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Question:

How can I hang a floating shelf on my plasterboard wall so I can put a heavy CD player on it?

I'm buying a cheap floating shelf for 20 so I can hang it on my bedroom wall (plasterboard). I'm buying it for a new stereo I'm getting , but I don't know how to hang the shelf up. I read somewhere that if you're putting a floating shelf on plasterboard you need to use toggle bolts. Can I just drill the holes in the wall , put wall plugs in , and then screw the shelf in to them. The stereo is a Samsung mini system with two seperate speakers. How can I put it up without a chance of it falling down ?

Answer:

Before you commit yourself, check the weight limit of the shelf, if it says anything with its instructions. Floating shelves are not all created equal. Then check the weight of the stereo.
A shelf is a simple lever. If you have, say, a shelf 10 wide with a 2 vertical bracket, that's got a mechanical advantage of 5 - if you put a 10lb stereo on the edge of the shelf, there's 50lb of force trying to pull the top bolts out. So it depends on the shape of the shelf, the weight of the stereo, how far it is from the wall etc. Most likely it will be OK until you accidentally grab the shelf one day, in which case if you just used wall plugs they will tear out and everything will fall to the floor. If you can, try and get at least one screw into a stud and use toggles for the others.

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