Floating Shelf Sloping down

Bigphil1474

Looking for a bit of advice. I've installed a floating shelf in my living room. It's a hefty bit of solid wood, 1.8m x 0.22mm. The shelf came with 4 supporting rod type brackets and the shelf is predrilled to accept the rods. I've drilled into a solid brick wall that has been boarded and skimmed. The rods have a screw end which screws into the wall plug I fitted, and then the shelf slides onto the rods. These are roughly 160mm rod length. There are no fixing screws or holes under the shelf to hold the rods in.

When I fitted the rods, they were all dead level. However, when I slide the shelf on, the shelf slopes forward. It's level across. There's a bit of give, so it can be lifted slightly so it's level, but naturally sits about 6 or 7mm lower at the front. Presumably because of the weight. The rods and the holes are quite tight so there's no danger of it sliding off. I have tried shims, but when I put the shims in underneath, they just push the shelf away from the wall rather than lifting it.

In my mind, I've 3 options. I can either live with it as it is, take it all off and this time drill the holes at a slight downward angle so that when it droops, it droops level, or third option might be to glue the rods into the shelf as is, prop it so it's level, and then try shims when the glue is dry. Any suggestions anyone?

Pictures - sloping isn't quite as bad as my dodgy photo shows.

Eldi_Dos

Do not know if this will work, but could you flip the shelf and see if slope is switched?

Failing that stuff holes with blu tack or similar and prop up so it is level and leave for awhile to see if it 'sets' enough to keep level.

ButterCheese

Yes as above, flip the shelf and see if the same thing happens.  I have made a few of these myself and it's incredibly difficult to drill the holes in straight if you don't have a pillar drill.  And you still get some sag due to the weight.  I did try shims on some smaller ones which worked, but you can see the shims from underneath now.  I guess the only thing to do is to try and calculate the sag and account for that when re-drilling your holes at a slight angle, it will be hard to do

rob7475

It sounds like your holes may be too big which is allowing the screws/bolts to move when you apply weight to them. 

What plugs did you use? For something like this, you want good plugs if going into masonry - I always use Fischer duopower plugs. It might also be worth using thicker screws / bolts. I'd probably be looking at at least 8mm x 70mm bolts for something like this. Adding a washer under the bolt head would help too but you may need to modify the back of the shelf to accept the bolt heads.

Eldi_Dos

Another thought, if using plastic shims cut a slot in them so they slide over the rods.Then place them in from underneath,hopefully there would be no gap noticeable from the top.

vacheron

I feel that the rawl plugs being plastic (red) are deforming when weight is placed on the rods (yellow) as shown in "2". How much length of threaded screw is provided for screwing into the wall?

If I was to shim these, rather than shimming the bottom of the shelf (brown) as shown in "3" (as you tried with the resulting top gap), I would put the shim (cyan) under the screw between the bar (yellow) and the wall (navy) as in "4" to try and push the rear of the screw towards the bottom of the rawl plug, aiming the rods s lightly upwards which will then hopefully settle level when the weight is applied by the shelf.

Something like a large washer about the same diameter as the bar inside the shelf, snipped in half and tucked underneath could do the job?

WIAWSNB

Bigphil1474 said:

Looking for a bit of advice. I've installed a floating shelf in my living room. It's a hefty bit of solid wood, 1.8m x 0.22mm. The shelf came with 4 supporting rod type brackets and the shelf is predrilled to accept the rods. I've drilled into a solid brick wall that has been boarded and skimmed. The rods have a screw end which screws into the wall plug I fitted, and then the shelf slides onto the rods. These are roughly 160mm rod length. There are no fixing screws or holes under the shelf to hold the rods in.
When I fitted the rods, they were all dead level. However, when I slide the shelf on, the shelf slopes forward. It's level across. There's a bit of give, so it can be lifted slightly so it's level, but naturally sits about 6 or 7mm lower at the front. Presumably because of the weight. The rods and the holes are quite tight so there's no danger of it sliding off. I have tried shims, but when I put the shims in underneath, they just push the shelf away from the wall rather than lifting it.
In my mind, I've 3 options. I can either live with it as it is, take it all off and this time drill the holes at a slight downward angle so that when it droops, it droops level, or third option might be to glue the rods into the shelf as is, prop it so it's level, and then try shims when the glue is dry. Any suggestions anyone?
Pictures - sloping isn't quite as bad as my dodgy photo shows.

Annoying, huh?

So there is some 'play'? It 'rocks'? Do you think that if you cater for this rock by padding the holes in the correct way it'll be sorted? 

If you look at these pins side-on, I think they would need padding on their underneath at the wall end, and at their tops at the outside end of the shelf? It's unlikely to be a full solution, but if there is 'play' at the wall end of the shelf - ie, the entrance hole in the shelf is too large, which is why the shelf sags - then in theory you could pilot hole and insert a screw into the shelf say a half-inch in from the wall surface, and upwards until it meets the supporting par. Tightening this screw should push the wall end of the shelf downwards to take up this slack. The screw may need cutting flush afterwards if it's an eyesore, and that would then make the shelf hard to remove, so it has flaws even if it worked!

Your own idea of bonding the pins in place is good, provided the drop is down to a slack fit and not weight - it won't resolve the latter. But, assuming that the shelf does 'rock', indicating 'play' that can be filled, then I think I'd first cover the pins with something that will allow them to be removed later - a sliding sleeve of some sort - and then use a solid adhesive that sets hard, like epoxy or resin. 

For a 'sleeve', a wrap of polythene sheet secured with sellotape should do - very thin, and should slide off the pin easily. Make sure the end is sealed too, so the resin doesn't bond to the pin ends. Then use a long thingie to get the resin inside the holes, making sure the tops of the hole bottoms, and the bottoms of the hole entrances (I'm sweating...) are coated, as these are the gaps that will need filling. Slide on the shelf, and immediately force the front edge firmly upwards using a prop.

Cross your fingers. 

If there isn't enough 'rock' to allow this, then best not try it until you address this. You may first need to insert a large drill bit - ideally 'hole' size - into the holes, and pull it upwards against the hole to slightly 'route' the upper edges of the holes most of the way in. Make sense?

Bigphil1474

Thanks all.
I did try flipping the shelf and it's the same (plus the other side is less presentable).
The plugs I used came with the shelf and the rods, as per picture below (except mine had 4 due to the length). They were in pretty tight when i pushed them in the wall, 70mm long. 
They are 10mm thick rods. 

I think I'll try redoing it, drilling the holes at a slight angle. I'll have to go up about 40mmm anyway to avoid the mortar line, apply some glue, prop and see what happens. If it still slopes it'll be a design feature. I'll try the Fischer plugs.

Eldi_Dos

It will be a design feature, love it.

rob7475

Another option is to resin the fixings into the wall. You'll have to get them in perfectly level but once the resin sets, they won't sag

stuart45

To make sure you get them level for resin, fix a temporary batten along the wall for the fixings to rest on.