Floating Shelf Set of Eight in Solid Iroko 1000mm Wide

Eight floating shelves at 1000mm, supplied as a set so the grain and the colour are matched across the wall. Boards from the same tree wherever we can, which is most of the time.

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: Eight shelves, 1000mm wide by 200mm deep by 50mm thick
• Material: solid iroko, 50mm thick, oiled, stable enough for a bathroom or a utility room
• Finish: oiled and ready to use, hardware concealed
• Load rating: 36kg per shelf evenly distributed
• Span and bracket spacing: one welded frame per shelf, 3 wall fixings per frame
• Adjustability: fixed once fitted, so set the heights out on paper before you drill
• 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 lets a floating shelf carry weight
• Frame: 12mm welded steel bar, concealed inside the board
• Projection: 200mm as standard, 250mm on request
• Set contains eight shelves
• Total weight: approximately 95.7 kilograms

What you get

• Eight shelves in solid iroko, 1000mm by 200mm by 50mm
• Eight welded steel frames
• 24 wall fixings with the right plug for masonry
• Grub screws and a hex key
• A paper marking template for each shelf
• A small bottle of the same 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.