Don't you hate it when you go to put up decorative or functional shelves and they don't hold? The frustration can be very high when you put up shelves and then the screws start pulling away from the wall or you come home to find your favorite collectibles crashed in a heap on the floor below the spot you just hung that display shelf the night before. Well here are a few tips that might help you with your installation.

The first thing to know is what type of wall you are attaching to and what type of hardware you need for that surface. The most important thing when hanging shelves is having a strong anchor into the wall.

• Plaster Walls: Plaster tends to chip, crack or crumble when you tighten down anything you affix to its surface, so use care when hanging any item on it. The most important thing with plaster walls is to find your studs. You must affix your mounting hardware to a stud behind your plaster wall or you will start seeing cracks spider across your wall. Depending on the age of your home, your studs should be between 16" and 24" apart. Predrilling your screw holes will keep from chipping or cracking your plaster when inserting your screws.

• Drywall Walls: As with the plaster walls, these types of walls are not very strong. You want to again locate your studs and attach your mounting hardware to them. If you can't find a stud exactly where you want to hang items, then there are two options, spacers or molleys. If you choose to mount with molleys, make sure to get the metal molleys that spread out anchor legs behind your drywall, this will give it a wider area to distribute weight. When using spacers, it can be a bigger chore, but I recommend it if your shelving is going to carry much weight. You will want to mark your wall surface where you plan to hang your shelving, then set your 1/2 to 3/4 in. board against the location and mark around it with a pencil. After you have your marking, you will cut out that piece of drywall and attach the spacer board into the cutout (to the studs). After a little touch up with spackle and paint, you now have a sturdy surface to affix your mounting hardware.

• Brick or Masonry Walls: You don't ever want to screw into the mortar. If you are attaching shelving to a brick or masonry wall, make sure to make your attachments on a brick/block. You can use masonry screws or with a masonry bit, predrill your screw holes, then using molleys or wall plugs and screws, attach your mounting hardware. Another way is the attach a wood backboard and mount it with sturdy masonry screws, then attach your mounting hardware to it.

Things to consider when choosing your shelving type and hardware are:

• If you don't put up enough shelf supports for the width of your shelf, you will get sagging after time or worse, a shelf that breaks in half, crashing your items onto the floor. Think about the length and the weight of the items you plan on putting on your shelf. The longer the shelf, the thicker the wood or more supports you should use.

• Make sure to use the right type or size of brackets or you will end up with brackets that bend. Some brackets are for very low weight decorative shelves, others are larger and stronger made to support heavier loands.

• The screws you choose may be too short or the wall plugs/molleys may be the incorrect type for the type of wall you are attaching to, causing your shelving to slowly pull away from the wall and come crashing down.

There are several types of shelving to choose from. Fixed brackets or floating shelves, built ins, and adjustable shelving.

• fixed bracketThe fixed bracket or floating shelf are attached to the wall with L-brackets or a bar system hidden behind the shelf. With the L-brackets, you will see the brackets so it's important to choose the style you feel you want to look at. They do come in many different styles from the purely functional plain metal bracket to the decorative faux stone or carved wood, not excluding the decorative metal. Floating shelves have a bar that attaches to the wall then the shelf is slotted so it slides over the bar, hiding the mounting hardware.

• built in shelvingWith built in shelving, you are essentially building a bookcase structure into a wall. This is great for an alcove or a room dedicated to being a library. It is also nice if you have a huge television and don't want to have the tv being the focus of the room. Building shelving units around the tv can hide the huge bulky box.

• adjustable shelvingAdjustable shelving is a common system as well. The consideration with this type is that you always will see the metal rails and mounting brackets. This type has a purely functional look. You can dress these up with a strip of molding attached to the face of each shelf, but you will always see the metal adjusting rails. The nice thing about this type of shelving is that it is easily adjustable for multiple heights or for quick changing of the look.

Deciding what function your shelf or shelving will be used for, the type of wall surfaces you have and the getting the right hardware will install confidence that your project will be completed right, the first time. These are just a few things I have learned over the years, some from trial and error, I hope these tips help you on tackling your shelving projects. Good luck and happy DIYing!