Can I successfully mount a pine book shelf with a plywood back up high on a brick wall?

Question

Hello, long time viewer first time poster. Appreciate any help and advice!

My gf and I made this book shelf that we are very proud of. Our intention is to mount it up high on the brick wall in the dining area, but we are concerned it is too heavy. We have mounted pictures, floating shelves etc using our masonry drill before, but never something so heavy. For context, the pine itself is not so heavy but we have used a heavy duty structural ply for the back. We used this type of ply because we intend to drill through the backboard and into the wall, so assumed it needed to be quite strong.

measurements 900 x 2 metres.

all thicknesses are 20mm.

Is it safe for us to mount this book shelf? Will it rip out of the wall? The book shelf will also, of course, be loaded with books. I would estimate it weighs about 60-70 kilo without books.

What is the best / safest way?

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @oscar_,

If you remove the back, you could Dynabolt a length of 70 x 35mm Pine directly beneath its location on the wall. This length of timber bears the weight of the bookshelf. You'd then use angle brackets inside the bookcase to connect the top, bottom and sides to the wall. These brackets pin the unit back to the wall, and as they are on the inside, they'll be hidden with books in place. You could potentially use just the brackets and not the timber length underneath, but you need to ensure there is enough to support the weight sufficiently.

Mitchell

oscar_ · Answer

Hi Eric, the book shelf is definitely strong enough to hold books, it’s 20mm thick pine and screwed together well. By “light”, I mean it’s probably about 30 kilos without the back. I’ve made this sort of thing before and can tell it’s solid. I’m only really concerned about the wall mounting part. Assuming we do away with the heavy backboard, how do we mount it to the wall? The previous plan was to use a masonry drill to drill through the backboard into the wall. Now there is no backboard I’m not sure of the best way to secure the shelf to the wall in a way that is aesthetically pleasing but sturdy. Any tips would be great! Thanks

EricL · Answer

Hello @oscar_

If you're saying that the frame of the bookcase is very light, this leads me to believe that the materials used for the construction of the bookcase is not very strong. This also tells me that the shelf is made for light duty use and you can't put heavy items on it.

I suspect that even if you were to use angle brackets or timber supports the shelf assembly will not be able to hold the weight you are planning on loading onto it. I'm in agreement with MitchellMc's suggestion to engage the services of a handyperson or builder to determine if the bookshelf can be mounted safely on your wall.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric