Easy Ways to Install a Floating Shelf

Floating shelves made from solid-wood slabs have been all the rage in recent years. People love the chunky look and the way the shelves appear to cling to the wall without any supports.

Of course, these shelves don't work because of some antigravity magic. They simply trick the eye thanks to hardware that sits behind the shelf where it remains hidden from view.

Long posts that fit into deep holes in the back edge of the shelf are among the most common for mounting slabs. We picked up a few different examples online to see how they work and what you'll need to know to use them successfully.

These brackets, above, and others of the same style, require perfectly level bracket installation; once on the wall, you can't adjust them. And you need to drill long, deep holes in your shelf that are centered on your final post spacing. An optional self-centering guide and long bit make drilling the holes in the shelf easier.

These posts simply screw to the wall using the included hardware for studs, drywall, and brick. You'll need a slab at least 1-3/4" thick and 6-1/2–18" wide. The brackets hold 100 lbs each.

After drilling, you create 1/8" mortises to recess the wall plates so the back of your slab sits flush to the wall surface.

With this setup, above, the posts are mounted to a 1/4"-thick steel plate. Hole spacing is fixed, which makes aligning the holes in your shelf a bit more predictable.

The manufacturer doesn't provide minimum slab thickness, but as thin as 1" would work if you're okay with the matte-black plate showing behind your shelf. If you want to mortise the plate in, make your slab at least 1-1/4" thick.

Impressively, this manufacturer includes everything you'll need for installation: post brackets, drill bits, drilling guide, level—even a screwdriver. This two-post bracket is rated to hold 90 lbs.

I-Semble heavy-duty brackets, above, also use posts that fit into the shelf, but add a second, mating post that goes into the wall stud.

The cantilevered design bears more weight (125 lbs per pair) on a thinner post, meaning the shelf can be as thin as 1". Also, machine screws in slotted holes allow you to adjust the post position to level your shelf end-to-end. Setscrews provide a few degrees of front-to-back leveling adjustment, as well.

These brackets still require careful center-to-center aligning of the post holes and the holes in the wall. And you'll need to make deeper mortises to conceal the post-connecting plates.

Thick slabs look cool, but they are often expensive and hard to come by. Plus, drilling the deep, straight holes in their edges for mounting posts proves challenging and requires long bits.

As an alternative, build a hollow box using solid-wood edging and a plywood top and bottom. Inside, add a pair of supports, running lengthwise, with predrilled holes at the post spacing you need, above.