Picture Ledge Set of Twelve in Birch Plywood 600mm Wide

Twelve ledges at 600mm, which is enough to build a picture wall you can change on a Sunday afternoon without touching the plaster again.

A picture ledge is a lip and a shelf, and the only two dimensions that matter are the depth of the tray and the height of the lip. Too shallow and a framed A3 print falls off the front. Too deep and the ledge dominates the wall. Ours are 90mm deep with a 22mm lip, which holds anything from a postcard to a framed A2 leaning at a comfortable angle, and stacked two or three deep so you can change the arrangement without touching the wall.

Specification

• Dimensions: Twelve ledges, 600mm wide by 90mm deep, 22mm front lip
• Material: 18 layer birch plywood, 30mm thick, lacquered with the edge left exposed
• Finish: oiled or sprayed and ready to use
• Load rating: 11kg per ledge evenly distributed
• Span and bracket spacing: 2 wall fixings per ledge, straight through the back of the tray
• Adjustability: fixed once fitted, but the pictures on it move freely, which is the point
• Suitable walls: brick, block, concrete and timber stud. Plasterboard on dabs needs the long fixing kit, which is a free option at the checkout
• 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
• Tray depth: 90mm, which takes a framed A2 leaning comfortably
• Front lip: 22mm, high enough to hold a frame and low enough to hide behind a postcard
• Set contains twelve ledges
• Recommended vertical spacing: 350mm to 450mm between ledges
• Total weight: approximately 26.2 kilograms

What you get

• Twelve picture ledges in birch plywood, 600mm by 90mm
• 24 wall fixings with the right plug for masonry
• A full length paper template for each ledge
• A spacing card for setting the gaps between rows

Fitting

A ledge fixes with two or three screws straight through the back of the tray, so the screw heads sit under whatever you lean against it. Level matters more here than on any other shelf, because a picture leaning on a ledge will slide slowly to the low end and tell everyone about it. Use the template, drill both holes before you fix either, and check with a level rather than by eye against a ceiling line.

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.