floating shelves.

[ken masoumi]

I have two slabs of Pine,2" thick,my wife has asked if I could make two floating shelves out of them.
Each shelf will be 12" wide 5' long with a live edge and a straight edge.
Do you think 4 or 5 blind shelf support type of brackets will be strong enough to spread/support the weight ?
Do you have a better idea?,should I forget the idea of "floating look" and go with the traditional gusset type brackets because of the weight ?
How would you anchor these shelves to a wall?
Appreciate your inputs.

[Keith Westfall]

Depends on what you are putting on them. I would think that the shelves by themselves would be supported quite easily as long as they are anchored into something solid behind the wall.

[Derek Stockley]

I wouldn't do it using those brackets - take a look at the weight capacities. At 8" deep, it could only handle 50 pounds and you're planning 12" deep. The slab alone would get pretty close to the weight limit. Maybe a heavier version of the same idea would work if you can find it or make it, but that 12" depth gives a lot of leverage to any weight you put on it.

Maybe if you don't want the look of gussets under it, you could put a little bank of drawers or cubbies in a small case under the slabs? That would reduce the leverage that the slab has and reduce its tendency to want to pull the screws straight out of the wall.

[ken masoumi]

Thank you both,I think I'll fabricated a heavy duty version of the support,I do have a welder and access to mild steel ,I'm thinking 1/2" thick x 10" long rods welded every 12" on a 5' flat metal strip should do it.

[Bradley Gray]

I made some shelves like this for a new house a few years ago. The support system was already in place - steel rods welded to a plate recessed into the studs behind the drywall - only the rods were visible when I got on the job. I made the shelves with a 3/4" hole x 6" deep in the back of each shelf. Very stable.

[ken masoumi]

Thank you Brad.
6" deep is probably not long enough for my project (12" shelves) I would feel more comfortable between 8"-10" ,although we are not planning to put anything heavy on them.

[Phil Barrett]

I agree that 12" puts a lot of stress on the supports. Think of the support as a lever with the point of contact with the wall as the fulcrum and you can see at 12" a lot of force being generated. I think if you drilled into the studs and extended the support rod even 4 inches that would give you a lot more support. I'd bet you'd bend the rod before breaking the stud. You could test it out to see how much weight one rod might carry.

[ken masoumi]

I agree that 12" puts a lot of stress on the supports. Think of the support as a lever with the point of contact with the wall as the fulcrum and you can see at 12" a lot of force being generated. I think if you drilled into the studs and extended the support rod even 4 inches that would give you a lot more support. I'd bet you'd bend the rod before breaking the stud. You could test it out to see how much weight one rod might carry.

It makes sense to drill through the studs but unfortunately I don't have access to them,the wall(living room) is already dry wall covered ,the more I think about this project the more I'm convinced I should use gussets,I can get nice cast iron vintage looking ones here at the local antique shop,convincing the wife is another story
Thank you for your comment.

[scott vroom]

Thank you both,I think I'll fabricated a heavy duty version of the support,I do have a welder and access to mild steel ,I'm thinking 1/2" thick x 10" long rods welded every 12" on a 5' flat metal strip should do it.

If your studs are 16 OC then you can bolt that 5' plate to 4 studs and drill holes into the back edge of the slab to cantilever off the rods. That shelf isn't going to fall off the wall.

[Phil Barrett]

I had no trouble drilling a 5" deep hole into the studs in my (sheet rocked) laundry room to install a couple of valet rods. They are pretty easy to find and the probe holes to find the edges (to get the true center of the stud) are easy to repair or just hide with the shelf. and, repairing sheet rock is pretty easy to do.

[ken masoumi]

If your studs are 16 OC then you can bolt that 5' plate to 4 studs and drill holes into the back edge of the slab to cantilever off the rods. That shelf isn't going to fall off the wall.

I had no trouble drilling a 5" deep hole into the studs..

Thanks,I'm now confident it should be done that way.
The only thing I'm looking for to make the bracket is 1/2" rods ,then weld to the plate ,and bolt the plate to the studs with long 4"+ lag bolts.
,threaded rods is another option.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

[Peter Quinn]

If you have a utility knife you have access to the studs! Or a rotozip, or keyhole saw. Drywall cuts like cardboard, easy to repair. I don't see drywall as a major obstacle. Clearly the lee valley Ikea style supports wont work, they may just hold the shelf's weight but probably not much more. On a 5' shelf you should hit 3 studs depending on location, so your supports have to hold the weight based on 3. I have a wall in my shop I framed in 2X6, made a jig to locate 3/4" holes in the center of a stud, drilled a series of 3/4" holes into which black gas pipe is inserted. It makes a flexible lumber rack in the shop, holds an incredible amount of weight, the schedule 40 black pipe is pretty strong. Key is getting straight pipe over the distance and getting the holes drilled precisely. IIR my jig was made on a drill press with 1 to 2 degrees of upwards splay, so once weighted the shelves sit pretty much level but don't in any event sag. I'm thinking if you have access to a welder you could certainly jig something up with a 1/4" steel bar and rods to make hangers, but you have to be prepared to get into the drywall. Say the steel bars are 1 1/2" X 8" X 1/4", lag holes top and bottom for fasten master's, bars or pipes set down maybe 1/3 the distance, these let into notches in the studs so the drywall is flush once replaced. Lot of work for a floating slab shelf.

I used to make the occasional slab mantel, never an installer but I usually asked those that were questions. Most often the support was built into the design, so was mortared into masonry or built into stud wall. Occasionally these was a retro fit, one idea I recall was similar to the gas pipe idea. Drill carefully laid out holes at a 1-2 degree pitch backwards, make them slightly over sized, use thickened epoxy such as they use for retrofitting sill bolts (caulk tube type stuff) to secure pipes to the holes in studs, make a jig of some kind to keep the pipes carefully leveled and spaced, use the same jig to locate holes drilled at same pitch into slab with drill press. Holds a large heavy slab with ease. My local borg sells 3/4" steel spikes 18" long, like large tent spikes in the masonry section, not sure what they are actually for but those would work nicely too and are fairly straight.

[ken masoumi]

I'm thinking if you have access to a welder you could certainly jig something up with a 1/4" steel bar and rods to make hangers, but you have to be prepared to get into the drywall. Say the steel bars are 1 1/2" X 8" X 1/4", lag holes top and bottom for fasten master's, bars or pipes set down maybe 1/3 the distance, these let into notches in the studs so the drywall is flush once replaced. Lot of work for a floating slab shelf.

It certainly is a lot of work for a floating shelf but building it the way you described will definitely hold the weight of the shelf and much more.

Most often the support was built into the design, so was mortared into masonry or built into stud wall..

That would be the ideal situation ,if my wife hadn't already painted the whole room ,I would have ripped the wall and bolted the support from the back of the studs forward.
I know the Pine slabs when cut/prepared as shelves will still weigh 40-50 lbs each.
Anyhow,I'm still reluctant to go ahead with this project but with all the comments and tips I have received ,at least I know what will work and what won't.the way I look at it ,the beefier it is the better.I would hate to go back to it and reinforce something that should have been done from the get go.
Thank you for your reply.