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[demon]

This is my home improvement project for the year. I have a big shelf in my closet upon which many things sit and from which many things hang. The shelf is held up by three of these triangular support brackets, one on each end and one in the middle:

The top screw in that one has become fairly loose (as well as the one in the middle support brace, but not nearly as much), and the shelf kind of slopes noticably, although not so much that stuff slides off the shelf.

Now, there's quite a bit of weight on this thing, and I'm paranoid about it one day ripping out of the wall. I decided I should put some sort of metal brace on each side--particularly the side in the picture--as shown by my incredible artist's rendition within the photo, so I bought two "zinc-plated 76mm corner braces". Now here's me question: should I place the braces such that they're supporting the shelf as it sits now, or place them a little bit higher so they're supporing the shelf in its original, non-sloping position? Which is more likely to prevent the shelf from crashing down onto the floor in the middle of the night? I have no idea how deep the screws in the original support brackets are, but the ones that came with these things supposedly require 5/64"/2 mm pilot holes.

HELP SAVE ME FROM A CLOSETASTROPHY!

 

[sprsk]

remove it and put a wooden triangle there.

 

[Wellington]

You could have just tightened the screws on the original brackets, right?

Place the two new corner brackets to support the thing in the original position.

By the way, as long as the drywall is solid, a regular 1/8" or 3/16" set of screws in a bracket will support a couple-hundred pounds.

 

[demon]

If I could just tighten the screws in the original brackets, I'd do that. But they won't tight, like the weight of the shelf has just ripped them out part way.

 

[Wellington]

Well, your plan works either way.

 

[yoshifumi]

i didn't read anything you wrote but i'd naturally assume that duct tape would work pretty well

 

[aoi tsuki]

You could fill the loose hole with Liquid Nails, let it set for a few hours until solid (but not cured) and try screwing it in there. Or just get another bracket with a longer arm so you'll have to create a new hole. Since you've the brackets already, you can use them, but i'd wager that the screws in the brackets already there are longer and are drilling into studs for more support than the brackets you just picked up.

 

[RonaldoSan]

 

[demon]

You could fill the loose hole with Liquid Nails, let it set for a few hours until solid (but not cured) and try screwing it in there. Or just get another bracket with a longer arm so you'll have to create a new hole. Since you've the brackets already, you can use them, but i'd wager that the screws in the brackets already there are longer and are drilling into studs for more support than the brackets you just picked up.

Would it not be smart to just screw the new brackets into the wall like that if they're not being screwed into studs? And is there an easy way to tell if the shelf screwed into studs or not?

 

[aoi tsuki]

Would it not be smart to just screw the new brackets into the wall like that if they're not being screwed into studs? And is there an easy way to tell if the shelf screwed into studs or not?

It just won't be as sturdy as screwing them into studs, but just how much i can't say. Take the original screws out and see how long they are. If they're shorter than an inch, i'd recommend getting some 1" - 1 1/2" screws to help drive the shelf into a stud behind the drywall, assuming there was one there to begin with.

The quickest way to tell where the studs are is to knock on the wall. IIRC, the tone of the knock will be lower when you've located a wall, plus it should feel a bit more solid than any other spot. Studs are generally spaced 16" apart, and corners are a good place to find them.