Where to buy decent floating shelves?

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Smpl Mnmlst
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#2155608 7-Jan-2019 09:58

@Stu1 Come to think of it, maybe my brother’s shelf in the photo is matt white - not gloss.

Either way, it matches the desk (lower part of the photo) that I made for him out of 16mm Melamine - doubled-up across the front to give more-substantial looking 32mm thickness. I routed-out, expoxyed, filled and sanded the front edge - then aerosol spray-painted the edge matt white to hide the dark-line join in the two layers.

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Amosnz

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#2155617 7-Jan-2019 10:19

We're planning on putting some long floating shelves up in the lounge to store books/ alcohol/ etc, so they need to be able to handle weight. Most shelves I've seen have a screw on wall bracket with prongs and any kind of weight makes it bow.

Our solution will be DIY, buy a length of laminated timber, screw 200mm coach screws into the studs and chop the hex head off with a grinder https://www.bunnings.co.nz/zenith-coach-screw-m12x200mm-galvanised_p00246028 , drill holes into the laminated timber slab and slide slab over the coach screws.

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trig42

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#2155618 7-Jan-2019 10:23

I got a 32mm deep floating shelf from Placemakers (was a couple of years ago). It's loaded with books (cookbooks mostly) and has been fine.

It is glossy white.

k1w1k1d

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#2155654 7-Jan-2019 11:00

Amosnz - Could be a bit of an act to get the coach bolts to go into the studs perfectly square so that they align with the holes in the shelves.

This YouTube video shows a method that may be a better alternative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wki3wMAbtLg

Amosnz

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#2155669 7-Jan-2019 11:19

Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

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#2155682 7-Jan-2019 11:37

k1w1k1d:
Amosnz - Could be a bit of an act to get the coach bolts to go into the studs perfectly square so that they align with the holes in the shelves.

This YouTube video shows a method that may be a better alternative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wki3wMAbtLg

Nice video - and I like that guy’s presentation style.

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Linuxluver

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#2155683 7-Jan-2019 11:39

Stu1: Hi guys putting in a new kitchen, I want somewhere to place the sonos one but not on the bench so was thinking about a couple of floating shelves with a power point resessed into the wall to power the speaker. The shelves that I have seen at bunnings, mitre ten don't look that great I am after simple straight line design with white gloss to match the kitchen cabinets. Does any one have any recommendations on decent shelves or other ideas of where to store the sonos?. Where do people keep their speakers in the kitchen?

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#2155685 7-Jan-2019 11:42

Amosnz:
Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

That drill guide is a good and handy piece of kit. I have often thought I would like a small drill-press but I don’t have the use-case or the room for it. That guide would be a great little semi-substitute.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Amosnz

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#2155723 7-Jan-2019 12:08

eracode:
Amosnz:

Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

That drill guide is a good and handy piece of kit. I have often thought I would like a small drill-press but I don’t have the use-case or the room for it. That guide would be a great little semi-substitute.

It's partially plastic so has a bit more flex in it than fully metal versions, but its significantly cheaper too. https://piranhatools.co.nz/collections/brand-kanzawa-japan/products/kanzawa-k-801-2-drill-guide-with-13mm-chuck?variant=335487116

It's still much better than eyeballing it, and since having it I've used it for quite a few situations, more flexible than a drill press.

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blakamin

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#2155745 7-Jan-2019 12:51

Do you know the actual colour of your kitchen cabinets? "Gloss white" gives you about 14 to choose from.

And I almost guarantee, unless the kitchen came from bunnings, a bunnings shelf wont match, and neither will any "gloss white" spray cans (ex-spray painter of kitchen cabinets) :D

If you don't know the actual colour of your cabinets, take a cupboard door (or drawer front) to a cabinet maker and get them to match it. Or go to Union Hardware in Petone and ask them to colour match a spray pack for you.

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#2155751 7-Jan-2019 13:01

Glen is one of the woodworking guys I watch on YouTube to get ideas.

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#2155795 7-Jan-2019 14:02

Amosnz:

Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

What will stop the shelf just sliding off the front of the pin?

neb

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#2155814 7-Jan-2019 14:34

eracode:
Amosnz:
Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

That drill guide is a good and handy piece of kit. I have often thought I would like a small drill-press but I don’t have the use-case or the room for it. That guide would be a great little semi-substitute.

How accurate is it in practice? I read up on them a year or two back and there were numerous complaints about them (meaning drill guides from various manufacturers, not this specific one) performing somewhat poorly compared to drill presses, which admittedly they aren't meant to be.

The other issue is that you can get a cheap drill press for only slightly more than the guides go for... what I'd really like is the Bosch PBD 40, but that's getting a bit pricey...

neb

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#2155815 7-Jan-2019 14:35

mdf:
What will stop the shelf just sliding off the front of the pin?

If he's not gluing it then I assume the weight of the contents + friction will stop any movement?

eracode

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#2155846 7-Jan-2019 14:52

mdf:

Amosnz:

Thanks, I think i saw that video while looking at options.

I've got a drill guide like https://www.carbatec.co.nz/product/17339-portable-drill-guide which makes squaring up the stud holes easier, and it has pins that can added to the bottom which makes drilling dead centre of the shelf easy too. I did a test run using an old piece of 50mm timber with 2 coach screws and it went on pretty easily with a rubber mallet. Next time when i cut the hex head off I'll round off the sharp corner more (I did take some off but that was the only place it seemed to catch.

What will stop the shelf just sliding off the front of the pin?

A fine hole drilled up under the shelf and into the support pin - then fitted with a fine retaining pin - would do it.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

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