Floating Shelf in Birch Plywood 1200mm Wide by 200mm Deep

A single 1200mm floating shelf in birch plywood, 50mm thick with a welded steel frame hidden inside it. Sized for a sofa wall or a hallway.

A floating shelf is a solid board with a steel frame hidden inside it. The frame is welded from 12mm bar, the board is machined to receive it on a CNC router so the fit is a light interference rather than a rattle, and the shelf slides onto the frame and locks with two grub screws underneath. Done properly the result is a shelf with no visible support that will take real weight. Done badly it is a shelf that droops at the front within a year, which is what happens when the frame is thin or the housing is cut oversize. Every board here is machined to a 0.3mm tolerance and every frame is welded rather than bolted.

Specification

• Dimensions: 1200mm wide by 200mm deep by 50mm thick
• Material: 18 layer birch plywood, 50mm thick, lacquered with the edge left exposed
• Finish: oiled and ready to use, no visible fixings
• Load rating: 36kg evenly distributed, tested to twice that
• Span and bracket spacing: one welded frame, 3 wall fixings
• Adjustability: fixed once fitted, so set the height out on paper first
• Suitable walls: timber stud at 400 or 600mm centres, brick, block and concrete. Not suitable for plasterboard on dabs without a timber backing batten
• Fixings: stainless screws and the right plug for masonry are included. Fixings for plasterboard on dabs and for metal stud are supplied on request at no charge
• Thickness: 50mm, which is what allows a concealed frame to carry load
• Frame: 12mm welded steel bar, machined into the board to 0.3mm
• Projection: 200mm as standard, 250mm and 300mm on request
• Weight: approximately 11.8 kilograms
• Sold singly

What you get

• One shelf in birch plywood, 1200mm by 200mm by 50mm
• One welded steel frame
• 3 wall fixings with the right plug for masonry
• Two grub screws and a hex key
• A full length paper marking template
• A sample pot of the matching oil for the cut ends

Fitting

Mark the frame position, drill, fix the frame to the wall and check it for level in both directions before the shelf goes anywhere near it. That last check is the whole job. Once the frame is right the shelf slides on and two grub screws lock it. Allow half an hour for a single shelf and use the paper template rather than the frame itself for marking, because a frame held against a wall with one hand is never where you think it is.

Planning your wall

Work from the top down. Set the top shelf where it looks right, usually a little above eye level, then space the rest below it. Books want 320mm between shelves for paperbacks and 400mm for hardbacks and art books, and there is no reason for the spacing to be equal. A wall of identical gaps reads as storage and a wall of varied gaps reads as a room. Leave the bottom shelf at least 300mm off the floor so a hoover and a skirting board both have somewhere to go.