So, you already have the perfect solid wood shelf that you want to mount as a floating shelf. How do you know which Sheppard Brackets floating shelf bracket is right for you?
Everyone loves the modern and simple look of the floating shelf. And if you have been out looking for floating shelf brackets, you have seen that there is quite the variety out there. Obviously, we at Sheppard Brackets, are a bit biased as to what we think is the best floating shelf bracket, and I think that the proof is in the pudding.
Now that you have your shelf, you may wonder which of the myriad of Sheppard Brackets will work best for your project. Well… Here are some rules of thumb to consider when purchasing your floating shelf hardware.
The bracket should have a backplate that is about 1/2 inch shorter than the thickness of the shelf. For example, if your floating shelf is 2 inches thick, you would want a heavy duty bracket with a 1 1/2 inch backplate. This will allow you to use the router template and leave plenty of wood on both top and bottom of the shelf to have that bracket recessed into the shelf, so it truly appears to float on the wall. When routering out the back pocket of a floating shelf, we recommend that you use a Sheppard Brackets router template of the correct height and width for your shelf along with the appropriate router bit.
The steel bracket should have a backplate that is at least 2 inches narrower than the width of the floating shelf. For example, if your shelf is 72 inches wide, you would want the floating shelf bracket that is 70 inches wide. If your shelf is any narrower than 72 inches then you need to go down to the 58 inch bracket. This will allow you to use the router template and leave plenty of wood on both ends of the shelf to keep that solid and sturdy look and feel.
The metal bracket should have a rod length that is at least half the depth of the shelf. For example, if you shelf is 8-12 inches deep, you would want 6 inch rod length. However, if your shelf is deeper than 12 inches you would want the 9 inch rods. Please see the table below for some more details.
When drilling out the holes for the rods, we recommend that you use the Sheppard Brackets drilling plate as well as the appropriate drill bit. The drilling plates and router templates are included in the tooling kits that we manufacture. We highly recommend these kits!
Using these basic rules of thumb for choosing the correct Sheppard Brackets floating shelf bracket for your new floating shelf will help ensure the durability and utility of your floating shelf.
It truly does matter what floating shelf hardware you choose. Although invisible, the floating shelf bracket is just as important to the quality of your new floating shelf as the wood that you choose.
For a quick tutorial on how to prepare and install a floating shelf, please watch the below video produced by Sheppard Brackets. Thank you.
Building floating shelf with Sheppard brackets floating shelf bracket, router template and drilling plates.