelf.

One way to deal with this is to put the shelf in a corner. Then you can support the the front of the shelf along the two walls, as well as the back, now the force will only be downward. You'd use a rounded or triangular shelf, of course, because a rectangular one would have an unsupported corner.

Of course, you could use a table. But I'm sure you already know that.

Another thought: Small network equipment (routers, modems, etc.) are often designed to be wall mounted (as well as sit on a desk). Normally, you'd put screws into the wall, and hang it on the screws. You can't do that, but I think you could find some of the 3M hooks you could use instead...

Final thought: They don't allow holes of any sort, but have you asked for an exception?

I suggest asking a question on the main site (as opposed to the blog).

By: Lee in Everett

Lee in Everett — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:51:57 +0000

I'm curious. The "L" bracket shelf you have shown above, is there any way to attach this securely to a wall when you can't use nails or screws?

The apartment I'm moving into will not allow holes of any sort, and I only need the shelf to support my router and modem, near my desk. I've seen the 3M sticky-hooks, but they have no options for shelving.

I assume with a 'light load' the same could apply with a shelf, but have no idea what I would look for, or where.

Any advice you could offer here would be much appreciated.

By: chriscudmore

chriscudmore — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:33:15 +0000

What you say is true. But I was writing for a specific audience, and a laser level was not going to be found amongst the 3 tools in her kitchen drawer.

By: derobert

derobert — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:04:37 +0000

A laser level works well for getting a bunch of standards/rails lined up, and only requires one person. Of course, it requires purchasing a $30 piece of equipment. Affix the laser level to the wall, line up the tops (or bottoms, I suppose) of the standards with the laser line.

Also, if you're at all worried about overtightening pulling the screws out of the studs, I dare say you haven't used long enough screws. Mine are up with 3½" wood screws (~9cm), and overtightening would certainly deform the standard (making it impossible to get the shelf bracket in, I speak from experience here!), possibly force the standard through the drywall, and eventually rip the head off the screw, but they aren't coming out of the stud.