*Edited 11/27/16 – Make sure to check out our kitchen reveal  (includes all the kitchen posts and lots of details!).

*Edited 08/24/17 – See what we think about our open shelving in our Kitchen Updates – What we think about our Open Shelving in the Kitchen. 

Are you wondering what has gotten into me? Two kitchen posts in one week? It’s definitely unexpected, right?! For some reason, I’m just motivated. Weird, but true. So today, let’s chat about How to Install Heavy Duty Floating Shelves – for the Kitchen. 

When it came to deciding what I wanted for the open shelves, I knew things I didn’t want. I didn’t want to piece my wood around the shelving supports, meaning that the shelves were super chunky. I like that look but I wanted something more streamlined. I also didn’t want a shelf that couldn’t hold a standard plate.

Those two things together made mounting the shelving very difficult.

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There are a few different ways to mount shelving. We looked at this tutorial from House Updated and really liked it but just weren’t confident in our ability to get it straight.

So, after quite the search fest, I finally found a supplier who would make something that works. SilicateStudio, on Etsy, makes hidden mounting brackets for heavy-duty shelving and mantles.

I needed shelving brackets for a 6ft hardwood board that was about 11 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick. The recommendation from SilicateStudio was to purchase (4) heavy-duty hidden floating shelf brackets. The brackets ended up being around $230, so it definitely wasn’t cheap.

The brackets have hanging guides but it’s basically up to you to find your studs and position them in the wall.

Supply List

Heavy-Duty Shelving (4)

Drill (this is my absolute favorite because it’s lightweight enough for me but gets the job done!)

Measuring Tape (has built in marker)

Mallet Heavy-Duty Anchors

Let’s get to the How-to!

Luke measured and re-measured (he knew his life depended on it … lol) and hung them up. The brackets went up at 20″ from the countertop and 33″ up.

As you can see, we chose to hang them up before the tile and then cut tile to go around them.

We finished the tile and then grouted with the brackets still up. Then we, pulled them down to make a template for our shelving.

I wanted a pretty wood, so I went to a custom wood shop to find and buy. There are lots of pretty woods out there, but since I was wanting the board to be around 11 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick… that limited my options. To be completely honest, I can’t even remember what I choose! I think it’s Ash. The price of the wood with the holes drilled for the brackets was around $300.

Again, you could totally go a different route with both the wood and brackets and save some money.

Luke had measured and diagramed out the wood with which bracket went to what (the brackets were just a tad off from each other). So, when we went to hang the brackets back up, we had to hand them up in order.

Each bracket had two screws that hit studs.

For the drywall anchors, we used these:

Since they say they hold up to 143 lbs and we used (6) plus two stud screws… I feel pretty confident that the shelves are staying put.

Getting the wood on the brackets was quite the experience. The shelving weighs quite a bit and it’s tall so we definitely had to manhandle it on.

We wiggled and pushed it on and then finally tapped both shelves in with a mallet.

I’m confident they aren’t going anywhere.

We still have to caulk around the edges where the tile doesn’t quite meet up perfectly. Well that, and play with the styling because, you know I’m not done with that.

The goal is to have them functional yet pretty. I’m sure once I find something that works well, I’ll do a blog post about it.

So, would you ever have floating shelves? I know they aren’t for everyone! Tell the truth. =)

Pin for Later: How To Install Heavy Duty Shelves

*Edited 08/24/17 : Love this next photo of the shelves!

PIN For Later : How To Install Open Shelves In The Kitchen

If you liked this post, then you may like:

Kitchen Reveal 

DIY Feather Art

DIY Wood Wall Art

DIY Spice Drawer Organizer

If you decide to put up open shelving in the kitchen then you are probably going to want my Kitchen Shelving Styling Guide! Sign up in the box below.

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