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How to hang shelves in narrow space?

I’d like to hang shelves in this narrow and deep pocket, to store shoes. Can anyone explain how to do this please? Im a total novice. I think it’ll be difficult to drill at the back given how tight the space is. What’s my best option? I’d like to give it a crack before calling in a handyperson. Many thanks

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EricL

Hello @Amateur_Hour

Thanks for sharing your question about installing shelves in a narrow space.

Your first step is to grab pen, paper and a tape measure. Draw a medium sized rectangle on the paper, this will serve as your template for the shelves. Take your tape measure and measure the front and back of the narrow space, write the measurements on the rectangle you've drawn. Measure how deep the narrow space is and write this down on the rectangle as well.

Now that you have your measurements you can now decide how many shelves you want to install in this narrow space. The typical gap would be 200mm between shelves, but if you have taller shoes or boots then you'll need to adjust your shelf height. Before we go any further, you'll need to find out if your left-hand wall is made of plaster or masonry.

If it is plaster, I suggest using Ramset 6 x 38mm Universal Anchor - 100 Pack, but if you have a masonry/brick wall, I suggest using STAHL Masonry Kit 8mm Drill With 50mm Blue Wall Plugs.

The next step is to cut the wood you'll be using. You can either go for unpainted MDF or Laminated panels. Using a ruler and your tape measure draw the rectangles on your timber panel with a pencil, the lines you've draw will be your cutting guide. I suggest using a handsaw to cut the shelves to the size that you need.

To hang the shelves in place, attach a Zenith 20mm Zinc Plated Angle Bracket - 16 Pack on each corner of the shelf. I recommend using Zenith 8G x 15mm Galvanised Button Head Stitching Timber Screws - 35 Pack on both the shelf and the timber wall of the narrow space. Place the first shelf into position and use a spirit level to make sure that the shelf is square. Use your pencil to mark the screw positions on the wall.

You'll need a drill to and a drill bit to attach the screws, and drill pilot holes on your left- and right-hand wall. If the space is too tight a screwdriver will work just as well. Once the first shelf is installed, use your tape measure to indicate the position of the next shelf. Repeat the installation process until all the shelves are installed.

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

Eric

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