GS-04Drill and fix the bracketsCables and pipes can run almost anywhere, not just in the usual safe zones. Use a detector, but still treat every hole as if something could be there — drill a short way and check before going deeper. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and make sure it turns freely before you start, so you can shut off the water fast if you hit a pipe. If there's any real doubt about what's behind the wall, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before you drill. Timber stud: drill a 3mm pilot hole into the centre of the stud, then drive a 4-5mm wood screw at least 50mm long fully into the timber. Metal stud: never use a wood screw or a plain plastic plug — it will strip straight through 0.5mm steel. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor rated for the shelf's load, sized for the plasterboard thickness. If the shelf will carry real weight or anything that pulls outward from the wall, fit a timber noggin or pattress between the studs first, or fix through to blockwork behind if it's there. Solid brick or block: drill with a masonry bit matched to your plug (typically 6-7mm), to a depth of at least 40mm, insert the plug, then drive in a screw or coach screw so it seats fully.