I am mounting a stained oak board on the wall as shelving. It is 5 ft long, 7.25 in deep, and 1.5 in thick. The shelving will hold some relatively light weight items (framed photos) and a couple knick knacks. Would two brackets mounted at studs be acceptable or do we need a center support? I would prefer to not have a center support (or have it be more discreet than the end brackets), but I would prefer to have a solid shelf even more:)
If you have a center stud then a small angle bracket could be installed to support the center just install it so the leg on the wall is up instead of down and the mounting screws go into the stud. You might consider using the main brackets at the ends and additional brackets to spread the weight along the wall. Small brackets about 3x3 may do the job.
If you really don't want a center support, try putting two more supports up but not directly in the center. At lease that will look uniform. Yes indeed use more supports.
It could be if you space them 3 feet apart. Ifthe board is really 1-1/2 thick it is pretty heavy by itself, so the brackets must be sturdy enough, A board that thick will not bend in the middle.
Yes. Assuming the brackets are correctly sized so they come out close to the edge of the board and that the shelf is made of real wood and not plywood or particleboard, you could fill such a shelf with hardcover books and it would still be fine.
Are the bracket going through the drywall hitting the wood stud? If that is the case it is enough. If it just hitting the drywall and nothing else l would put a bracket in the middle of the two brackets you plan to put up,
