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How to Hang a Curio Shelf

There are a number of ways to secure a curio shelf to a wall. Installation methods may vary but should not affect the degree of difficulty.

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Drill and counterbore bit Fastener Screw Screwdriver Shelf Spirit level Stud finder

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How to Hang a Curio Shelf

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" How to hang a curio shelf? 1st determine where you want to hang the shelf. Using a pencil, make small marks to set the approximate location. There are 2 ways to secure the shelf to a wall. You can use wall anchors and secure the shelf to a wallboard, or you can use wood screws and screw the shelf brackets to the wooden studs behind the wallboard. Your shelf can bear a heavier load if you can screw the shelf brackets to the wooden studs behind your drywall. On some older homes, the left behind the plaster can be used to screw to and hold lightweight objects. The left behind the plaster runs horizontally and is nailed from stud to stud. In most houses, wall studs are located 16 inches apart. You can locate the stud by using a stud finder. Pass the stud finder slowly over the wall. The stud finder will alert you as it passes over a stud. If you don't have a stud finder, the heads of some nails may be able to be seen in the baseboard and ceiling molding. They're usually located over a stud. In our case, the antique curio shelf will be secured on the bottom with a screw that will be fastened to a wooden stud from the left side into a wallboard using a wall anchor on the right side. Because the shelf is tall, we're going to add a 3rd wall anchor point at the center above the top shelf. Using a Spirit level, check the alignment of the shelf, and carefully note where the bracket mounting screws need to be located. Mark the locations of where the fasteners will go through the wall including 1 at the top of the shelf. In this case, we're going to use existing holes already in the antique curio shelf rather than drill a new hole. Once the positions are marked, drill a small pilot hole for each fastener. For the screw that will be going into the wall stud, we have chosen a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screw, and then, choosing a drill bit that is slightly smaller than a wall fastener, we drill pilot hole for the fastener. Last, we drill a pilot hole for the wall anchor that will secure the top of the curio shelf. Screw the fastener through the wallboard into the hollow space in the wall. This will be used to secure the top of the curio shelf. Next, screw the 2nd fastener that will hold the bottom bright side of the curio shelf. Now, lining the curio shelf up with the mounting holes, we first secure the bottom left corner, driving the wood screw into the wall stud. This is the strongest means of hanging a shelf. Next, using the screw that came with the fastener, we secure the bottom right corner of the shelf to the fastener in the wallboard behind. Last, we secure the top of the shelf to the wall by driving the fastener screw through the hole in the antique curio shelf and into the fastener screwed into the wallboard. With the curio shelf securely anchored to the wall at 3 points, the shelf is ready do display your unique treasures."

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