The Broken and Legless blog

   Putting Up a Shelf — Plan for What Might Go Wrong Most people think putting up a shelf is easy. Usually it is, but it can also go wrong very quickly if you don’t think ahead. The trick isn’t just having the shelf and a drill — it’s bringing the tools you’ll need if something goes wrong. Here’s what I take with me when I’m putting up a shelf: the shelf a tape measure a pencil a spirit level a bradawl (to mark the hole positions and give the drill bit a place to start) an electric drill a range of masonry bits (if the correct size is stubborn, start with a thinner one first) Rawlplugs a hammer pliers (to pull out plugs if the hole goes wrong) pincers (put a screw in the plug, then lever it out) matchsticks (for filling a hole that’s gone too big) screws a screwdriver — both powered and hand‑held a cable detector (to check for hidden wires before you drill) ear defen...