Plasterboard shelves look stylish and unusual, and also contain a large number of things. You can even put electronics on additionally reinforced drywall shelves. To translate your plans into reality, you need to decide on the shape of the shelves and choose the material and tools. If you are not confident in your abilities, contact the experts who will tell you how to cut the shelves correctly.
Plasterboard shelves can be made by hand. Before performing work, it is necessary to draw up a plan, accurately select the shape of the shelves, carefully make all measurements. Prepare a diagram, calculate and purchase the required number of drywall sheets, fasteners, wooden beams or a metal profile for the frame.
Drywall shelves are universal, they can be created in any room:
- Bedroom;
- Living room;
- Children's;
- bathroom;
- Kitchen.
The options for placing the shelves are also different - you can install them on the wall or in a niche. The advantage of plasterboard shelves is the variety of shapes, the imagination in this case is not limited, you can create absolutely any pattern and bend.
An interesting design of the shelves can be done with your own hands, drywall is an affordable material, so you will not have any difficulties in creating an original interior.
The interior of the room, where the shelves on the plasterboard wall
Shelves can replace furniture, such as a wardrobe or shelving unit. At the same time, they are quite roomy; books, vases, even dishes and flower pots are placed on them.
Plasterboard shelves save a lot of space, make the room more modern and original:
- Drywall allows you to embody the most daring design ideas, shelves can be used both as a decorative component of the room, and as a functional element;
- Most often, shelves are created in rooms made in a modern style, plasterboard interior elements will complement the living room or bedroom in a minimalist or modern style;
- Drywall is an excellent material for a nursery, shelves made of this material can become the basis of a room's design, they can be made along the perimeter of the room;
- Such shelves also look great in the library, because they allow you to build lamps into them, which is convenient for those who like to read;
- In the kitchen, plasterboard shelves can play the role of a bar or table.
Plasterboard shelves are multifunctional, they can be created in any room - they will look creative and interesting.
How to make shelves from drywall
Drywall shelves can be made by hand at home.
For this you will need:
- Sharp knife or hacksaw;
- Wooden bars or metal profile;
- fasteners;
- Drill;
- Plastic corners.
Remember that before performing work, you must have a clear work plan, know what you want to get in the end. Take the necessary measurements, do everything slowly and very carefully.
The step-by-step sequence for creating shelves is as follows:
- From drywall, cut out the details of the shelves with a sharp knife.
- Attach curly shelves using arched profiles.
- From the profile, make the base, profile 50 by 25 mm.
- Drill holes according to the size of the screws, hang the profile and attach the structure. Details of drywall niches and shelves can be cut with a hacksaw or a sharp cobbler's knife.
- Curved shelves are made of thinner drywall, and they are fixed using arched profiles. In extreme cases, if there are none, you can bend ordinary profiles by making cuts along the entire length.
If you are making shelves from thick material for heavy items, then use special fasteners for drywall. These are butterfly screws, also additionally secure the structure with traverses or a frame.
In the case when the shelf consists of several parts, it is best to glue it with a mounting grid, fix the corners with plastic or aluminum elements so that the structure retains its aesthetic appearance longer.
Decorative drywall shelves: features and benefits
Depending on the material chosen, the shelves can be either very light or quite heavy and durable.
You can create shelves for storage:
- Books and stationery;
- decorative items;
- Crockery;
- toys;
- Electronics.
If you additionally fix drywall shelves, you can get a really strong structure on which a TV or music center will stand firmly.
Drywall has several advantages:
- Availability;
- Environmental Safety;
- Ease of installation;
- It can also be painted with any paint.
But at the same time, drywall is a rather fragile material and is completely unstable to moisture. If you want to make shelves or niches in the bathroom, buy only moisture-resistant drywall.
How to fix a shelf on drywall
To attach a small and light shelf to the GKL sheets, you will have to use special dowels that tend to open and be fixed in a hollow base.
Suitable for these purposes:
- Dowel-umbrella;
- Dowel-butterfly.
Take a close look at how much load this or that dowel can withstand and compare this with your shelf. Wall shelves in drywall must be fixed using these dowels, as well as self-tapping screws, which should be slightly longer than the dowel itself. When screwing in a screw or self-tapping screw, the dowel cap will open and take most of the load.
To hang shelves in drywall, you can use this sequence:
- Drill a hole in the wall of the required size;
- Install the dowel in the hole;
- Install the shelf mount on the fasteners;
- Hang a shelf.
If you have a heavy shelf, then attaching it without a profile will not work.
In this case, you need to use the following method:
- Drill holes in drywall;
- Insert a dowel-butterfly or dowel-driva, insert a self-tapping screw;
- Clamp the structure and screw in the dowel, but be careful not to destroy the wall.
Instead of such dowels, you can use anchor bolts. The whole sequence of actions does not change, only bolts are inserted instead of screws and dowels.
Drywall corner shelves
Drywall corner shelves look very stylish. These beautiful designs look great in the interior of modern living rooms and bedrooms. Built-in lamps that can be inserted into corner shelves will add coziness and warmth to any room.
Small corner shelves can often be found in small rooms, where every centimeter plays a huge role. The decoration in such rooms is light, there is a lot of light to further increase the space.
Small things are placed on the corner shelves:
- Clock;
- Books;
- Stuffed Toys;
- Small lamps;
- Vases and boxes.
Thus, corner shelves help to save space, but at the same time contain a lot of things. Best of all, this version of plasterboard shelves is suitable for a children's room, bedroom and living room. Some even create in the bathroom to place soap, washcloths, and various body care products on them. But remember that drywall is very sensitive to moisture - choose moisture resistant materials.
How to find a profile under drywall
You need to look for a profile under drywall in certain situations.
Namely:
- When you want to hang a picture on the wall;
- Hang a mirror;
- Attach wall-mounted TV;
- Attach the lamp to the wall;
- Nail skirting boards;
- Attach wall cabinets.
In any of the above situations, you need to find a metal profile under the drywall. If you installed drywall using a frameless design, then the problem of finding a profile disappears by itself. Otherwise, you will have to search for the profile in different ways, which depend on the material.
In the case of a metal profile, use a regular magnet. You can find a profile with it if the drywall sheets are thin enough. A large and powerful magnet is best. Tie a thread on the magnet and slowly run it over the drywall, when you feel that the magnet is not moving, make a note.
If a tree was used, then you can find the bars with the help of tapping (the sound will cease to be deaf above the slats), also try to hammer in a nail.
However, the latter method is less practical, if the hole was made in the wrong place, you will have to putty it. If you have a drawing of a room, then study it and find wooden slats.
Assembling drywall shelves (video)
In conclusion, it should be said that drywall is a versatile and modern material. Plasterboard shelves will fit into the interior of any room and will save a lot of space. Everyone can make them out of it, the main thing is to approach this responsibly. Make a drawing, select materials, take the necessary measurements, and then you will definitely get beautiful and durable shelves that will last you a long time.
Examples of plasterboard shelves (photo in the interiors)
One of the most important recommendations of designers for small spaces is to make the most of free non-floor space. Do-it-yourself drywall corner shelves are exactly what you need. It is about them that will be discussed in our article.
If you are pretty fed up with standard cabinets with mirrors and doors, equipped with a dozen identical and inexpressive shelves, then you need to take an alternative path - to make drywall shelves yourself, according to your own sketches. What is all the "salt"? It's simple - nothing limits you here, and you can create shelves of any size and shape.
Plasterboard shelves for TV, shelves for books and all kinds of souvenirs, shelves for wedding service and so on and so forth. With a competent approach, it is possible to strengthen structures by fairly simple solutions and place large objects on them.
We make drywall shelves
In order for us to get a high-quality and reliably assembled drywall shelf with our own hands, we will need the following tools and materials:
- Galvanized profile 50×25 mm;
- Arched profile (required if the shelf will have rounded shapes);
- guide rails;
- Dowels with a spacer and self-tapping screws;
- Primer;
- Drywall;
- For the processing of joints, a reinforcing tape is needed;
- Planer (electric planer);
- Bulgarian;
- Screwdriver;
- Scissors for metal;
- Roulette;
- Level;
- Pencil;
- Plumb;
- Construction knife;
- Putty knife;
- Pliers;
- Hammer;
- Sandpaper;
- Brush.
Frame installation
For those who have never been involved in the installation of drywall shelves, below is a step-by-step instruction in which we tried to take into account all the nuances and answer all possible questions.
- Sketch. To begin with, you will need a sketch - a drawing of a shelf in finished form. According to the resulting sketch, it is much easier to determine the size and location of the future shelf.
- Installation of a metal profile frame for a plasterboard shelf. As for the frame, in modern construction there are two types of installation:
- Installation of the shelf frame during the assembly of the partition (in this case, builders prefer to make internal shelves);
- Arrangement of drywall shelves on an already finished wall (in this case, the shelves will be external).
- Before you start fixing the profile, you need to make all the necessary measurements and put down labels on the work surface (wall). To make the shelf even and beautiful, it is better to make all marks according to the level.
- To fix the frame on the working surface (wall), we use screws and screwdriver. The distance between the screws should not exceed 25 cm.
- profile. The types of profile used to create the frame of the drywall shelf directly depend on the purpose of the structure and on the wishes of the designer (that is, you).
If you do not strive for beauty and extravagant forms and the main criterion for your work is reliability and high quality, then you will need to follow a few of the recommendations below:
- In order to make the shelf more impressive and load-bearing, during installation it is necessary to use not standard drywall (9.5-12.5), but thicker (thickness from 18 mm). With fasteners, the same story - it will not work to attach a reinforced shelf to self-tapping screws, so you can use fasteners for a butterfly-type shelf;
- It is better to fasten the profile to the wall with more frequent steps;
- Use special frames and traverses during installation, which will help to further strengthen the structure.
- Once you've pinned your profile, you can start installation of guide profiles. Guides are transverse and longitudinal rails that create the volume of the entire structure. To reinforce the frame, the guides are attached to the ceiling and floor, and connected by a jumper profile.
As for the corner plasterboard shelves, they are made according to the same principle as conventional (longitudinal).
Advice!!! As a reinforcement, instead of one guide profile, two can be used - no doubt, the shelf will become thicker, but it will be much stronger and more powerful in its design.
We sheathe the frame with drywall
Plasterboard sheets are attached to the frame according to the principle - the greater the load on the shelf, the smaller the step between the screwed screws. If you decide to hang shelves in the bathroom, then only moisture-resistant drywall and no other will suit this type of room (sheets of moisture-resistant drywall are mostly green).
After installation, do not forget to seal all seams and joints with sickle and coat them with putty.
Attention!!! In the event that your shelves are equipped with lighting, it is necessary to complete all the work related to the installation and installation of wiring and lighting equipment before fixing the drywall. It is also better to drill holes in drywall for spotlights in advance.
As for attaching sheets and trimming them, everything is simple here - do as you like. You can immediately cut off pieces of the required size, or fasten the entire sheet, and only then cut off the excess.
So, step by step, we get this:
- We hang the frame;
- We sheathe the resulting frame with plasterboard sheets;
- If necessary, we mount the lighting on the shelf (the most rational option is spotlights).
As practice shows, even in a small family, over time, there is not enough space for things. You can solve the problem of lack of space by buying a new rack, wardrobe or chest of drawers. But this is not an easy decision, since bulky furniture needs to be “fitted” into the room so that it is in harmony with the interior. One of the simplest solutions is custom-made furniture. Of course, you can order a suitable niche or shelf, but usually such a service is expensive. We will tell you how to make drywall shelves.
Shelves can separate the kitchen from the living room
Why drywall
Drywall sheets are very easy to process and install. Working with drywall material, you do not need to have any knowledge about construction and assembly work. For this, elementary accuracy and ingenuity are enough. Another "plus" in favor of drywall is lightness. Moreover, light in weight is not only sheets of drywall material, but also metal profiles that are used to build the frame.
Fastening of metal plates
Drywall installation
After the frame is mounted, you can proceed with the installation of drywall. This is much easier than the previously done work on mounting the frame. Using self-tapping screws, it is necessary to fasten the lower and upper parts of the shelf. It is best to use self-tapping screws for metal, 25 mm. Sheathing the frame with drywall is not at all difficult, but you need to make sure that the drywall sheet does not warp, as this can lead to its fracture or deformation. At all stages of work, check the design with the drawing to avoid inaccuracies. During operation, it is necessary to have a level at hand in order to exclude the appearance of irregularities during installation.
Plasterboard shelves before finishing work
You can not be limited to standard angular lines. Drywall is a flexible material that can be used to create unusual curves, curved surfaces. You can make unusual compositions, for example, shelves in the form of a tree, honeycomb shelves, Tetris shelves. When choosing a design, you need to consider how this shelf will fit into the interior of your kitchen. The main thing in this is fantasy, patience and accuracy.
If a painful load is planned on the shelf of their drywall, for example, installing a TV, use wall drywall mounted in several layers. In addition, here you can not do without profiled steel rails. Fasten them with a minimum step. Many, using several sheets of drywall at once, believe that this will give the shelf strength and reliability, and additional rails are not needed. As a rule, after a while the structure begins to break down. No matter how much material (sheets) is used, without a metal support, the shelf will not be strong enough. No need to overdo it, a very large number of metal slats will make the shelf very expensive.
Plasterboard shelves with glass
Most designers have begun to combine drywall with other more durable materials. For example, in the manufacture of shelves, you can use chipboard, MDF, tempered glass, polished metal. This gives the design reliability and makes it more refined, stylish and unusual.
Shelf lighting
Very often drywall shelves are made with backlight. This gives them an attractive appearance, in addition, it is an additional source of light. Properly mounted lighting not only illuminates part of the shelf, but also illuminates the interior of the entire room with diffused light. Depending on the choice of the designer, the backlight can be of different colors and different intensities. Soft bed tones are usually used, which give coziness. But don't be afraid to experiment. For example, multi-colored lighting will perfectly fit into the interior in high-tech style.
Drywall shelves with top lighting
To install the lamp, you need a drill and a round special crown. The diameter of the crown is determined by the diameter of the luminaire. Inserting it into a drill, a hole is cut. Naturally, you need to decide in advance on the place for the lamps.
Installation of fixtures is made simply and quickly. More difficult work is the wiring and their connection. The shelf with LED strip looks very nice. Its dimensions (8-20 mm) allow it to be laid in hard-to-reach places: shelves, sofas, cabinets, etc. LED strip evenly illuminates the surface on which it is laid. This lighting module is highly flexible, allowing it to be mounted on surfaces with curves and rounded lines. The LED strip can be not only an element of illumination, but also a full-fledged source of illumination. The main advantages of the tape are its compactness, low power consumption, easy installation, high color gamut, uniform illumination.
Final stage of work
The final stage of the robot for making drywall shelves with your own hands is putty. Before putty, you need to fasten the corners of the shelf with plastic or metal corners. The ends of the drywall shelf must be circled with a plastic arched or metal perforated corner. A plastic (plastic) arched corner is used if the shelf has a rounded shape. To prevent the appearance of cracks, it is recommended to glue the inner corners with a reinforcing mesh. The shelf is ready for putty. Putty should be applied in several layers. If the shelf will be painted in some color, then its surface must be rubbed with sandpaper. After the structure has dried, the surface of the shelf is primed.
Curved plasterboard shelves with backlight
Drywall shelves: photo design examples
From drywall, you can make a lot of various designs. In order to determine the options for shelves and drywall niches, you can see the photos. Drywall shelves, photos of which are presented on the site, have a different purpose and design. Each of the models fits perfectly into the interior of the room, gives it originality and style. Despite the fact that the material itself does not represent any aesthetic value, all the structures that are obtained from drywall deserve interest. Their undeniable advantage is in small labor and financial costs.
Features of drywall shelves: advantages and disadvantages. How to make drywall shelves with your own hands: step-by-step instructions for built-in and corner structures? Illuminated shelves. Photo examples.
Interesting solutions in the room with drywall shelves
Everyone wants to make the interior interesting and cozy.
Drywall shelves will help you quickly cope with this difficult task, the design of which is easily combined with the chosen style.
The main thing is to choose the right style and size for them so that they do not look out of place in the room.
Such shelves are suitable for placement in the kitchen, living room, corridor, nursery and even the bathroom.
Features of drywall shelves: advantages and disadvantages
Before proceeding with the installation of drywall shelves, you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the material. This information will help you use and install it correctly.
The advantages of drywall shelves include:
- Diversity. You can independently install shelves of any shape and size. When installing, you must immediately take into account all the nuances and adjust the dimensions of the product. Shelves should not be made bulky and voluminous.
- Ease of installation. Plasterboard shelves can be installed by anyone. It does not require any special skills or special expensive tools. Installation training takes place on the job.
- combination with other materials. Drywall combines well with glass, conventional chipboard, plastic and other materials that are used in the finishing process.
- Strength. If you properly mount the shelves and strengthen the frame, they can withstand a lot of weight.
- Interesting design. Drywall shelves are hollow inside. Here you can install an LED strip or other type of lighting equipment to beat the interior of the room or place accents in it, emphasizing some objects favorably.
- Price. Products will cost much less than furniture made at a factory or in a private company.
Shelves can perform not only the function of storing and arranging objects in a room, but also participate in the zoning of space. This option is appropriate to use in small apartments, where every centimeter counts. From plasterboard sheets, you can make not only one simple shelf, but even a rack or a designer partition with niches. The main thing is to correctly take into account the load and thoroughly strengthen the frame.
Drywall has several important drawbacks that you should definitely consider when making shelves. These include:
- Fragility. The material should be handled very carefully at each stage of work: during transportation, installation, in the process of further use. At the same time, it is recommended not to plan drywall shelves on walls that are expected to be heavily loaded. If you plan to put a TV or similar equipment on it, you must use a double layer of drywall.
- Lack of soundproofing. If the shelf acts as a partition, then absolutely all sounds will be heard through it. For good sound insulation, additional material should be installed inside. For example, mineral wool.
How to make drywall shelves with your own hands: step by step instructions
First you need to decide where exactly the shelf will be mounted and its functionality. Its frame and the method of strengthening, which can be carried out in separate parts or around the entire perimeter, will directly depend on this. For this, profiles made of wood and metal can be used. If this is not enough and the shelf needs to be fixed as strongly as possible, then you can use special metal corners. They are sold at any hardware store.
Embedded
Built-in shelves look very impressive in any room design. They are buried in the wall, thanks to which you can place accents on them and it is interesting to beat them.
A preliminary sketch will help calculate the expected load on the drywall shelf, that is, what frame reinforcement needs to be installed. A light shelf in the hallway for all sorts of little things and a niche for a TV will differ greatly in material and the number of profiles.
If the drywall shelf will be made with your own hands, then a sketch of the project must be developed before starting work.
Next, draw the drawings. They will help an inexperienced master to prevent a large number of errors that will haunt him during the installation of the shelf. When the sketch and drawings are ready, they can be used to calculate the amount of materials for work as accurately as possible.
To install a drywall shelf, you will need the following materials and tools:
- Profile. It must be made of galvanized steel and have dimensions of 50 * 25 mm.
- Drywall sheet. If the shelf will withstand heavy loads, it is better to buy thick sheets. For smaller shelves, thinner sheets are suitable.
- End corners and perforated paper tape. These materials will be needed for seams and a neat junction of elements.
- Finishing materials. It can be putty, paint or any other material that is needed for finishing. He must take into account the interior of the room.
- Tools:
- screwdriver;
- laser or water level;
- metal scissors;
- container for putty or paint;
- roller, brush or spatula;
- stationery knife;
- safety goggles and gloves.
If a backlight is provided in the shelf, then it should also be selected and bought in advance so that there are no additional difficulties during installation.
After the sketch has been prepared, and all the materials have been purchased, they begin to install the drywall shelf. To begin with, markup should be applied to the wall. It will help to correctly and evenly place the composition.
In order for the drywall shelf to be installed exactly relative to the floor and ceiling, you must use the level. After a place is chosen on the wall, you can mount the base of the structure. Subsequently, details will be attached to it, which will give the product shape and volume.
If the project requires strengthening the frame, then the frame should be supplemented with metal jumpers along the entire length
When the drywall shelf is assembled, you can start finishing it. For this, a material is selected that will fully comply with the interior decoration of the room.
Illuminated shelves
Additional lighting in any room will always be relevant and appropriate. It will emphasize the strengths of the design and correctly place accents. Lighting can even highlight some key items in the room.
The light in the shelf does not have to be the same tone. Today there are interesting diode tapes in which various shades are installed. You can switch them manually or with a special remote control.
The plasterboard shelf can be equipped with lighting in 2 versions:
- Lamps.
- LED strip.
In the first case, to install lighting equipment, you must have a special tool. A drill is suitable as it, which is equipped with a crown-shaped nozzle. It is very important to drill a hole of the required diameter in the drywall so that the lamp fits correctly into place.
Once the place for the lamp is prepared, you need to insert the lamp in it and connect the electrical wiring. LED strip looks much more impressive. It has several modes, thanks to which you can create a different mood in the room. In addition, its advantages include flexibility, which makes it possible to install it on curved shapes.
corner
Shelves save space, look stylish and create a special mood in the room. To mount a drywall corner shelf, you need to perform the following steps in sequence:
To make a triangle from a metal profile with a right angle and equal sides:
- a right angle is bent from the profile;
- this part will be attached to the walls;
- cut a segment from the profile, which will be equal to the distance between the sides of the right angle;
- fasten to the edges of the corner;
- using self-tapping screws, fix a right angle to adjacent walls;
- you get a square to which the segment is attached.
After the structure is assembled and securely attached to the wall, you can proceed to sheathing the frame of the shelf with drywall.
What can be done?
Decorating a drywall shelf is a fun and interesting activity. The mood of the room will depend on the material chosen. Drywall is a versatile material that, if desired, can be finished with any material. Popular options include:
- oil or water-based paints;
- tile;
- mosaic;
- artificial or natural stone;
- plaster for decoration;
- stickers;
- mirrors or stained glass windows.
When choosing a decor, it is important to consider the surroundings and the style of the room. A plasterboard shelf should organically fit into the interior, complementing it.
Useful video
Progress and innovations in the construction industry force the use of ever cheaper and safer materials in residential construction, sometimes using a completely unexpected approach. Recall, for example, the buildings of the 50s of the last century - in the arrangement of the rooms of a house or apartment, all-wood panels, timber, boards, ceramic and silicate bricks reigned. Since the 70s, chipboard, fiberboard, alabaster blocks have appeared. Now it's time for drywall sheets, metal profiles and all kinds of designs from them. Why not try making drywall shelves with your own hands.
As a material for homemade products, GKL is quite suitable for drywall shelves, despite the apparent fragility. Among the closest competitors are plywood, solid wood panels, chipboard and fiber boards, the GKL sheet has a lower specific strength and requires increased accuracy in work.
But its main advantages are:
- A sheet of drywall for a long service life maintains an ideal surface plane and dimensional stability;
- The price of GKL is significantly less than a sheet of plywood, OSB, equal in area, not to mention a solid tree;
- The material is perfectly cut, drilled, puttied, painted, polished, and at the same time it is absolutely harmless to human health.
At the same time, working with the material, even in the case of a simple do-it-yourself drywall shelf, requires the employee to think over the design in advance so that the assembled shelf can withstand the planned load.
Important ! Techniques for processing drywall sheets are fundamentally different from processing wood or OSB. If there is not enough experience with GKL, rehearse any problematic operation on scraps or waste.
What design of drywall shelves to prefer
If you have certain skills from drywall, you can make not only a shelf or stand. From it you can easily assemble the most intricate designs, which is easily convinced by the photo of the drywall shelves, assembled by yourself.
The main principle of building drywall shelves
In wooden or plastic shelf products, the material of the product usually provides a decorative surface for the structure and acts as a solid base, taking all the loads from things or objects located on the shelf.
With a drywall sheet, you can do the same, but the strength of a single sheet of drywall, even 18mm thick, may not be enough. In this case, the shelf is made of two sheets, and if the length of the product exceeds a meter, it is even possible to use a plywood or wooden insert. For a small decorative shelf 40-50 cm under a vase or a dozen books, a single sheet of drywall 12-15 mm thick can be used. The shelf must be fastened along the entire line of contact between the sheet and the walls using self-tapping screws, but the appearance of such a shelf does not cause much enthusiasm due to the difficulties in processing the end edges.
Advice ! Even for small, cantilevered shelves, use the frame structure of the product. This will guarantee its strength in any form of load.
The principle of separation is always used in drywall constructions:
- The drywall sheet provides only decorative functions, the GKL's own strength is only sufficient to resist loads directed parallel to the plane of the sheet. All other efforts must be transferred to the reinforcing system from a wooden lath or metal profile.
- GKL is always attached to a solid frame base with self-tapping screws or glue. It is the frame structure that will ensure the lightness and strength of the product - shelves, cabinets or walls.
This greatly simplifies the work with drywall. The metal profile for the shelf frame itself is made of thin-sheet galvanized metal, easily cut with scissors for metal, bends and bends in the most intricate ways.
Plasterboard shelf options
Thanks to a wide range of reinforcing profiles, it is quite easy to pick up and assemble the shelf frame on your own:
- drywall corner shelves, possibly several options combined into one small project;
- very practical plasterboard shelves for TV.
Among the many options, you should choose a scheme with a minimum number of joints and connections.
Important ! When working with drywall, a layer of fine alabaster dust is formed, even with certain material safety guarantees, try to remove waste and calcium sulfate chips more often with a vacuum cleaner or a damp sponge.
The sequence of making shelves with your own hands
Most often, the corner zones of the premises remain free in the house, therefore, to give a more sophisticated look or for utilitarian reasons, you can always make several shelves on a drywall wall with your own hands.
For work, we use a drywall sheet, a metal profile 25x50, putty for sealing joints and “gypsum-metal” fixing screws.
Unlike wood or metal, when the product is made separately and then hung on the wall, in the case of using drywall, the shelf structure is formed as a single unit, with supports, a supporting frame and fastening to the wall.
Defining dimensions and fillet points
On the wall, we will draw with a pencil the attachment points, the length of the bearing surface of the shelves and the connection points of the frame elements. After that, fragments of fastening to the wall are cut out from the profile and fastened according to the marking with self-tapping screws.
Installation of vertical racks
Next, the vertical racks of the profile are “sewn” along the edges of the shelves. With the help of a building level and a plumb line, we carefully align the positions of the external elements of the frame of each of the shelves horizontally and vertically. We sew up the vertical support post on both sides with drywall sheets cut to the size of the opening with a small processing allowance of 1-2 mm.
Installing drywall sheets
On the aligned horizons of the shelves, we cut out the remaining segments of the frame and fix it in the structure. We sew up the planes of the shelves with sheets of drywall, first the lower horizontal surface, then the upper one.
Advice! Sheets of drywall for the upper plane of the shelf can be cut out a couple of centimeters more, this will allow additional decoration of the end surface of the shelf with the help of a ceiling plinth.
After decorating the decor, we carefully putty all the cracks and joints in the structure, after drying, we grind the surface for painting with water-based paint.
This method is universal and makes it easy to make the simplest plasterboard shelves in the bathroom.
After some practice, a complex, but pretty version of a drywall shelf in the bedroom is also quite capable.
Features of building a frame for the supporting structure of the shelf
As you can see above, working with drywall does not present any particular difficulties for neat and thoughtful people. Designing even the most complex shelves or cabinets is more like the “Lego principle”, and even a novice master can do it. But for professional work with shelves or partitions, you need to take into account a few points.
Sheets of drywall, cut into thin strips, are prone to fracture even with a slight load. Therefore, when undertaking some dizzying project, avoid using thin and long strips of material for facing the frame. For example, a piece of plasterboard with an aspect ratio of 1:5 or more is almost guaranteed to burst either when it is fixed to the frame, or under load, after all work is completed.
Measure the thickness of the frame elements with the overall dimensions of the structure. An example is the very competent construction of the size of the windows and the thickness of the racks of the plasterboard shelf for the TV. Due to the optimal thickness of the vertical and horizontal partitions, this design is highly stable and can withstand a significant load.
The most difficult option, in terms of fastening, can be considered the installation of a single shelf on the wall without the use of additional support posts. Often, additional side canopies are installed to ensure longitudinal and vertical stability of the shelves. If you show imagination, they not only do not spoil the appearance of the shelf, but also give it a more attractive look.
As a rule, drywall construction is heavier than wood-based board or plastic construction, so the maximum number of attachment points should be used to hang it on the wall. If you need to fix the shelf on a wall lined with drywall, use a special fastener.
