Quickly Fix Your Tilted Floating Shelf With These Simple Tricks

Beyond their timeless aesthetic appeal, floating shelves have a number of design advantages compared with traditional shelves. They fit within all manner of interior designs, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and can help you maximize the value of your home's vertical space. You can use them to transform offices, store books, or simply keep clutter off the floor. You can even DIY floating shelves that are strong enough to hold kitchen supplies. However, these shelf fixtures can sag or lean forward if you put too much weight on them. The same problem can occur if you don't install them properly. If you've started to notice that your floating shelves are dipping forward, or otherwise look tilted, there are thankfully several ways for you to fix the issue.

To identify the reason why your floating shelves are sagging, start by removing everything from them, and then checking how their brackets are installed. The drill holes on the back plate of your brackets should be facing upward to ensure that the fixture has enough support. If the drill holes are facing downward, the bracket is upside-down, and you can probably fix the tilting problem by flipping it. Next, check to make sure that the shelf brackets, particularly on the far ends of the furnishing, are drilled into your wall studs. Blocking, which is the process of fitting a board between your studs, can also be extremely helpful for keeping the shelf stable.

To fix floating your shelf, you'll need to start by taking it down. Then, you'll need to locate where your wall studs are with a stud finder. A Franklin Sensors ProSensor Stud Finder is a durable addition to your tool box if you don't already have one of these handy contraptions at home. The brackets on the far left and far right of the shelf should have been directly attached to your studs. If the studs and brackets are aligned on top of one another, but the shelf is continuing to sag, you might want to consider installing a wood block between the studs, behind your drywall. If this is too much of a hassle, try using metal drywall anchors to bridge the gap between the studs instead. A set of KURUI Zinc Self-Drilling Drywall Anchors has everything you need for trying out this particular solution, and might come in handy for other wall hanging projects as well.

Note that many floating shelf products already include some form of wall anchors. However, replacing them with something stronger might also do the trick, especially if they were made out of plastic. Using molly bolts in place of the old wall anchors will likely help keep things stable. Toggle bolts might also do the trick, but will require you to drill larger holes in your wall. When you're reinstalling the shelf, use a laser level to ensure that your brackets and anchors are perfectly aligned.

If your floating shelf was a part of a DIY project, then the fixture you built might be tilting or leaning forward because the shelf brackets are too small relative to the size of the shelf itself, or to the amount of stuff that you're keeping on it. Before you purchase replacement brackets, remember to check their weight capacity. LEOPO 6-inch Heavy Duty Shelf Brackets are a durable option for smaller projects, and can support up to 260 pounds.

Over time, your wooden floating shelves can begin to warp, particularly if they're installed in a room that has a high level of humidity, such as your kitchen or bathroom. This can give your shelf a somewhat tilted appearance, and will occur most often if the shelf is made with cheaper materials. To ensure that the fixture doesn't cup or bow as easily in the future, consider replacing your current shelf with a thicker wood piece. MDF wood is a good choice since it doesn't expand or contract as much as normal wood alternatives. If you can, avoid placing items on the shelf that are likely to drip, since direct contact with water can worsen warping. If you're building your floating shelves from scratch, make sure to seal your wood as well. Once you've got everything back in order, it's time to read up on tips for styling floating living room shelves.