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Shelves or cabinets for laundry storage?

Hi all, I'm planning to put up some shelves or a cabinet in our laundry. This will involve attaching them to the studs behind these walls. My concern is that there seems to be alot of services running through this area and I really don't want to be drilling into any of them. What would be the best way to go about this?

Also, I heard that the floating shelves with concealed fixings tend to sag forward over time. Is this true? If so, would L brackets be a better choice. I would prefer to get timber shelves than mdf.

Thanks!

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JacobZ

Hi @snipwhip,

You're right to be cautious because laundry walls often contain more services than standard rooms, including water supply pipes, drainage pipes and electrical cables. The safest starting point is to use a quality multi-function stud detector such as this Ryobi Stud Finder With AC Detection. Scan the wall slowly in both horizontal and vertical directions and mark everything clearly. Do not rely on a single quick pass.

Another option is to put a small hole, or a couple of holes in the plasterboard, then use a Ozito Ø8mm x 1m Digital Inspection Camera to verify the location of services. You can then patch the holes afterwards.

If you're particularly concerned, it is likely best that you speak with a professional such as a plumber, an electrician, or a skilled handyperson as they will be experienced in this kind of work and will be able to react quickly to prevent damage if any mishaps occur.

Once you have mapped out the location of studs and services, you can attach your cabinet or shelves to them, just make sure you turn off the power and water beforehand to reduce the risk in the case of a mishap.

Regarding floating shelves, yes, they can sag over time, but that is the same with any shelving if it is carrying considerable weight which is beyond its limitations. The main thing to look at is the load bearing capacity of the system you are using.

If you are storing heavy things like multiple bottles of laundry detergent or cleaning chemicals, for long term durability, stayed brackets are generally a better option. As they provide diagonal reinforcement, they resist downward movement and forward rotation much more effectively than concealed fixings.

For shelf material, timber is a definitely a better choice than MDF in a laundry. Solid timber has stronger screw holding capacity and handles moisture better. MDF can swell if exposed to humidity and tends to sag more easily over time. A solid hardwood or laminated pine shelf at least 30 mm thick would be a sensible option.

If you can give me an idea of the width and depth of your shelves, I could certainly point you in the right direction in terms of materials and brackets.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

snipwhip

Hi @JacobZ I'm not sure if this replies to your comment as the usual reply option under your comment wasn't visible. Anyway, thanks for your reply. I'm looking at 2 timber shelves, around 90 to 110cm long and 20 to 30cm wide, with 2 brackets holding each shelf. For brackets I was thinking of carinya 205 x 85 or 310 x 85 but for the shelf, I couldn't find a dressed timber that was close to the size I want. I was thinking of acacia but those come in huge panels and dar timber all seemed to be only 19mm thick.

Thanks for the link to the stud finder and camera. I think I'll have o definitely get one and check to be safe.

JacobZ

Hi @snipwhip,

With your shelves being that wide, over time, there's a good chance the shelf would sag, so I'd suggest you use a third bracket to greatly reduce that risk. With that third bracket in place, you could get away with using thinner shelving material, around that 19mm thick mark, which would open up your options considerably.

Ideally, you would use stayed brackets like these Carinya 200 x 200mm Black Heavy Duty Studio Stayed Brackets, but as long as you used 3, you should be fine to use the Carinya 205 x 85mm Black Heavy Duty Floating Shelf Brackets as long as you keep the weight within their limits.

You could then have the team in the Timberyard rip a Specrite 1200 x 600 x 18mm Golden Teak Acacia Multi Use Panel, or a Specrite 1200 x 600 x 18mm Brown Acacia Multi Use Panel down the middle so you'll have 2 x 1200 x 300mm shelves which can then be trimmed to length.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

snipwhip

Thanks @JacobZ.

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