Shelf Installation Specialists

verified Professional Service
history Typical Duration 1 Hour
category Service Category Handyman
payments Starting Price From £60

Service Overview

The wall decides how a shelf is fixed, so we find out what it is before anything is drilled: solid brick or block, plasterboard on a timber frame, or plasterboard stuck to brick, where the fixing has to reach the brick behind.

We put up floating shelves, shelves on brackets, shelving on wall uprights, and shelves cut to fit an alcove, level and fixed for what will sit on them.

We charge £60 an hour for this work, with a one-hour minimum; after the first hour, time is billed in 30-minute blocks. Pick a time that suits you online: a £50 deposit secures your slot and comes off the final bill.

What we usually find

  • Plasterboard stuck to brick. Some walls that sound hollow are boards fixed to the brick with dabs of adhesive, leaving a gap behind. A short plug holds only the board, so the fixing has to go through to the brick.
  • A floating shelf that droops. Its hidden rods turn the load into leverage on the fixings, so it needs solid masonry or studs, and a flat wall.
  • Alcoves that are not square. The walls either side of a chimney breast are rarely true in an older house, so each alcove shelf is cut to its own alcove.
  • Old plaster that crumbles round the drill. In older houses the plaster can be soft, so the fixing is set in the brick behind it, not in the plaster.

The visit, step by step

  1. We agree the height and the spacing with you and mark a level line.
  2. We check the wall along that line for cables and pipes.
  3. We cut the shelves to length where they need it, and fix the brackets or battens.
  4. We put each shelf up, check it is level, and lean on it to test the fixings.

Before we arrive

  • Have the shelves and brackets there, and say in your booking what will go on them: the weight decides the fixing.
  • Clear the wall and the floor in front of it.
  • Put a photo of the wall in your booking, and for an alcove, one with a tape measure across it.

What is included

  • Finding what the wall is made of, and checking it for cables and pipes
  • Fixings chosen for the wall and the load
  • Cutting shelves and battens to fit an alcove
  • Fixing every shelf level, and testing it before we leave

What is not

  • Built-in alcove units with doors or cupboards, made to measure: those are Custom Carpentry & Boxing-In, quoted after a survey

Questions about shelf installation

How much weight can a floating shelf hold? expand_more
No more than its maker's figure, and that only when it is fixed into brick, block or studs. On plasterboard alone it holds far less, which is why we ask in the booking what will go on it.
Can you put shelves on a plasterboard wall? expand_more
Yes. Light ones can hang on cavity fixings in the board. Heavy ones need timber behind the board, as Siniat, a plasterboard maker, advises, so they go onto the studs.

Deposits, cancelling and paying are on our FAQ page.

Worth doing in the same visit

Wall Mounting from £60 TV Mounting from £60 Furniture Assembly from £60

Areas we cover

Ashtead Banstead Cheam Chessington Cobham Dorking Epsom Esher Guildford Kingston upon Thames Leatherhead Molesey New Malden Reigate Richmond Surbiton Sutton Twickenham Walton-on-Thames & Weybridge Wimbledon Worcester Park & Ewell
Zapryan - Owner & Lead Handyman
Your Local Expert

Hi, I'm Zapryan – Owner & Lead Handyman in Surrey

I've been in the construction industry since 2004, and I believe the secret to stress-free renovations is simple: turn up on time, manage the trades properly, and do the job right the first time. I personally survey every project and work alongside our teams on-site until the final checklist is complete. You'll always have a direct line to me, and my personal guarantee that the work is finished to perfection.