Shelves in chimney recess

chickaroonee

We want to have this in one side of the recess, with the shelves that have a hidden bracket, if that makes sense.

I've found a joiner who will fit but would prefer us to buy the shelves ourselves...any idea where to look? Tried the obvious one of B&Q but can't seem to find what I think I need...

Thanks in advance

Doozergirl

They sell them in Ikea but I'm thinking you won't find a perfect fit.

When we did it we used mdf for the shelves cut to fit exactly into the alcove and fix flush with the wall. Then long flat wooden batons to hold them up on all three sides of the recess. You don't need especially hidden brackets because you have three walls to support the shelf instead of just the one that these brackets are designed for. We put a lip on the shelf to make it look fatter than it was which also did the job of hiding the batons. Then painted the shelves the same colour as the walls.

Cheaper and therefore moneysaving

chickaroonee

I think I know what you mean - unfortunately our joiner doesn't seem to! I wonder if we need to find someone else...

Flyfisher_2

I think that if you tell your joiner that you want battens to support the shelves he would understand.
My initial thoughts from your description was that you wanted floating shelves such as the ones sold in Argos; this might have also confused your joiner.

ormus

just buy a bigger size than you require, and then cut them down to suit. you wont see the edges.
if they use the hidden metal brackets, you may need to cut them down too.

ikea do one called Lack.

IM

Doesn't sound like much of a joiner if he/she wants you to buy shelves that can easily be made...

As Doozergirl says, what you need to do is fit batons to the three sides of the alcove, then attach MDF sheets to the top and bottom, and a strip at the front.

I did this in our last house and they looked great - or at least they did once my friend Mr Caulk had helped fill in the gaps where the alcoves weren't quite square :rolleyes:

Don't be tempted by the idea of cutting down a shop-bought 'floating' shelf. Unless you are very lucky, you'll end up chopping off the fixings (an Ikea shelf that sat in my garage for years is testament to this...).

Another alternative are conceled shelf supports like these http://www.sdslondon.co.uk/244/concealed_shelf_supports/ where you just attach them to the walls, then drill holes in the shelf, and slide on. I have some of these, unused in my garage too...

I really must start using the stuff I buy....

chickaroonee

That's what I thought IM.

Sorry if I didn't explain myself very well, didn't know they were called batons. The joiner knew exactly what I was talking about - but he didn't want to build the shelves himself as apparently that would end up costing loads. Personally I can't see why it would cost that much more than buying the shelves and cutting down?

Flyfisher_2

The piece of wood is called a batten not a baton; a baton is something you twirl, conduct an orchestra, or get hit over the head by a policeman with.:D

IM

Flyfisher wrote: »

The piece of wood is called a batten not a baton; a baton is something you twirl, conduct an orchestra, or get hit over the head by a policeman with.:D

I didn't think it looked right as I was typing it!

dougk_2

I would look for a general handyperson to do this - doesn't really need a joiner.
If you measure the sizes of the shelves needed (to the mm) a local timber merchant will probably cut them for you for free ofr very little cost.