The essentials for the perfect custom shelf installer (tool kit)
- L'équipe Bowud
- 13 juil.
- 3 min de lecture
Installing wall shelves with invisible fixings is not complicated.
If you have any doubts about the tools you need, here is the answer in pictures!
To summarize the list of necessary tools:
Drill
Concrete drill bit with a diameter of 8 mm
(metal detector)
Pencil
Meter
Spirit level or even better, laser level?
Mixed anchors (Fischer, Duopower) with a diameter of 8 mm
6 mm diameter flat head lag screw
Screwdriver and socket wrench set
The drill and its bit
Electric drill, with or without percussion.
Concrete drill bit with a diameter of 8 mm.
As a reminder, the diameter of the drill bit must be identical to the diameter of the dowel you wish to retain.
This is the stage where you will definitely realize the type of wall in which you want to install your shelves.
This will affect the type of anchor and screw you will need to use.
This tool guide we present to you here concerns the installation of wall shelves in solid or hollow walls, not plasterboard type walls.
Find here our list of the different types of walls and the corresponding anchors.
(metal detector)
A metal detector can be a good idea so you don't have to cross your fingers when drilling holes in your walls and can be sure you won't drill into a pipe!
In our case, the wall was solid, with a low probability of pipes running through where we wanted to install our shelf. We crossed our fingers... 😊
Pencil
Use a pencil to write your various markings on your wall and then, after drilling your holes, erase all the lines (the good ones as well as any "misses") before sliding your shelf into the invisible fixings.
Using a felt-tip pen on a strip of painter's tape is another alternative to leave no marks.
Meter
A meter to take the spacing measurements between each of the wall fixings and then transfer these dimensions to your wall.
Level
A spirit level allows you to draw the line on which you will mark the holes for your future wall shelf.
A laser level makes this step much easier… If you're lucky enough to own one, now's the time to use it!
The price of a laser level has recently dropped, so it may be a good investment for this installation and future ones.
Finally, the absolute rule in leveling paintings, furniture, wall shelves here, is the following:
The eye must be satisfied.
Even if the work is not perfectly “level”.
Ankles
For solid or hollow walls, that is to say for almost all walls except plasterboard walls (placo), we recommend mixed anchors which have the best price / tear resistance ratio.
We are very satisfied with the Duopower anchors from the Fischer brand, diameter 8 mm, length: 40 mm.
Here again, the diameter of the dowel must be that of the drill bit, here 8 mm.
A length of 40 mm is sufficient, you can use longer anchors depending on the depth of your wall.
For plasterboard walls, "Molly" type anchors to be tightened with pliers are made for this.
Flat head screw - lag screw
The key to successfully installing your shelves is using flat head screws.
These screws are also known as lag screws .
In this tool kit we suggest screws with a diameter of 6 mm, and a length of 40 mm (or 50 mm and +).
It is important to tighten the flat-head screw (lag screw) firmly against the invisible fixing plate, but not too much, otherwise the anchor will burst inside the wall.
Screwdriver
You will need two screwdrivers:
A thin flathead screwdriver to tighten the small adjustment screws of the fixing brackets (on either side of the axle, to set the angle),
A 6 mm diameter socket wrench for the lag screw type fixing screws in the wall.
The screwdriver kit we used for this tutorial allows us to gather flat head screws as well as a set of socket wrenches.
That's all!
Now it's your turn.
Again, there is nothing complicated and the satisfaction of seeing your shelves installed is great!
We hope you found this description of a wall shelf installer kit helpful.
See you soon for the rest, and have a great installation,
The Bowud Team