Step 1:
You'll need:
- A spirit level
- Pencil
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Appropriate screws and fixings
- A hammer
- Goggles
- An AC electrical detector and an extension cord if necessary.
Step 2:
Before you start knocking holes in walls check the area for electric cables using your AC Dectector. Depending on the model you have it should flash or beep if there are any currents running through the wall. Drilling into an electric cable can give you a major electric shock so take care.
Step 3:
If you are placing the shelf fairly high use a sturdy ladder so you aren't over stretching.
Place the bracket in poistion on the wall and mark with the pencil just under the bottom right and left hand corners. Check your marks are level using your spirit level - the bubble should be in the middle. Now make more marks where the screws should go.
Step 4:
Select a masonary drill bit everso slightly narrower than the diameter as your wall anchors.
Put your safety goggles on and get a good firm standing position. Line the drill up with the marking a drill into the wall, slowly and safely. Repeat until you have drilled a pilot hole for every screw marking.
Plasterboard walls, like these, are very weak so use 'hollow wall' anchors which are specifically designed to provide a strong fixing. If your wall is solid brick, you'll need a rawl plug.
Hold an anchor in place over a pilot hole and gently knock into the wall with a hammer. Repeat until you have hammered an anchor into everypilot hole.
TOP TIP
If you're planning to put heavy things on the shelf consider using butterfly toggles, like these, for extra support. They need a bigger drill hole, and once through spring open to clamp the shelf in place.
Place the bracket back over the holes to make sure everything is lined up
Step 5:
If you are using butterfly toggles, fix them to the bracket first. They're so strong that once you have inserted them into the wall you won't be able to remove them.
With the bracket in position and carefully fix in the screws. Leave them loose at first, a bit of movement will make it easier to get all the screws in place. When your happy with your work, tighten each screw as much as possible. Great, that's the hard bit sorted.
Step 6:
The shelf itself will slot over the bracket, covering all the fixings to give a streamlined, sleek look. Nice. Now your ready to put it to its us
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