When we move into a new house or a new office, there are always some particular items that we always want to see.
Whether it is a diploma or a cat statue, we need someplace that supports our precious belongings. It’s out in the open, so we can always see it.
Carpenters and architects came up with the perfect way to store these items and their shelves.
But shelves are two kinds themselves:
- Pinned to the ground
- Floating shelves (hanging shelves).
The ground shelves aside, we will talk about the floating ones because they have a far grave duty, and they cannot fall.
Now there are two questions that captures the mind:
- But what are the limits?
- How much weight can a floating shelf hold?
Let’s see, shall we?
We will go through:
- The basics of floating shelves.
- Four golden rules.
- Is wood type necessary?
- And in the end
Please keep reading for the excellent tips that we prepared for you.
The basics of floating shelves
The shelves have two kinds of hanging or floating and fixed or ground shelves.
The name is self-explanatory; the fixed shelves have some wooden or metal legs that support them through their life span.
Yet, the floating shelves are more independent in that matter. They support themselves.
If you have a floating shelf in your residence and some valuable items, read this article until the end.
This answer to the question;
How much weight can a floating shelf stand?
As surprising as it is simple and forward, if supported correctly, a hanging shelf can hold up to 300lb, which equals nearly 136 kilograms.
The crazy part is that if the shelf gets more prominent, this capacity can expand up to 500 kilograms.
But there is a cost for everything.
Are you sure wondering how a floating shell can hold this much weight?
It’s a complex mixture of cleverness and physics.
Some factors in place can either increase this capacity or decrease it.
First, you should have an image of what dimensions and size you want your shelf in because it’s crucial.
How much is too much?
Conclusion: several rules complete the equation of how much a floating shelf can handle?
We will talk about all of these techniques and rules and, in the end, get the best result out of our hanging shelf.
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Rule number one:
You have to know what you are making or getting a shelf for; otherwise, it’s possible that the shape won’t fit, or the shelf can not take the pressure from the item that you planned to put on it.
After selecting the shape and keeping the item in mind, you are ready to make or purchase your first floating shelf.
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Rule number two:
The second rule is much more complex than the first one; you have to consider the deeper your floating shelf equals less capacity for the pressure.
We know you are confused but bare with me; let me explain it to you with some help from an example ;
Simple physics says that if a lever is long enough, it takes less force to move it; imagine your shelf is the lever here; the more profound your shelf, the less it can hold.
For example, if you intend to build a bookshelf, the limit of deepness is around 9 inches because most books are 7 or 8 inches.
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Rule number three:
It is important to remember that the number of rods on each floating shelf is limited, and you must keep in mind that the rods are the structural support points for your structure, and the longer the shelf is, the more rods you will need to support the additional weight.
If you use more rods in your hanging process, the weight capacity of your structure will increase.
Let us give you some examples so you would understand the concept easier;
If you have a shelf over 50 inches, you will need four rods, and in a 70-inch one, we need five additional ones.
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Rule number four:
The more screws, the more capacity on your shelf.
Screws are one of the essential support points in a floating shelf; they say that you are as strong as your weakest part; this sentence is why you should not overlook this factor.
These were the golden rules of increasing how much a floating shelf can hold.
Now let’s see what wood type has to do with this capacity?
Is wood type necessary?
After listing the rules and techniques to hand a better floating shelf, now its time for another factor and question.
Does wood type affect the capacity of how much can a floating shelf hold?
The answer is definitely.
There are different types of woods used to make a floating shelf, and they each have a disparate use and capacity.
Typically, the most used kinds of wood would be: Walnut, pine, cherry, and medium-density fiberboard or MDF.
There are big and significant finances between these woods. For example, pine is a softwood but very popular for making shelves.
In the meantime, the Walnut is a more complicated wood and more robust, but it’s not as popular as pine when making shelves.
In conclusion, wood type does matter, but the maker’s preference or buyer counts; different people don’t have the same taste in wood.
Time to elaborate to the end.
And in the end
We know the four rules of hanging a floating shelf so far, and frankly, no one can say how much a floating shelf can hold because it’s customizable and may differ.
So if you use the four golden rules, you definitely can get the most capacity out of your floating shelf.
And in the end, we hope that this article taught you everything you need to know to build your floating shelf.
If you have any construction-related questions, cite them in the comment below so we can give you a proper answer.
