Fit understairs cupboard shelves to a solid brick or block wall — HomeGraft

Build sturdy shelves in your understairs cupboard, from measuring the tapering space to fixing battens and boards safely.

US-01Measure the space and plan shelf heightsMeasure the understairs opening at its widest and narrowest points, since the sloped ceiling changes the usable depth as you go up. Decide how many shelves you want and mark the heights in pencil, spacing them around 300-400mm apart depending on what you're storing. Heavier items like tinned food or tools need closer, stronger shelves than light things like shoes or towels.

1 each · Tape measure

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1 each · Pencil

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1 sheet · MDF or plywood board, 18mm

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US-02Work out what your walls are made ofThe back wall of an understairs cupboard is usually solid brick or block. The sloped wall following the stairs is often plasterboard on timber studs, but check with a detector tracking a line of screw heads, tapping for a hollow sound, or a small pilot hole - timber dust means timber studs, fine metal swarf means metal studs. In flats or newer builds, that sloped wall may be metal stud; in older houses it could be lath and plaster, and some walls may have been re-boarded with dot-and-dab plasterboard over the solid wall.

1 each · Stud and cable detector

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US-03Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere, and detectors miss things that are deep, in metal conduit, or behind metal-backed plasterboard - a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors further. Use your detector, but still expect something to be there and prove otherwise with care as you drill. Find your stopcock now, usually under the kitchen sink, and check it turns, so you can shut off water fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling.

US-04Mark and level the batten linesHold a spirit level against your pencil marks and draw a level line across each wall for every shelf height. Because the understairs wall slopes, check each line individually rather than assuming they're parallel. Mark stud centres on the sloped wall with light pencil ticks if that wall is studwork.

1 each · Spirit level, 600mm

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1 each · Pencil

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US-05Fix battens to the solid brick or block back wallDrill with a 6mm masonry bit to 40mm depth, checking your drill has a depth stop or use tape on the bit as a guide. Push in a 6mm wall plug until flush, then drive a 40mm screw through the batten into the plug. Space fixing points every 400-500mm along the batten so it can't sag under load.

3 each · Timber batten, 25x38mm

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12 each · Rawlplug wall plugs, 6mm

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12 each · Screws, 40mm

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1 each · Masonry drill bit, 6mm

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US-06Fix battens to a timber stud sloped wall, if that's what you haveDrive a wood screw into the centre of each marked stud - 45-50mm long is enough to bite firmly without coming through the other side of typical plasterboard and timber. Don't rely on plasterboard alone between studs for anything more than very light shelving; if a fixing point falls between studs, use a plasterboard toggle rated for the shelf's likely load.

8 each · Wood screws, 50mm

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4 each · Plasterboard toggle fixings

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US-07Fix battens to a metal stud sloped wall, if that's what you haveNever use a plain wall plug or an ordinary wood screw on metal studs - they strip straight through 0.5mm steel. Use self-drilling metal-stud screws directly into the stud, or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor rated for the shelf's weight if fixing between studs. If you plan to store anything heavy, fit a timber noggin between the studs first, or fix through to the masonry behind if there is any.

8 each · Self-drilling metal-stud screws

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4 each · Toggle-type hollow-wall anchors

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US-08Fix battens to dot-and-dab or lath and plaster, if that's what you haveOn dot-and-dab, use a fixing long enough to pass through the plasterboard and dabs and reach 30-40mm into the solid masonry behind - a standard 40mm plug and screw usually won't reach far enough, so check depth with a bradawl first. On lath and plaster, drill a small pilot hole to stop the old plaster cracking, and fix into the timber studs behind the laths rather than into the lath itself, which will crumble under load.

8 each · Long fixing screws, 75-100mm

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8 each · Wall plugs, long-reach

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US-09Cut the shelf boards to sizeMeasure each shelf gap individually, not just once, since the sloped wall means widths change at every height. Mark and cut your 18mm board with a jigsaw or circular saw, then sand the cut edges smooth so nothing catches or splinters.

1 each · Jigsaw or circular saw

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1 sheet · Sandpaper, medium grit

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US-10Fix the shelves onto the battensRest each board on its battens and check it's level before fixing. Drive screws down through the shelf into the batten every 300mm or so, keeping them away from the front edge so they don't split the board.

12 each · Screws, 30mm

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US-11Tidy up and test the shelvesVacuum up dust and offcuts, and wipe down the shelves before use. Load them gradually rather than all at once, checking each one stays level and doesn't flex or pull away from the wall.

1 each · Vacuum cleaner

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1 each · Cloth

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