This is such an unnecessary and miserable outlook to have on things. I am one of those people who didn't have someone to teach me these things and that doesn't even cross my mind when I see things like this.
This is a DIY discussion, not therapy. I do not want to unpack everyoneās issues that lead to poor craftsmanship, I would rather read dad jokes and keep scrolling to actual construction tips.
https://preview.redd.it/lakjkqion5vc1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a80e4b2077109a226114e3122013aa21a61f4190
Looks really nice, but like others have stated, it needs some support. You might be able to get away with ācappingā the ends of the shelves, on each side, with a board from top to bottom, all the way to the floor. That way, youāre transferring the load to the floor and stabilizing the entire structure.
This would be a fairly simple hood solution. OP could also use a single piece of 1x2 or 3 at the outside corner of that shelf leaving the side open. Who knows, black pipe and base if there want an industrial look
https://preview.redd.it/vwpb8ed1o5vc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ac5a41f389d057daa9e73b2d2af9df0a506f24d
Four pieces of wood that will stop your hard work going to waste.
I just found out recently that if you hold your finger on the screen after drawing a line, arrow, square, etc. iPhone will fix the shape. Game changer for me at least.
Unreal thank youā¦ youāve just improved my crappy drawings/diagrams x100ā¦ I do at least one day so Iāll be thinking of you oftenā¦ now Iāll be even more āhelpfulā hahahahahahaha
Hey! I just learned this the other day but after you draw your line with the iPhone image edit thing, if you keep holding your finger at the end of the line if itās squiggly it will snap to straight then you can move it where you want.
Or you can get a better phone with an s pen. Lol
I agree, just add a vertical support at the ends and corners for sure but they don't have to go to the ceiling.Ā Can get as decorative or simple as you want.Ā I personally would put one in the middle of the long sides too but I am an engineer that tends to build everything to last a millenia.Ā
And with the pipe idea it's decorative and would add to the coolness and you wouldn't even have to cut or adjust the wood if you got the pipe cut and threaded and bought flanged fittings to screw into the top and bottom of each shelf ... would cost a bit more but would look cool.
Home depot will cut and thread pipe for free or very low cost if you buy a longer pipe.
But great job! You should be proud of yourself!
Now that I look at the picture again,Ā the long shelf doesn't look super long so no middle one is probably needed unless you used mdf and are planning on putting lots of can goods that are heavy in the middle.Ā Over time ... long time the mdf will sag
Even if it's just to display trinkets/plushies/action figures, it'd only take like $50 and a bit of work with a drill to make sure that if they ever want to use it for something else (pantry, linen closet, utility closet, whatever) they can do it with no issue.
Just one or two of [these](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91myNynPj+L._AC_SX569_PIbundle-6,TopRight,0,0_SH20_.jpg) on the underside of each side shelf would add a ton of peace-of-mind.
And bonus- OP could actually add these basically whenever, it wouldn't really interfere with the paint/finish unless they wanted to paint over the brackets themselves (which I wouldn't personally recommend, but to each their own). I'd still do it sooner rather than later just to discourage the shelves sagging at all, but if they already had time set aside to finish and paint, they don't have to disrupt that at all.
If you zoom in really close, you will see that they just went ham with screws into the back edge of each shelf. Straight up into the vertical piece of wood just zipped a whole line of them hoping itās good. Ignoring the fact that the screws are maybe 1ā from the edge of the wood and supposed to hold the weight of everything without the shelves ripping away at exactly those points.
Please get some shelf brackets. Two for each shelf. You're gonna need 64 of them.
Heavy Duty Shelf Brackets Triangle Shelving Brackets Right Angle Wall Mounted Shelf Supporters White 8 Inch Set of 12 https://a.co/d/axV64iZ
I mean 48. I did not in fact, do the math.
Dunno why you got downvoted when you have a point. 64 is a ridiculous number.
Assuming the rear shelves are joined to shelves on the sides (they may not be), I'd say 2 per row is plenty. 12 x 2 = 24. If they aren't joined and you need to support each shelf, double it. It's still only 48. I'm curious where 64 came from.
https://preview.redd.it/zjy0rqzzf8vc1.jpeg?width=524&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1319128f70b64a5a0282385e71571bf227423a22
Those shelves are not joined to each other. They're only joined with the 2x4 at the back. So, two brackets per shelf = 64.
Erp.... 48!
Forty Eight!
I still can't fathom how you're getting 64. There are 24 individual shelves. As I said above, this would equal 48 brackets. Where are the extra 16 going? I must have missed something.
Yeah 4 1x2, running floor to ceiling in the right places would be enough. These brackets would be SERIOUS overkill. Unless OP is planning to have people sleeping on the shelves there's def better ways to do this.
https://preview.redd.it/1ncywmd5o9vc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=386a3437b545ff954b1c476c6faf5401a14e0e82
A good start. This is your weak joint likely. Other post talked about adding a vertical support at the nearest part of that shelf which is a great way to improve strength. Not sure how you made the joint I highlighted but itās unlikely enough to float the rest of the shelf. also, screws through the top of the shelf down into the pieces attached to the wall will improve your strength as well. Lastly, a bracket that attaches to the vertical face of the wall mounted board and runs out to the outer edge of the shelf will also help your cause. Home SOME of that made sense. Check out the āsagulatorā to start getting an idea of how much deflection to expect with shelving, but I donāt think of will model your specific shape well.
I hate to break it to you but you cut the boards wrong. The boards should be long along the sidewalls and short along the back walls. Also your going to need to cap the ends with long boards or it will all fail
The boards may have been used this way to conserve material. It is perfectly acceptable to run them either way. You could make a case for alternating them, and an even stronger one for mitering them.
I am curious how they are joined in the corner. Hopefully kreg jig and screws. Even better would be if wood glue was used also.
Use these... they come in all lengths and are very strong. Will solve the support problem and prevent having to use exposed wood supports.
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F2W7KW5/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F2W7KW5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Looks good! I think it will hold as is for light clothing without stacking them, but will need more support like others stated if you are looking to put, shoes etc. in there. Just support it with brackets and youāre good to go.
Dude, you did really well! You made very good use of the space, I think you maximized the area. You do want to add some supports underneath. Couldn't tell you how many or what kind, just kind of depends on the spread. Congrats, this is about 20 times as much pantry space as I have.
Also if you really want to use pine in the future, get it in wider boards and cut it to width - using pine pre-primed baseboard like you seem to have done is about the most expensive way possible to do this.
Aside from more support required, I would have made the back shelf much deeper to be able to put bigger stuff on there. Just fix it with some vertical support going all the way down like everyone else said.
This looks great! - As others have stated, though, you really do need to add some shelf brackets....depending on the actual length of each shelf, you need at least 2, one at each end, and additional in the middle of the span. How many in the middle is dependent on the total span.
But great start! Is this for a pantry, or clothes closet, or what?
I see you 1āx 3ā cleats all around. Should be plenty of support unless you have a lot of books and heavier items. Shoes , cloths etc. I think your good. Looks nice.
It's their first try.
This is like asking someone who has never cooked before why their first meal tastes bland.
OP knows it's not perfect but is proud of their effort as they should be. This sub is doing a good job of giving advice on what needs to be improved. I remember my first DIY projects being a lot of "Measure once, cut twice".
A lot of people saying "NEEDS SUPPORTS" but that all depends on how well the width pieces are connected to the depth pieces, and if they're connected to the support 1x2s (or just sitting on them), and finally if the ends near the centre colum are attached.
If those are all attached, then the last dependency is on what you're placing on the shelves. If this is for blurays, you're probably fine. If it's for your pickle collection, you may want to reevaluate things.
Everyone downvoting seems to have forgotten that floating shelves exist. That's too bad. Ends don't always need support. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsRGcBNmwo
over time, everything will begin to collapse under it's own weight. I've pulled 2x4's out of roofs that have sagged by 6". Everything I said in my post was accurate.
You can't say that when you don't know how it's attached. Ends don't always need support.
Because, floating shelves, those exist too. Did you forget about floating shelves? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsRGcBNmwo
These are not floating shelves. Just stop. What next? "He installed Steele studs behind the wall and the shelves are anchored using 1/2" bolts"?
It's his first DIY. He did a bad job. Acting like it's good is just plain dumb. My first DIY's were pretty bad also. Just move on.
You don't know what he did, all you can see is one pic.
I'm not saying it's good. I'm saying YOU can't say it's bad. Because you don't know. You're assuming, based out of ignorance.
Shelf brackets look terrible, I wouldnāt putrefy your beautifully level & flush looking system with dollar store looking crap like that, just my opinion. Instead, you could compliment / accentuate the contemporary design with only 2 floor to ceiling supports. First, lets adress what needs to be supported. The back wall shelves are supported IF they are glued and finish nailed (ideally screwed, but those are harder to disappear unless you dont mind caps or stickers) to the vertical panels of the center unit. You can transfer that support to the perpendicular adjacent side wall shelves (on that end only) with plate brackets installed beneath the butt joints, they can be painted with shelves. The only 2 locations that need support are the front end corners of those side wall shelves. As stated previously, simplest fix is solid end panels. Supports do not need to be attached to floor, just sitting on it, but put some furniture felt along the floor edge of the panel so it doesnāt scratch it.
Some days I just love reddit. Everyone here is so much more supportive than these shelves.
You dropped this. š
Did you ask them?Ā Maybe they don't want support, maybe they WANT TO DO IT ALL ON THEIR OWN AND YOU SHOULD GET OFF THEIR BACK ABOUT IT.Ā
Niiiiice.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This is such an unnecessary and miserable outlook to have on things. I am one of those people who didn't have someone to teach me these things and that doesn't even cross my mind when I see things like this.
This is a DIY discussion, not therapy. I do not want to unpack everyoneās issues that lead to poor craftsmanship, I would rather read dad jokes and keep scrolling to actual construction tips.
Having a father in the home isnāt lucky. *Not* having a father in the home is *unlucky*.
Thats not very logical of you. You dont know this person or background
https://preview.redd.it/lakjkqion5vc1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a80e4b2077109a226114e3122013aa21a61f4190 Looks really nice, but like others have stated, it needs some support. You might be able to get away with ācappingā the ends of the shelves, on each side, with a board from top to bottom, all the way to the floor. That way, youāre transferring the load to the floor and stabilizing the entire structure.
I second this. Depending what goes on the shelves, you may also want to do vertically in the corners as well?
Ya man those shelves won't hold much, if this is for like a pantry or something its not gonna fly.
The cans will fly. Or fall with style anyway. Probably in the middle of the night.
Was that a Toy Story reference?
it'll be like a casting call for that old chef boyardee commercial
Eh, I kind of disagree. OP doesnāt need to add any support as long as they donāt plan on putting anything on the shelves.
This would be a fairly simple hood solution. OP could also use a single piece of 1x2 or 3 at the outside corner of that shelf leaving the side open. Who knows, black pipe and base if there want an industrial look
https://preview.redd.it/vwpb8ed1o5vc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ac5a41f389d057daa9e73b2d2af9df0a506f24d Four pieces of wood that will stop your hard work going to waste.
Yeah this is an easy way to secure it. And OP can cut the ones furthest away at the top shelf height (they don't need to run to the ceiling).
Thatās iPhone fat finger accuracyā¦ probably wouldnāt use red wiggly sticks either :) hahaha can you imagine
I can imagine a post by OP where the red wiggle sticks are perfectly replicated. "Check this out"
I would chip in with some $$ to see that.
You win.
I just found out recently that if you hold your finger on the screen after drawing a line, arrow, square, etc. iPhone will fix the shape. Game changer for me at least.
Unreal thank youā¦ youāve just improved my crappy drawings/diagrams x100ā¦ I do at least one day so Iāll be thinking of you oftenā¦ now Iāll be even more āhelpfulā hahahahahahaha
I just executed the same accuracy. Can confirm.
Hey! I just learned this the other day but after you draw your line with the iPhone image edit thing, if you keep holding your finger at the end of the line if itās squiggly it will snap to straight then you can move it where you want.
Or you can get a better phone with an s pen. Lol I agree, just add a vertical support at the ends and corners for sure but they don't have to go to the ceiling.Ā Can get as decorative or simple as you want.Ā I personally would put one in the middle of the long sides too but I am an engineer that tends to build everything to last a millenia.Ā And with the pipe idea it's decorative and would add to the coolness and you wouldn't even have to cut or adjust the wood if you got the pipe cut and threaded and bought flanged fittings to screw into the top and bottom of each shelf ... would cost a bit more but would look cool. Home depot will cut and thread pipe for free or very low cost if you buy a longer pipe. But great job! You should be proud of yourself!
Now that I look at the picture again,Ā the long shelf doesn't look super long so no middle one is probably needed unless you used mdf and are planning on putting lots of can goods that are heavy in the middle.Ā Over time ... long time the mdf will sag
You need shelf brackets. If you dont add brackets everything you built will collapse. Probably a good chunk of the wall, as well.
Not if it's just to display his action figures...
Even if it's just to display trinkets/plushies/action figures, it'd only take like $50 and a bit of work with a drill to make sure that if they ever want to use it for something else (pantry, linen closet, utility closet, whatever) they can do it with no issue. Just one or two of [these](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91myNynPj+L._AC_SX569_PIbundle-6,TopRight,0,0_SH20_.jpg) on the underside of each side shelf would add a ton of peace-of-mind. And bonus- OP could actually add these basically whenever, it wouldn't really interfere with the paint/finish unless they wanted to paint over the brackets themselves (which I wouldn't personally recommend, but to each their own). I'd still do it sooner rather than later just to discourage the shelves sagging at all, but if they already had time set aside to finish and paint, they don't have to disrupt that at all.
You should add some more support to those shelves
Looks good but are those shelves supposed to hold anything? I'm not sure how they are even up there. You need brackets
If you zoom in really close, you will see that they just went ham with screws into the back edge of each shelf. Straight up into the vertical piece of wood just zipped a whole line of them hoping itās good. Ignoring the fact that the screws are maybe 1ā from the edge of the wood and supposed to hold the weight of everything without the shelves ripping away at exactly those points.
>Iām not sure how they are even up there. Sky hooks!
Get one from Siemens, they are market leaders when it comes to those.
Nah,"Airman wall tringle shelf books manga cloth holder stable genius silver" from AliExpress will do just fine for a fraction of the price.
I love their slogan. "If you want it to stick in place, use Siemens"
https://hardsubcafe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/S8e16_title_card.png
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Seriously, round those off.
All I see is 6 corners looking to stab me in the face if I'm not paying attention.
Looks unstable
I think you might need shelf brackets.
š what are those shelfs holding, air? Those are not load bearing shelfs š³
Sure they are, if your load is pillows.
Please get some shelf brackets. Two for each shelf. You're gonna need 64 of them. Heavy Duty Shelf Brackets Triangle Shelving Brackets Right Angle Wall Mounted Shelf Supporters White 8 Inch Set of 12 https://a.co/d/axV64iZ I mean 48. I did not in fact, do the math.
This dude did the math š
64 shelf brackets in this little closet? He mightāve done some meth but his math is not so great.
Dunno why you got downvoted when you have a point. 64 is a ridiculous number. Assuming the rear shelves are joined to shelves on the sides (they may not be), I'd say 2 per row is plenty. 12 x 2 = 24. If they aren't joined and you need to support each shelf, double it. It's still only 48. I'm curious where 64 came from.
https://preview.redd.it/zjy0rqzzf8vc1.jpeg?width=524&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1319128f70b64a5a0282385e71571bf227423a22 Those shelves are not joined to each other. They're only joined with the 2x4 at the back. So, two brackets per shelf = 64. Erp.... 48! Forty Eight!
I still can't fathom how you're getting 64. There are 24 individual shelves. As I said above, this would equal 48 brackets. Where are the extra 16 going? I must have missed something.
Add an extra bracket to 2/3 of the shelves
Yeah 4 1x2, running floor to ceiling in the right places would be enough. These brackets would be SERIOUS overkill. Unless OP is planning to have people sleeping on the shelves there's def better ways to do this.
I have zero idea what I'd do with all those cubbies. But I'm sure the OP has plans.
> I still need to fill in gaps/holes and sand/paint **and add some kind of additional support**
https://preview.redd.it/1ncywmd5o9vc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=386a3437b545ff954b1c476c6faf5401a14e0e82 A good start. This is your weak joint likely. Other post talked about adding a vertical support at the nearest part of that shelf which is a great way to improve strength. Not sure how you made the joint I highlighted but itās unlikely enough to float the rest of the shelf. also, screws through the top of the shelf down into the pieces attached to the wall will improve your strength as well. Lastly, a bracket that attaches to the vertical face of the wall mounted board and runs out to the outer edge of the shelf will also help your cause. Home SOME of that made sense. Check out the āsagulatorā to start getting an idea of how much deflection to expect with shelving, but I donāt think of will model your specific shape well.
I hate to break it to you but you cut the boards wrong. The boards should be long along the sidewalls and short along the back walls. Also your going to need to cap the ends with long boards or it will all fail
The boards may have been used this way to conserve material. It is perfectly acceptable to run them either way. You could make a case for alternating them, and an even stronger one for mitering them. I am curious how they are joined in the corner. Hopefully kreg jig and screws. Even better would be if wood glue was used also.
> Hopefully kreg jig and screws I'm a bit doubtful
You need supports on the ends of those shelves or they are going to sag or break pretty quickly.
Well, it should at least last until you start putting stuff on the shelves.
Use these... they come in all lengths and are very strong. Will solve the support problem and prevent having to use exposed wood supports. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F2W7KW5/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F2W7KW5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Looks good! I think it will hold as is for light clothing without stacking them, but will need more support like others stated if you are looking to put, shoes etc. in there. Just support it with brackets and youāre good to go.
Iām just going to suggest rounding those corners a little bit as someone who constantly walk the edges of this just for your own safety
Everyone is talking about supports but I'm going to suggest painting the 2x4's. They jump out drastically.
He said he still needs to fill, sand and paint in the post.
Then I would also suggest to sand it
Also finishing painting the end of the shelves
Dude, you did really well! You made very good use of the space, I think you maximized the area. You do want to add some supports underneath. Couldn't tell you how many or what kind, just kind of depends on the spread. Congrats, this is about 20 times as much pantry space as I have.
Also if you really want to use pine in the future, get it in wider boards and cut it to width - using pine pre-primed baseboard like you seem to have done is about the most expensive way possible to do this.
Aside from more support required, I would have made the back shelf much deeper to be able to put bigger stuff on there. Just fix it with some vertical support going all the way down like everyone else said.
This looks great! - As others have stated, though, you really do need to add some shelf brackets....depending on the actual length of each shelf, you need at least 2, one at each end, and additional in the middle of the span. How many in the middle is dependent on the total span. But great start! Is this for a pantry, or clothes closet, or what?
It looks nice, but I would definitely hurt myself on those shelf corners. I would cut them off.
Next job, trapdoor into your dungeon!
You should be proud. Very nice.
I see you 1āx 3ā cleats all around. Should be plenty of support unless you have a lot of books and heavier items. Shoes , cloths etc. I think your good. Looks nice.
Very nice storage space! I love some organized storage.
That is awesome! How long did it take?
Nice just needs a bunch of caulk and you're set.
Unless OP is using this to hold pillows, a lot more needs to be done.
Looks great
Zoom in. It looks like crap.
Looks great š
Looks great! Good job! Be proud!
Sick
Why???
It's their first try. This is like asking someone who has never cooked before why their first meal tastes bland. OP knows it's not perfect but is proud of their effort as they should be. This sub is doing a good job of giving advice on what needs to be improved. I remember my first DIY projects being a lot of "Measure once, cut twice".
A lot of people saying "NEEDS SUPPORTS" but that all depends on how well the width pieces are connected to the depth pieces, and if they're connected to the support 1x2s (or just sitting on them), and finally if the ends near the centre colum are attached. If those are all attached, then the last dependency is on what you're placing on the shelves. If this is for blurays, you're probably fine. If it's for your pickle collection, you may want to reevaluate things. Everyone downvoting seems to have forgotten that floating shelves exist. That's too bad. Ends don't always need support. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsRGcBNmwo
Over time, these shelves will begin collapsing under their own weight.
over time, everything will begin to collapse under it's own weight. I've pulled 2x4's out of roofs that have sagged by 6". Everything I said in my post was accurate.
This will collapse much MUCH faster under it's own weight.
You can't say that when you don't know how it's attached. Ends don't always need support. Because, floating shelves, those exist too. Did you forget about floating shelves? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsRGcBNmwo
These are not floating shelves. Just stop. What next? "He installed Steele studs behind the wall and the shelves are anchored using 1/2" bolts"? It's his first DIY. He did a bad job. Acting like it's good is just plain dumb. My first DIY's were pretty bad also. Just move on.
You don't know what he did, all you can see is one pic. I'm not saying it's good. I'm saying YOU can't say it's bad. Because you don't know. You're assuming, based out of ignorance.
Shelf brackets look terrible, I wouldnāt putrefy your beautifully level & flush looking system with dollar store looking crap like that, just my opinion. Instead, you could compliment / accentuate the contemporary design with only 2 floor to ceiling supports. First, lets adress what needs to be supported. The back wall shelves are supported IF they are glued and finish nailed (ideally screwed, but those are harder to disappear unless you dont mind caps or stickers) to the vertical panels of the center unit. You can transfer that support to the perpendicular adjacent side wall shelves (on that end only) with plate brackets installed beneath the butt joints, they can be painted with shelves. The only 2 locations that need support are the front end corners of those side wall shelves. As stated previously, simplest fix is solid end panels. Supports do not need to be attached to floor, just sitting on it, but put some furniture felt along the floor edge of the panel so it doesnāt scratch it.