How to build shelves for an outdoor brick balcony wall?

ventodimare

Hello,

My balcony is covered & cannot be hit by water. However it's exposed to the weather.

I want to put shelves on the wall. My preference would be to buy wood,  brackets and set it up.

The wall is masonry. 

1) what type of wood should I choose to ensure the shelf withstands the weather?

2) the shelf will support pots, how thick should the shelf be?

3) what type of brackets should I use?

Thanks a mil

JacobZ

Hi @ventodimare,

Thank you for your question about installing outdoor shelving.

Any time you are building with timber that will be exposed to weather, you'll have to use hardwood, pine treated to H3 or above or material that is fully sealed to prevent water getting into it. Check out How to choose the right timber for the job for some guidance.

It seems like you are looking to have floating shelves as opposed to freestanding shelves. With this in mind, I'd suggest using either 90 x 22mm Decking H3 Treated Pine or SpecRite 90 x 19mm Merbau Pre-Oiled Decking for your shelves. Depending on the width of the shelves, you can use multiple boards attached to your brackets to achieve the desired width.

You can then use stayed brackets spaced at a maximum of 450mm apart to attach the shelves to the brick.

Allow me to tag @Nailbag, @Jewelleryrescue and @Noyade to see if they have any other ideas.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob