Practical Storage Solutions – Floating Wall Shelves
Floating shelves present a very modern style of displaying your possessions on a wall in a very neat and clean way. They offer neat looks and can hold a lot of weight, depending on the structure of the walls on which these are fixed. Over the last decade or so they have gained a lot of popularity because of their looks and utility. They derive their name as floating shelves for the simple fact that the viewer is unable to view the system or accessories that support it and keep it in place.
Floating shelves are available in a variety of colors in different kinds of wood. Usually, these are not made from solid wood as they tend to be too heavy. However, you get many floating shelves in different designs with a coating of real wood. They have very natural looks and the appearance of being made from real wood. These are light in weight and cost just a fraction of the price of an original one. The three most preferred colors are white, oak and black.
Floating shelves in oak can easily fill the gap between modern and traditional, meaning if your house had a traditional décor with latest fittings and fixtures, an oak shelf would add to the beauty of your home. White floating shelves would go along well with any type of interior design, though the black one is better suited for that bachelor pad’ look or when the walls of your room are covered with wall paper in dark patterns.
Of course, a floating shelf is not floating and needs to be attached to the wall in such a manner that the attachments that hold it in place are not visible. So, how does one go ahead with it? Now, there are quite a few ways of doing it. If you are a hobbyist or enthusiastic to undertake DIY projects, you could surely make your own floating shelf that will be strong enough to carry any heavy object. The simpler way would be to buy a ready to use shelving along with its brackets. The bracket provided with the shelf is basically a metallic strip nearing the length of the post with a pair of poles projecting out of it. There are two corresponding holes on the shelf into which the pole gets fixed. Floating shelves are usually hollow, thereby having low weight, meaning you can put more weight in the shelf itself. It’s not the size of the shelf but the kind of wall onto which it’s fixed that determines its load bearing capacity.
Can I fix floating shelves to any wall?
Yes, you can definitely have them on any wall but it depends on the kind of efforts you are willing to put in. In case some kind of form bricks have been used for construction of the house, fixing of a floating shelf poses no problems, as long as you take care of the pipes and cables running underneath the walls. But in case of plasterboard walls certain difficulties arise. Under such circumstances you have to locate the wooden joists beneath the plaster board on to which you can fix the support bracket. Alternatively you need to strengthen that wall using a board of plywood at the back of the plaster board. It must be pointed out here that shelves fixed on walls with plasterboards can’t hold the same weight that walls made from bricks can.
Super-Strong Floating Shelves
Yes, you can have those but they need to be tailor made. In case you are not a very enthusiastic DIY character, you will need to seek help of an expert. Having strong floating shelves calls for fixing the strip type brackets into the wall so that you can create multiple shelving. That means you have to chisel out the wall so that the strip sits underneath the plaster line and then attach the strips to the wall. This is followed by fitting the arms in the desired position and then applying plaster on the slotted strip. At the end of all this you’ll have shelf brackets projecting out from the wall. Next you need to make some box shelves that slot on the provided supports. Finally, you successfully created your own floating shelves which are able to take a lot of weight! This is a perfect arrangement when you like to have multiple floating shelves, one above the other for storing your AV equipment. The best feature of designing your own shelves is the fact that you could have them in any desired shape, size and color.
Floating shelves find use at many places and on different occasions. Having one in the kitchen can hold your cups and glasses, thereby giving you more free space for easy movements in the kitchen. Compared to old fashioned desks and tables, floating shelves are more helpful in keeping your home better organized and give it a neat look.
Earlier, people used to have tables or patronized old-fashioned holders. However, with the coming of new products, householders prefer to use floating shelves, which have become almost a necessity for any household. Floating shelves offer a neat and modern way of displaying decorative items and photos, apart from other items. You could have a small sized floating shelf for preserving your important and valuable accessories.
A wooden shelf is available in almost any size and shape. That works to the advantage of the householders who like to have floating shelves made as per their personal style and design. The most important factor to know before hand is how much weight the shelf would be able to hold. That’s the deciding factor for you in selecting the kind of wood and the supporting system needed for holding the shelf in place. Your requirements of the shelf depend on a number of factors. If you are just married you may need something different than if you had kids at home. You may be living in the same house for a long time and don’t really feel any paucity of space or may be you have too many items needing proper storage at home.
Making provision for floating shelves at home certainly avoids having any such problem. If you have adequate space you should be making efficient use of the same. It’s worthwhile to have floating shelves that can hold many items thus leaving you with more of free space.
Perhaps, it would be ideal to start with these shelves from your kitchen that has a lot of items which are haphazardly kept therein. Having a shelf on the walls of your kitchen would give you more working area and make your movements in the kitchen very convenient. If you plan to have floating shelves for housing your entertainment equipment, you must consider the size and weight of the items you would like to include in the shelves. Of late, even restaurants have started patronizing floating shelves because of their aesthetic appeal and multipurpose utilities. You may use it as a decorative item or even treat it as a part of your furniture.
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