Shelving is not only essential for customer-facing displays; it’s also indispensable for storage areas and back stock. Selecting appropriate shelving can help you manage inventory more effectively, increase sales and decrease back strain.
Start building shelving for your store by following these steps: First, measure and mark off where each bracket will go using a level; next drill the holes carefully so as not to over-tighten and damage your wall material; lastly assemble all brackets according to installation directions and place into their locations on shelves.
Measure Your Space
Before adding floating wall shelves, bookcases or any shelving to a piece of furniture, taking measurements is the first step to success. Doing this ensures you have sufficient wall, floor and height space for them, saving the trouble of purchasing or assembling an unit that doesn’t fit.
For wall-hung shelving, stretch out a tape measure across the length of where you wish to install your shelf and record that measurement. This will help determine both its width and number. Depending on what items you plan on storing or simply how much room there is available between shelves, you may wish to vary their spacing as needed.
As soon as it comes to deciding how many shelves your store requires, remember that product height plays a critical role. As more products fall within key categories, more shelf space will become available – this measure of shelf ownership provides insight into both your own merchandise as well as that of competitors so you can make informed strategies about future competition.
There are a range of shelving solutions, from store-bought units that may be difficult to assemble to prefabricated shelving systems that can be directly hung on walls. Picture ledges have become increasingly popular as an inexpensive and easy solution to display books or decorative items; similarly repurposed wooden crates can provide simple storage solutions that can easily be moved or reconfigured as desired.
Choose Your Shelving
Shelfs used to display merchandise can have an enormous effect on customer experience, from their decision to shop to ease of navigation and overall satisfaction with a store. Before installing shelves in any form you must carefully consider their style, layout and arrangement for best results.
Shelving comes in many materials and finishes, so it is crucial that you select one suitable for your store environment. Wood shelving can create an inviting atmosphere while metal is better for organization and quick stocking needs.
Consideration must also be given when selecting shelving height; brackets should be mounted somewhere between chest and eye level so customers can easily see your products. Keep in mind that you may need to rearrange items over time; should this happen, make a note of where each pilot hole was fastened so brackets remain fastened at an equal distance on the wall and are evenly spaced.
Once you’ve chosen your shelving type and height, the next step should be deciding what goes on it. Not only should what goes on your shelves be functional, but they should also look appealing. When decorating shelves it’s helpful to spread colors and textures out evenly across your shelves; for instance if you own several blue trinket boxes you might spread them across shelves so they don’t all appear identically; you may also wish to incorporate wooden crates or large woven baskets as visual offsets that balance their visual appeal further.
Decide on a Layout
Before installing shelving, it’s essential to create an initial layout plan to know the range of gondola shelving needed. Consider how many shelves and their length. With an idea in place, shopping for materials and installing shelves should become much less of an undertaking and stress-inducing experience.
To ensure the stability of your shelves, it’s best to mount them to wall studs whenever possible. This will prevent them from shifting off of the wall if too much weight is put upon it; alternatively drywall anchors could help support it instead.
Once you know where you want your shelves installed, use an electronic stud finder to locate them. Mark each center stud on your wall using “delicate surface” masking tape so as not to affect any existing paint job or existing artwork. Now each nail you drive into the wall will hit solid ground instead of ripping out of the drywall!
Once you’ve located and marked studs, set up a shelf standard against the wall using a spirit level to ensure it is perfectly horizontal. Next, make a light line on the wall where a second shelf should go by using pencil. When finished with that step, take down and install this second shelf; take down and install first shelf then install second before taking down first and putting up second one – repeat process for remaining standards until all your shelves are in place; use toggle anchors such as Toggler Snaptoggle Anchors as they will help keep screws from loosening over time and help secure these shelves permanently in place!
Get the Right Tools
Shelving comes in various materials like wood, plastic and metal and can either be fixed or mobile depending on your store’s needs. You can purchase custom sized shelving units that will fit in perfectly or build it yourself using appropriate tools and hardware. To select appropriate shelving styles that complement your merchandise such as for jewelry sales consider installing beautiful display cases if applicable.
Gondola shelving is one of the most widely-used types of retail shelving and works well to configure store layout. It’s simple, flexible, and suitable for virtually every kind of merchandise; lighter items may even benefit from hanging them from hooks on slat walls that feature hooks or chains hung from chains to bins for organizing similar items; customizing this surface even further with French-cleated blocks can keep power tools tucked safely in their places!
Once you’ve selected your shelf design, installation begins. To avoid drilling directly into your drywall, first bore pilot holes – it is much simpler, neater and more accurate than directly screwing into bracket holes. Once complete, mark off another vertical line on the wall at an appropriate height for your shelves and start drilling!
If you prefer using a track-based system, hold the track against the wall and drill through its mounting points (for masonry walls use wall plugs instead). Fit the first standard onto the track at the spot you marked on the wall before adding another standard on either side. For heavier shelves you may require three standards; mark their lower fixing holes before drilling them into place.
Start Installing
Shelving installation doesn’t need to be difficult, but you will require patience and the right tools. Bracket shelves that slot into metal uprights and are then screwed directly into walls provide the easiest method for adding shelving in any room – this leaves a small space behind for running electrical cables behind the shelf, ideal for easy wiring management. Furthermore, bracket shelves make this job simpler for novice installers than floating shelves which require the hardware first then the shelf itself being attached over it.
Utilizing a kit is another excellent way to install shelves, providing everything needed for installation in one convenient package. Most kits include bracketed and floating shelves. Before beginning installation, measure your space before selecting an ideal shelf type from your kit – then follow its instructions for hanging.
When installing shelves with higher weight capacities, it is crucial that they use heavy-duty hardware and thicker shelf materials. You should also ensure they’re secured into studs to avoid pulling it down with loads. When testing new shelves, test their strength by placing stacks of books or bricks atop each bracket as planned; if sagging occurs you can still correct it but this process may become more challenging due to drilling through drywall; for more severe cases you may have to opt for anchors instead – although this requires additional equipment capable of measuring shear force on mounting systems.
