Floating shelves:
depth, length and weight.
By Jon, Farmhouse Urban Design · Updated
For a bathroom, 5–8″ deep; for books, 8–10″; for dishes, 10–12″. Ours come 7″ deep at 18″–36″ long, or 10″ deep at 28″–36″, all 4″ thick, on a hidden wall cleat that screws into studs where you can. What a shelf holds depends on its depth and on what its cleat is screwed into.
One we built: our rustic floating shelf
Depth
How deep should a floating shelf be?
Go by what it will hold: 5–8″ deep suits a bathroom, 8–10″ holds books, and 10–12″ holds dishes.
Ours come in two depths: 7″ for décor and toiletries, which suits a bathroom, and 10″ for dishes or books.
In a kitchen or pantry, plan on 10–12″: architects’ open-shelving guides give about 10–11″ for most dinnerware and 12″, the depth of a standard upper cabinet, for big plates, pots and pans. Our 10″ shelf fits most dinner plates. Past that, makers of hidden floating-shelf brackets mostly rate them for shelves up to about 11–12″ deep: a deeper shelf levers harder on the wall.
Length
How long should a floating shelf be?
These are our standard sizes, each sold with shipping to the lower 48 states included (the prices are on the shelf’s page):
| Depth | Lengths | Thickness |
|---|---|---|
| 7″ | 18″, 22″, 28″, 32″, 36″ | 4″ |
| 10″ | 28″, 32″, 36″ | 4″ |
For a wall that wants another length or depth, we cut it to your wall and quote it with its shipping.
Length also decides how many studs a shelf can reach. Wood-framed walls are typically built with studs 16″ apart on center, sometimes 24″, so find where yours are before you choose a length.
The cleat inside is 1¾″ shorter than the shelf, and its screws have to land in the studs. On studs 16″ apart:
- The 18″ shelf (a 16¼″ cleat) generally reaches one stud.
- The 22″, 28″ and 32″ shelves (20¼″–30¼″ cleats) reach two, if you place the shelf over them.
- The 36″ shelf (a 34¼″ cleat) reaches two wherever it goes.
On studs 24″ apart, the 28″, 32″ and 36″ shelves reach two if you place them over both; the shorter ones reach one, placed over it.
Thickness
How thick should a floating shelf be?
Every size of ours is 4″ thick: a hollow box of ¾″ knotty pine with room inside for the wall cleat. The front runs the full height, with the top and bottom behind it and the ends between; the back is open to take the cleat.
The thickness comes from the cleat. The cleat’s rail and arms are pine 2x4 (1½″ thick), ripped to just under 2½″, and the box is 2½″ tall inside, so it slides over the cleat with a little room to spare and hides it completely.
Weight
How much weight can a floating shelf hold?
It depends on how deep the shelf is and what its cleat is screwed into.
For ours, we suggest keeping it to about 25 lb at 7″ deep or 20 lb at 10″ deep, with the cleat screwed into two studs. That’s a cautious figure, not a lab rating. On drywall anchors alone, keep it lighter.
For comparison, makers of steel hidden brackets rate theirs at about 45–75 lb for each stud they’re screwed into, and less as the shelf gets deeper: the farther the load sits from the wall, the harder it levers on the screws. So keep heavy things toward the back, and use two studs where you can.
Drywall anchors are another matter. A loaded shelf pries at its top screws rather than pulling straight down, and that prying can pull anchors out of the drywall, which is why bracket makers advise anchors alone only for light loads.
Hanging
How do you hang a floating shelf so it holds?
The method in our build guide:
- Find the studs first, before you choose where the shelf goes.
- Draw the level line for the cleat, not the shelf: the cleat sits inside the box a board’s thickness above its bottom.
- Screw the cleat to the wall, level, into studs where you can. Ours comes with the cleat and fasteners included.
- Slide the shelf over the cleat until it meets the wall, then drive a screw up through the bottom into each of the cleat’s arms.
Building your own? Our free guide shows how to build floating shelves on the same hidden cleat, step by step.
How high to hang them:
- Above a toilet: high enough to lift the tank lid off, at least 10–12″ above the tank. Sources vary from there; many put the shelf 24–36″ above the tank.
- Above a counter: at least 15″ clear, as the National Kitchen & Bath Association recommends above a kitchen counter. 18″ is typical, and 18–24″ common.
- In a stack: about 12–15″ apart, closer for small things and farther for tall ones.
Questions
Good to know.
Something else? Email sales@farmhouseurbandesign.com. We reply usually within an hour or two, always within 24 hours.
- Are the cleat and screws included?
- Yes: each shelf arrives assembled, with the wall cleat and its fasteners included, the screws that go up through the shelf’s bottom into the cleat’s arms among them.
- Can I get a custom length or depth?
- Yes: a size that isn’t listed is cut to your wall and quoted with its shipping. Tell us the length and depth you want.
- Rustic or modern: what’s the difference?
- They’re the same box on the same hidden cleat. The Rustic Floating Shelf is sold to show its knots and grain, and only it comes oil-rubbed (or raw, stained or painted). The Modern Floating Shelf is sold painted, in black, white, beige, gray or your color (or stained, or raw).
- Can I hang one above a toilet?
- Yes: our Modern Floating Shelf’s photos show a pair above a toilet. Hang it high enough to lift the tank lid off, at least 10–12″ above the tank (many put it 24–36″ above), and screw the cleat into studs. The 7″ depth suits a bathroom.
Build or buy
Build it yourself, or we’ll build it.
Built for you
Rustic Floating Shelf
¾″ knotty pine with its rustic character left to show, built as a box that slides over a hidden wall cleat. Raw, oil-rubbed, stained or painted.
From $92
See the rustic floating shelfBuilt for you
Modern Floating Shelf
A painted pine floating shelf with clean, square edges on a hidden wall cleat. Black, white, beige, gray or your own color.
From $92
See the modern floating shelfFree build guide
How to build floating shelves
Every step, with a drawing.
Read the build guide