By Lis King

Selecting the right bracket for your shelves depends on the weight requirements. Heavy-duty epoxy coated steel brackets provide attractive support. Photo courtesy of Knape & Vogt.

Sooner or later, even the most self-disciplined among us falls victim to clutter. Closets, cabinets and countertops burgeon with stuff and the garage is filling up, too. But take heart. Some straightforward do-it-yourself techniques can solve the problem and at the same time add welcome personality to your rooms.

Obviously the first step is to toss or sell anything you will never use. The second is to get up close and personal with shelving. It is a rare house that makes optimum use of vertical space, and that includes existing closets and cabinets as well as walls all over the house.

Shelving Types
Hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards abound with shelving options.

There are kits that include metal wire or wood shelves; there are pre-cut veneer-covered and MDF (medium-density fiberboard) shelves; and there are pre-cut lengths of solid wood that can be used for shelving. Two other options are plywood or particleboard. Both come in 4 x 8 sheets, and lumberyards and home centers will cut them into shelving for a small fee. There are also pre-cut glass shelves.

MDF and particleboard shelving dont perform well in moist conditions, and neither type handles weight as well as plywood does. Glass shelves are great in bathrooms because they stand up well to moisture and clean easily. Solid wood is beautiful when sanded and finished, but it could warp and crack. Plywood is naturally strong and gets even stronger when a solid wood edge or molding is added. Particleboard needs to be painted to look good.

Wire shelving systems are terrific for closets, cabinets, pantries and laundry rooms, but while they are easy to install, designing a system right there at the home center is pretty difficult. Checking manufacturers Web sites for specifications is a lot easier.

Well-read Shelves
But before you go shopping, you need to know what will go on the shelves and how much the items will weigh. The weight will determine the type of shelving, brackets and fasteners to get, and how far apart to install shelf supports.

Rose Bennett Gilbert, whose newspaper column about decorating is read by millions, says that bookshelves add great personality to a room, but she warns that both books and magazines are heavier than people think.

"Just try to weigh a stack of magazines," she says. "I figured out that a cubic foot of the magazines weighs over 55 pounds. Put a few stacks of those plus hardcover books on a shelf, and youve got a lot of weight.

"I'm about to install shelving on an entire wall for books, magazines and my collection of miniature chairs, and I will pay a lot of attention to the support needed. The shelves will be solid wood with a dentil molding on the edge for extra stability and a bit of formality."

Coated wire shelves are popular in pantries, closets and laundry rooms, and are easy to install.

Brackets
As a rule of thumb, you should use support brackets every 24 inches. For lighter loads, you can get away with 36 inches between supports.

Many shelving kits are pre packaged with brackets and screws, so youre all set, but they don't provide the flexibility of individual elements. The basic L-shaped steel bracket is hardly a thing of beauty, but it's OK for garages and basements. The diagonally braced steel bracket can stand up to really heavy loads, but remember that it should always be screwed to the shelving.

Wrought iron, carved wood brackets and metal hardware in black, white or chrome are decorative options that will make your shelves look at home, even in the living room.

Use vertical tracks if you need more than one or two shelves. They look sleek and since the tracks are slotted, you can move shelves up or down. When you use the longest support brackets, you can even make the bottom shelf function as a desk. Track-and-bracket systems are offered in different categories to support light, medium and heavy loads. Light-duty systems can support about 40 pounds per shelf, while heavy-duty systems can handle hundreds of pounds.

Hang It All
Attaching the shelves to studs is the key to secure drywall and plaster installations. To find the studs, use an electronic or magnetic studfinder. It is attracted to the nails driven into the studs. Or tap the wall with a hammer. The sound will be more solid when you are on top of a stud. Or study the baseboard for nails. The studs should be right behind them. Another hint: studs are generally placed 16 inches apart.

Concrete block walls are a bit more problematic, but author B.B. Carter insists it isn't all that difficult. "My garage was a mess, so I decided to install shelves," she tells. "I used pressure-treated wood for the shelves, and the home center told me what size anchors would support shelves holding paint cans, tools and other heavy stuff.

"I discovered that a small 3/8-inch anchor can withstand more than 1000 pounds of force. I laid out the hole locations on the wall making sure they were level. Then I drilled the holes the same diameter as the anchors, attached the brackets and laid down the shelves. It worked well. So now Im installing a shelf high up in my kitchen. It will run all around the room, and it will hold my prized bowls, platters and epergnes. You had better believe that I'll make sure its well supported."