Floating shelves can provide the perfect finishing touch to any room. Whether you're looking for additional shelving in your bathroom or some shelves to finish the decorating in your living room, floating shelves could be the perfect solution. Here, you'll find a short list of mistakes that people tend to make when installing these shelves. Knowing what not to do before you do it will help you complete the project without having to redo it all correctly a second time.

Find the Studs

The biggest mistake that you can make when installing a floating shelf is not finding the studs in the wall. The studs are the beams hidden inside the wall that will support the shelf. The easiest way to locate the studs in the wall is by using a stud-finding tool. The tool is slid across the wall and will beep or light up when it finds a stud. You can then mark the wall and know exactly where you need to drill the holes for placement.

Drill the Holes

Don't try screwing the brackets into the wall without first pre-drilling the hole. Use a drill bit one size smaller than the screws. Then, when you do insert the screws, they'll fit tightly into the materials and will not cause the wood to split as you tighten things up.

Use a Level

If you want the shelves to be perfectly level, you'll need to use a leveling tool. There are digital and basic levels out there for you to use – both will effectively help you install the shelving perfectly. If you use the lines in the house to try to eyeball or measure your way to a level shelf, you could end up with a shelf that may look level but is actually tilted one way or another. This could cause a safety risk if you store delicate or heavy items on the shelves.

Read the Instructions

Most shelving kits come with instructions – take the time to read through them entirely. This will not only help you learn how to install the shelves properly but will also inform you of how much weight they are designed to support. If you use a small decorative shelving kit as a storage shelf, you could cause the brackets to bend and fail, putting those nearby at risk of injury.

Take your time with a project like this. Although basic, the project can go terribly wrong if you skip any of the necessary steps above. Make sure to get the necessary floating shelf hardware today.