DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi all,

Quite a simple one here - I hope. I'm planning to put up a pine shelf of 40cm x 240cm on a solid brick wall. It will have what I would think of as a medium/heavy load as it will be used for cans of food and some crates of electrical equipment.

What I would like to know is:

- Should I use 40cm brackets, or would 30cm do the job?

For example:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/heavy-duty-b ... pack/61866

or...

https://www.screwfix.com/p/heavy-duty-b ... pack/78941

- What size of crews, plugs and drill bit should I use?

- Would three brackets (one at each end and one in the middle) be sufficient for the task?

I've tried to research this online but just can't seem to find the answers I need. To note, I've successfully put up plenty of shelves in the past, but nothing this big.

Many thanks in advance,

Oli

PS: I hope Carpentry & Joinery is the correct forum as I wasn't really sure.

Hi Wonderer,

Personally, I would go with the 30cm bracket if using a sturdy material like pine but either would do the trick if you feel safer having the bracket run all the way to the front of the shelf. I'd recommend using three brackets per shelf to eliminate risk of sag under a heavy load.

In terms of fixings, i'd go with 8mm x 40mm plugs with 50-55mm screws depending on how thick your brackets are, as you generally want your screws to run 10mm past the plugs.

Hope this helps

Thanks very much, SparkyRick - appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Cheers!