A contractor in Denver said my plan for a floating shelf was a waste of time

I was at a hardware store getting some brackets, and a guy next to me asked what I was building. I explained I was making a 6-foot floating shelf with a hidden cleat system. He laughed and said, 'Just screw it right into the studs from the top, nobody will see it.' That stuck with me because I think the clean look is worth the extra hour. Has anyone else had someone push for a shortcut you knew would bug you later?

4 comments

4 Comments

mila_perry131mo ago

That "screw it from the top" advice is so lazy lol. The whole point of a floating shelf is that you don't see the hardware. That clean look is everything, and an hour of extra work is nothing compared to staring at screw heads forever.

markhall1mo ago

Totally agree. I used those hidden bracket things you screw into the wall first, then the shelf slides right over them. Took some time to get them level, but now it looks like the shelf is just magically stuck there. Worth every minute of fiddling with a stud finder.

ryan_ellis17d ago

Man, I feel that. Those hidden brackets are a pain to get level but the end result is so clean it hurts. Totally worth the extra frustration.

ryan_ellis17d ago

Two weeks ago I would've been on the other side of this argument, but @markhall convinced me to try those hidden brackets and yeah, you guys are right. Spent an extra 45 minutes getting them level and now my shelf looks like it's floating.

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