DIY invisible shelf made from books: Materials, tools and manufacturing rules

Home/Design and interior/Do-it-yourself invisible shelf made from books: Materials, tools and manufacturing rules

A decorative book shelf is considered not just an excellent, but also a very creative idea. But unlike all shelves, the fastening itself is not noticeable here. Thus, it seems as if the books are simply floating in the air.

Such solutions will allow you to bring a zest to your home that all guests will appreciate and will be indescribably delighted. The most important thing is to read the detailed instructions to do everything correctly at all stages.

Materials and tools

In order to create a unique book shelf, you will need a minimum amount of materials and tools, so the costs will be insignificant:

• A book with a hard cover (it is advisable to choose a thick book);
• Bracket (can be purchased at any hardware store);
• Screws with washers;
• Dowels for the bracket that will attach it to the wall;
• Drill;
• Screwdriver.

Finding everything you need will not be difficult, so the installation procedure will be quick and easy.

Invisible fasteners and drywall

Often, partitions in a house are made from sheets of plasterboard. It is more difficult to attach stands to them with invisible fittings.

GCR is a rather fragile, thin material; it is not designed for high loads. However, if the walls are leveled using drywall, this option can be considered.

In the place where the shelf will be located, a wooden block is fixed between the gypsum board and the wall. Afterwards, the metal pins for fastening are inserted through the plasterboard, the block and inserted into the wall itself, and then the shelf is hung. Heavy objects should not be placed on such a structure, otherwise the fittings may not hold up.

Manufacturing

Now all that remains is to mount everything. The main thing is to follow strict instructions, in which there is nothing complicated:

• Open the book to about a third of its thickness.
• We insert the bracket with the wide side.
• We fasten the back of the book to the bracket using bolts.
• On the reverse side of each bolt we secure it with a nut for secure fixation.
• This way you will get a book from which the bracket will stick out. Of course, it will be a little noticeable from the side, but if you look at the end of such a unique shelf, you will get the impression that the book is simply floating in the air.
• Now, using a dowel, you need to secure the other side of the bracket to the wall. It is best to use an impact drill for this so that you can easily go through the hard concrete base.
• That's it, now the shelf is ready for use. To hide the bracket, which is attached to the wall, you can put several more publications on top of the first book.

How to choose a fixation type?

This is not an easy task, since when choosing a method for attaching shelves, several factors must be taken into account. And they are the ones who will influence the final decision.

1. The thickness of the wall itself on which the shelf is fixed. This is one of the main factors to consider when choosing a mounting option. The fact is that it is not always possible to use, for example, a hidden pin fastening. It is better to avoid it if the wall is made of soft materials such as plasterboard. The thickness of the partition should not be less than 10.5 cm if it is made of concrete, and less than 25 cm if it is made of brick. If the wall does not meet these parameters, then it is better to choose another fixation option. In relation to drywall, a shelf can be hung using a hidden fastener only if the wall thickness is at least 10 cm, and only light souvenirs and nothing heavy or giving a serious load will stand on the shelf.

   Brackets for mounting shelves in the wall

2. The thickness of the shelf itself and its weight also have a serious impact on the choice of fixation method. So, the shelf should not be too soft or damp. If you plan to place only light objects on it, then you can choose a shelf with a thickness of at least 3 cm, and if you plan to place heavy elements and possibly an increased load, then the shelf should have a thickness of at least 4.5 cm and no more than 6 cm.

   Relationship between shelf depth and load on each mensolo holder

Important! You can choose the right mount only if you know the answers to the questions: “What will stand on the shelf?” and “Which wall will the product be fixed on?”, only then can you make the right choice.

It is also important to estimate the number of fasteners in advance. So, if the shelf is shorter than 1-1.5 m, then a couple of fasteners are enough. If the length is greater than the specified parameters, then it is better to increase the number of fasteners in order to evenly distribute the load on the product and the wall. Moreover, again, the number of fasteners can vary greatly depending on the thickness of the shelf itself and its quality.

The free space above the sofa is organically filled with shelves to match the walls

Invisible shelf for heavy loads

This option is more reliable and is suitable in cases where people are going to place a lot more books on such a shelf. According to the installation principle, the design is not very different from its predecessor, but due to circumstances, an unlimited number of books can be placed on such a shelf. More precisely, you can stack as many books as you can fit to the beginning of the ceiling.

How can I mount a shelf on the wall?

To hang a shelf, you do not need to have great skills and abilities. Sometimes it is enough to have the shelf itself, a hammer drill and a building level on hand. Next, the work will go quickly and smoothly - hanging the shelf will take five minutes. However, these interior items can be fixed in different ways. This is often influenced by the type of shelf, the owner’s desire to use visible or invisible fasteners, and a number of other factors. Sometimes the type of fastener is important.

Table. Methods of fastening shelves.

Mounting option	Short description
Bracket or holders	This option assumes the presence of visible fastenings for shelves. They can be seen, and they are fixed both below and above the shelf. The brackets can also be hidden. Visible brackets can be simple or decorative. They come in both plastic and metal, ornate and simple, etc. One side is attached to the wall, the other to the shelf itself. However, it is important to understand that this option is not suitable for every interior style.
Loops and corners	This is the choice of those who save on mounting costs, but want to install the shelf as quickly and easily as possible. It is suitable for almost every interior. Moreover, this is a fairly reliable fastener, and depending on its size, you can vary the load on the shelves.
Fastenings for glass options	These fasteners are used only for fixing shelves made of glass and characterized by their large mass and fragility. They are usually made of metal and have special gaskets that will allow you to securely fix the shelf itself to the wall, preventing it from falling. There are also suction cup fasteners for glass, but they are not very reliable. As a rule, the suction cup is fixed on the underside of the shelf. Typically, such fasteners are small in size.
Invisible	This option will allow you to install the shelf so that the fasteners themselves will not be visible from any side of the shelf. It will seem like it's just glued to the wall.

Concealed shelf holder

Materials and tools

Here everything can be found in almost every home, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time searching.

• Hardback;
• Two brackets of the same length;
• Four screws with nuts;
• Four dowels;
• Drill;
• Screwdriver;
• Pencil or pen (useful for accurately marking holes);
• Building level (needed to ensure that the shelf is in a perfect horizontal plane).

Of course, you will have to purchase some materials, but in general, the cost of making an invisible shelf will be minimal.

Shelves in a modern interior

In any house, if a person lives in it, there are always a lot of different jars, bottles, maybe books, souvenirs, photo frames and much more. And in order to keep order in the house, it is recommended to put each thing in its designated place. And often a wall shelf acts as such a place. It usually serves two functions - it is a convenient stand for something decorative or useful, and it can also be the highlight of a certain design.

Wall shelves in the interior

Depending on the room in which the shelf is installed, it can perform a very different role. So, in the kitchen there may be a set of spices on it or some elements of utensils. In the bathroom , a shelf is a must-have for arranging various bottles and bottles. A shelf is also needed in the bedroom , where you can place on it various things you need before going to bed. Of course, these interior elements are also in the living room - books, flowers, and souvenirs can be placed on them. Often they are able to significantly save space, as well as overcome clutter in the room, because from now on everything will be in its place. That is why this piece of furniture is absolutely irreplaceable, despite the fact that there may be many wardrobes or chests of drawers in the house.

Wall in the form of shelves

On a note! The shelf is appropriate and functional in absolutely any interior, regardless of its style. The main thing is to choose the right and suitable option and place it in a place where the shelf will look organic and as part of the interior.

Black and white shelf

Moreover, it is important to choose not only a shelf that suits the style, but also one that you will like and look aesthetically pleasing when hung. When creating certain styles, it is important that the fastenings on it are invisible. In general, there are several variations of fixing shelves on the wall.

Wood shelf

Installation

The installation procedure is not much different from the first option, although there are some subtleties here too. First you need to place the brackets so that they are in the same plane. On the wall, using a pencil, you need to mark the places for the dowels, so that later you can immediately drill the holes needed for the fastenings.

After the holes for the bracket are drilled in the wall, you can begin installing the mounts on the book.

It is enough to place the brackets almost immediately under the cover and secure them with bolts and nuts.

Now the entire structure is mounted on the wall and securely fixed with dowels.

Thanks to such strong fastenings, the shelf can withstand quite a significant weight.

AlinaAuthor of the article

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Invisible bookshelves from designer Miron Lior (for Umbra)

The most popular model is due to its seemingly simple design and very reasonable price.

The principle of holding books is this: a special bracket (the only thing you need to buy) is fixed to the wall with 2 self-tapping screws, a book with a folded cover is brought from below to the horizontal part and the edge of the cover clings to small “antennae”, after which the book is closed. And now you have a shelf ready. You can put other books on top or place beautiful little things.

This miracle is sold in the online stores Amazon (cost 15 dollars for one shelf), Umbra (there are larger and smaller ones, price 13-15 dollars), Gnomo (price 14.40 euros).

The maximum weight of cargo (books, decor) is up to 6.8 kg. It is not recommended to build stacks higher than 41 cm and use books with a spine length of more than 20 cm.

Double shelves with the same design ($15-$18 on Amazon):

A couple of notes that we found while studying product reviews on Amazon:

• You cannot place a large load on such a shelf (many books or they are heavy), the metal is quite thin and can bend (the solution is to take into account the parameters of the maximum load, see above);
• when installing decor, refrain from fragile and valuable items (see the reason in the previous paragraph);
• you will have to make sure that curious guests and children do not try to pull out the “bottom” book (the surface of which serves as the basis of the entire shelf), otherwise the whole structure will “fall apart” ;=).

If all this doesn’t bother you and you are ready to take such nuances into account, feel free to order such an original gadget. If in doubt, read on to find out about other models.

But first, another design option for invisible shelves for books from Miron Lior . For example, in order to make just one book a decorative item. These could be albums with luxurious illustrations or a large children's book with beautiful pictures that you admired throughout your childhood and saved for your kids.

Such “literary pearls” are worthy of being turned into genuine wall decorations - thanks to the vertical design invisible shelf (at Amazon its price is the same as the previous ones, at Gnomo - 19 euros).

And here’s how two options for invisible shelves from the same designer can be combined (with horizontal and vertical arrangement of books):

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Hidden shelves from old drawers

These shelves are made from 2-8 drawers, not necessarily matching in color, shape or size.

• The drawers are cleaned and unnecessary parts are removed. Surfaces are sanded.
• Then the protruding edges of the cladding are cut off so that the entire side of the bottom fits tightly against the wall.
• The inside of the drawers is painted to match the color of the wall. This will create the illusion of floating shelves.
• Next, the boxes are laid out on the floor to find beautiful compositions to determine the places where they will be attached. The composition you like is photographed; this photograph will replace the sketch.
• According to the plan, wooden supports are mounted on the wall. Make sure they are level.
• The boxes are placed on supports and secured with screws (the screws are painted over if they need to be hidden).

Decorative handles or accessories can be added if desired. Another idea is to attach decorative “note paper” to the inside of drawer-turned-shelves.

Accessories for rotating shelves

Rotating shelf accessories include:

• upper and lower fixation of the rotation axis;
• the axis of rotation, which is a telescopic metal tube, that is, the height of the pole can be changed according to the dimensions of the cabinet;
• flange mounting bracket.

Installation of a rotating shelf

To install the rotating shelf correctly, you must:

1. choose a place to attach the rotation axis so that the installed shelf can move freely inside the cabinet;
2. secure the upper and lower connecting structures (simply screwed to the lower and upper parts of the cabinet, respectively);
3. install the pin by inserting the pipe into the fixed flanges;
4. screw the shelf support to the board;
5. install the shelf itself.

The rotating shelf is installed correctly

Therefore, when choosing accessories for shelves, you should proceed from the material from which they are made and the method of fastening the product. In stores you can find many different options for overhead, mortise supports, sliding and rotating mechanisms, the independent installation of which does not cause any difficulties.

Helpful advice

As you can see, making an invisible shelf with your own hands is actually very easy. If you cannot buy a long “L”-shaped bracket for making such an accessory, you can use two large steel angles instead.

In this case, in the book you will first have to cut, of course, not one, but two slots along the edges. When performing this work, you should try to ensure that the brackets are subsequently located at an absolutely equal distance from the edge of the “stand”.

Types of fastenings

The inconspicuous fastening that supports the shelf has a wide range of varieties:

1. Alcoves and niches are a convenient place to mount shelves because they can easily be mounted on three walls at once.
2. The hidden bracket with two slots is convenient because it can be used anywhere.
3. Invisible fasteners made of durable metal with alloy steel connecting screws create tension between the posts. This gives them impressive support ability. If a longer shelf is needed, additional supports are added. Invisible fasteners can be used to create heavy-duty floating shelves.

Through fasteners (with drilling) for confirmations

Confirmations are most common through closing shelves. To install, you will need to drill a hole in the end of the shelf with a diameter of 5 mm and on the front side of the side wall of the bedside table with a drill with a diameter of 8 mm. It is best to use a special confirmation exercise. Because it also requires a countersink under the confirming head to “sink” the screw itself flush with the surface of the side wall. In addition, the cap is hidden by a special self-adhesive cap, matched to the color of the chipboard.

Gradient - depending on the thickness of the side walls, the length of the confirmation is selected. For standard thickness of chipboard and MDF 16-18 mm, a 5x50 Euro screw is used, for thicker panel materials - a longer one, up to 70 mm.

• Among the advantages of attaching shelves to confirmations, it is worth highlighting the ease of assembly and the low cost of the fastener itself.
• The downside is that it requires drilling. Not everyone likes the “losing” aspects of furniture in an aesthetic sense. Self-adhesive dowels, although color-matched, are still visible. In addition, furniture assembled by confirmation no longer “values” assembly and disassembly.

Hidden hidden fasteners for shelves to the wall

The effect of furniture floating, without floor supports, is also maintained in the design of wall shelves. At the same time, it must be “thick” so that hidden fasteners to the wall can be hidden inside the thickness. There are many options for hidden fastenings for shelves to the wall. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups: “frames” and “pins”. In the first case, a flat frame structure serves as the basis for fastening the shelf, in the second - special hidden mensol holders, which are pins with wall mounting.

Inner frame

Invisible fasteners for shelves to the wall are placed inside the cavity of the shelf itself. It is a frame with partitions made of thin timber, plywood or metal. The thin lining of such a shelf is painted in the desired color.

In general, this option for hidden fasteners for a wall shelf is more of a decorative nature. It’s not worth putting something heavy on such a shelf.

Hidden mensolo holders

It is more reliable to attach a bookshelf to the wall using mensol holders, which combine an anchor and a pin in their design.

Another practical option for hidden shelf fastening is a plate on anchors with welded pins for “stringing” the shelf.

There are other types of hidden pin holders with the same installation principle. For fastening glass shelves, options are available with special rubberized rings to prevent the glass surface from sliding on the metal. True, such shelf fastening cannot be called hidden - after all, it “lies” on top.

Removing invisible fasteners

It happens that the hidden fastening and the interior element itself are no longer needed, they have to be dismantled. First, the structure itself is removed from the fittings, the metal elements are pulled out with pliers.

Use a screwdriver or screwdriver to unscrew all remaining parts, and seal the holes in the wall. Installing or removing a shelf with invisible fixation is not difficult - it does not require special knowledge or skills. All work can be done in literally half an hour.