Why Solid Wood Floating Shelves?
The Phenomenon of Floating Shelves
As we all know, floating shelves are all the rage in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and in modern offices. While floating shelves are not a super new concept, some technology has made them much more universally available to hang. One does not need a masters degree in shelf hanging anymore to be able to mount a floating shelf. It can be done pretty easily by the average DIY’er who has just a few tools and some rudimentary knowledge and skill.
What Kind of Floating Shelf Should I Purchase?
Now, one of the main questions in making a decision on your own floating shelves in your own space is “What kind of floating shelf should I use?” Well, there are 2 basic types. First is the hollow floating shelf. The second type (and our favorite) is a solid, hardwood floating shelf. Below we will give some of the pros and cons of both kinds and make an argument for our favorite kind – the solid wood floating shelf.
The Basics of the Hollow Floating Shelf
A hollow floating shelf is basically a shelf made from a few pieces of plywood, with or without a veneer to make it look nice. These pieces of wood are glued and fastened together to create the image of a solid piece of wood. Some of the positives of a hollow floating shelf are that they weigh a bit less, are typically a little less expensive, and … well… that’s all I can think of. Some of the drawbacks of hollow floating shelves are that they aren’t nearly as strong and won’t last as long, they take a long time to make and assemble (see this “easy” how-to from Wikihow. https://www.wikihow.com/Build-Simple-Floating-Shelves Looks like a lot of tools and expertise needed to me), and they require a lot of cutting, measuring, drilling, etc to get them to be square and to mount them to either a handmade and highly difficult to mount bracket, or a less-than-perfect pre-fabricated bracket. In short… Meh…
Solid Wood Floating Shelves
Example of live-edge, solid wood floating shelf or mantel supported by Sheppard Brackets Floating Shelf Brackets.
A solid wood floating shelf is what it sounds like. It is a solid slab of hardwood, prepared to the length, width, and thickness you desire. It can come in really any wood type (popular woods for floating shelves are maple, walnut, oak, alder, poplar, and even pine) and can be either finished edge, or it can be the currently popular live-edge, where the front edge of the shelf is the bark and outer layer of the piece of wood it was cut from. These shelves do have some cons. The first potential negative is the cost. Solid wood costs more, because… well… there is more wood. The next potential negative is the weight of the shelf. An average, solid wood shelf can weigh more than 12 pounds per linear foot, and if you are using cheap and sub-standard brackets that are purchased at a big box store or from some other companies, you will be in for some major disappointments with sagging, bending, and even pulling off of the wall because of the weight of the shelves (many state that they are rated for less than 25 total pounds, including the shelf). Now, the positives of a solid wood floating shelf. Man are they BEAUTIFUL! There isn’t much more eye-catching than a solid piece of walnut, finished to perfection on your front room wall. Or, imagine a live-edged maple mantel over your fireplace. Just gorgeous! Another plus is that these solid hardwood floating shelves will pass the test of time, and when properly installed, will hold more weight than you would ever need to hold on them. They may even handle grandkids and great-grandkids climbing on them 50 years from now.
Floating Shelf Brackets for Hollow Floating Shelves
Tricky hand-made wood bracket for hollow floating shelves.
We mentioned the type of brackets used in floating shelf installation a bit earlier. Really, the brackets are what gives the floating shelf its float and its functionality. So, almost as important as the wood (if not more-so) is the bracket. There are several different kinds of floating shelf brackets out there. Some are designed for hollow shelves and others are designed for solid wood floating shelves, and all are slightly different in their own way. While Sheppard Brackets does make a floating shelf bracket for hollow shelves, they are probably not the best for hollow shelves because there is not as much support in the shelf itself for them, but you can see those brackets here. The brackets that we suggest for hollow floating shelves would be ones that you make yourself from wood kind of like you see in this image to the right of this paragraph.
The Best Floating Shelf Brackets for Solid Wood Floating Shelves
The best floating shelf brackets for solid wood floating shelves.
Tooling for drilling and routing perfect solid wood floating shelves for installation.
But for solid wood floating shelves, we are very sure of the type of bracket you should use to ensure that your floating shelf or floating shelves stay where and how you want them to be. Sheppard Brackets are those brackets. They manufacture those bracket backplates right here in the USA out of 3/16” solid steel, and hand cut and weld the rods onto the backplates using precision equipment and high-quality, steel tubing. These heavy duty and uniquely designed floating shelf brackets can easily hold 50 pounds per stud that they are secured into. And guess what… They will hit every stud that they are placed over because of the original multi-mount system that they are designed with. To install a Sheppard Brackets Floating Shelf Bracket all you need is a screwdriver (manual or power), a level, a stud finder if you don’t trust your fist and ear, and a few screws. Piece of cake. One can literally be installed in less than a few minutes. Sheppard Brackets has also designed and manufactured precision drill plates and router templates for the DIY with one more toy/tool, a router. Utilizing this tooling will ensure that your custom piece of solid wood that you have picked out can be perfectly prepared for mounting with the perfect bracket. A solid wood shelf can easily be prepared for mounting with a Sheppard Bracket Floating Shelf Bracket in under 15 minutes. Watch this cool video from one of Sheppard Brackets’ customers, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owCIJoF3tnM&t=2s . He is using one of their drill plates and router templates and their floating shelf bracket. Piece of cake!
Where to Buy The Best Floating Shelf Brackets for Solid Wood Floating Shelves?
To purchase the perfect floating shelf bracket for your solid wood floating shelf, go to https://www.sheppardbrackets.com and check them out. Don’t forget to get the tooling kits that include the drill and router bits to make your installation fast, easy, and absolutely perfect.