Timber as a material for construction of shelves
There are many different kinds of materials available on the market to choose from when constructing shelves. It is difficult to recommend a type of shelf material and be specific about the thickness and the spacing between supports as this depends so much on the weight being placed upon them and the grade of the material used. For instance, a light load is considered to be small plants, vases, trinkets and so on. A medium load is considered to be paperback books. A heavy load is considers to be large hardback books, large plants etc.
Solid timber is strong and available in a variety of planed widths to suit most shelving needs – if the required width cannot be attained, tongued and grooved board can be used to avoid the separate planks from warping open. – alternatively, the separate planks could be joined using dowels or other means.
Timber is easy to work with and can be finished using polishes, varnish or paint
The thickness required to avoid sagging will depend upon the weight being placed on the shelves and also the distance between the supports. Use 18mm thick timber as a minimum and support the shelf at no greater than 700mm centres or 25mm timber with supports no greater than 900mm.
Slatted timber – an alternative for wide shelves is to make a slatted shelf using a number of strips of timber fixed to battens underneath – the under battens then being secured to the support brackets.
Tags: Home Storage, Shelf Storage, shelves, shelving, storage solutions