How To Hang Shelves Without Nails – Pro Tips and Tricks in 2023 

Floating shelves are the new fashion in every household. So, why should you be left out of that? But it can be difficult to hang them if your landlord has strict restrictions about drilling. There are other methods that you can use to hang the floating shelves. So, how to hang shelves without nails? Check down below for the full step-by-step guide. 

Adhesive Mounting Strip Method

If you are not drilling on the wall or using clamp-on shelves, attach the hanging shelf with adhesive mounting steps on the wall. Since there are no shelf brackets without screws. Even tension rod shelves require drilling. The adhesive mounting strips are really easy to find in your local hardware store. But you have to remember, this attachment method won’t let you keep heavy stuff on the shelf. 

So, how can you attach the shelf with adhesive mounting strips? Check the step-by-step guide below to learn about the full method. 

How to Attach Shelf with Adhesive Mounting Strips

There are a total of 8 steps to follow. The method we are using is command strip shelf installation. The process might seem simple and self-explanatory, but we suggest you go through the whole process so that you don’t make any mistakes. Let’s begin. 

Step 1: Use a Shelf That is Made with Lightweight Material

One thing you have to make sure of for this process is to pick a lightweight shelf. No matter what adhesive you use, it will not be as strong as using brackets and screws to the wall. So it’s better to use a lightweight shelf, so the adhesive won’t struggle to stick them to the wall. 

Step 2: Get Yourself Some Adhesive Mounting Strips

Before you get started you need some supplies to begin with. First of all, get yourself some adhesive shelf hangers. There are a few adhesives that you can use. Such as command strips, scotch reclosable fasteners, and velcro. You can use any of these to attach the shelf to the wall.

Step 3: Clean the Shelf Before Adhering 

When you are attaching the strips to the shelf, clean the place. This will make sure the strips are attached properly. If the surface of the adhering place has dust specks or is oily, the strips will not attach themselves. 

In most cases, the shelves are not clean in the store. So it’s better to use a rug to clean the adhering place of the shelf before you attach it to the wall. This will increase the strength of the adhesive and the shelf will be capable to take more weight. 

Step 4: Attach the Mounting Strips on the Shelf

Now, you can attach the mounting strips to the shelf. It’s better to attach the mounting strips on both ends of the shelf. If you are insecure about the strength of the adhesive, you can use more than two. But make sure you are attaching them with proper intervals to increase the adhesive strength. 

To attach the strips, remove the protective cover of the adhesive and press down the exposed part on the shelf for at least 30 seconds. Hold it down on the shelf so that the adhesive works and stick to the board properly. Do the same for each of the strips you are using. If you have a stapler on your hand, you can also staple the strips on the board. But this will only work on wooden shelves. 

Step 5: Attach the Shelf to the Wall

Now remove the protective cover of the adhesive strip on the other side and attach the shelf to the wall. While you are attaching make sure it’s properly level. If it’s not properly leveled, the shelf will not look good and you cannot place stuff on it. 

After taking the protective cover, press the shelf against the wall so that the adhesive part will stick to the wall. Press the shelf against the wall for at least 30 seconds. 

Step 6: Remove the Shelf from the Wall

After you set the shelf on the wall, gently remove it again. This will make the adhesive strip off and there will be two parts of it. One part will stick to the wall and one part will stick to the shelf. 

Now press down on the adhesive part which is sticking on the wall to make sure it is properly stuck on the wall. If any of the strips didn’t stick to the wall, do steps 4 and 5 again to make sure they stick. 

Step 7: Attach the Shelf to the Adhesive Strips Again

After 1 hour you can attach the shelf back to the wall. In this 1 hour, the adhesive will solidify and set to the wall and the shelf. Now you can attach the shelf back and it will properly hang on the wall without any nails and drilling. 

The shelf should not fall down if you have done all the steps correctly. But just to be sure, you can place some cushions down the shelf just in case it falls off. 

Step 8: Place your Things on the Wall

Now that your shelf is hanging properly, you can place your items on the shelf. But be sure the items you are placing are lightweight. No matter what glue or adhesive you use, using brackets and screws will bring you the best weight capacity. Place the items closer to the back, since putting them on the verge can put strain on the adhesive. 

It’s really easy to remove the command strips as well. Just press on the top of the strip and pull from below. And you can remove the strips without leaving anything on the wall. 

So, it’s best to leave lightweight items on the shelf. And this is how you do floating shelf installation without nails. But if you are up for some other methods, check the section below.

Adhesive Hooks or Hanger Method

If you cannot find or don’t like to use the method mentioned above, you can use hooks or hangers to attach the shelf to the wall. This way you can shelf pegs without screws.

The method of using hooks and hangers is similar to using adhesive strips. But there are some differences. So, check the section below to learn about how to do it. 

How to Attach Shelf Using Adhesive Hooks or Hangers

If you want to use hooks or hangers, you need to get them from the store. The hooks and the hanger also use adhesive to attach them to the wall, but it will hook or hang the shelf, so you don’t need to stick anything to the shelf. Let’s start with the process. 

Step 1: Attach the Hooks or Hanger to the Wall

Before you start with the shelf, attach the hooks or the hanger to the wall. Remove the protective cover of the adhesive from the hooks or the hanger to attach them to the wall. Press down on the hanger or the hooks so they attach to the wall properly. It’s best to press down on them for at least 30 seconds to make sure the adhesive attaches properly. 

Step 2: Make Groves or Attaching Place them on the Hanger

Now that the hocks are placed on the wall, you need to make holes or groves on the back of the shelf so they attach to the hocks. You can use a drill machine to drill the holes on the shelves. Or you can also use a chisel to make the groves in the back. 

One thing you have to make sure of is that the groves are appropriate size according to the hooks or hangers you are using. Otherwise, the shelf will not hang properly and there is a chance it can fall off. 

Step 3: Place the Shelf on the Wall

Place the shelf according to the hooks or hanger on the wall. You have to make the holes or groves on the shelf align with the hangers or the hooks. So that they match and hang properly. Without proper alignment, the shelf cannot be leveled and tipped over. 

Step 4: Place Your things on the Wall

After you attached the shelf properly, you can place your items on the shelf. Like the first method, this isn’t the strongest method to attach a floating shelf. So, place lightweight and non-fragile items on the shelf. 

You can also use the velcro shelf hanging method. But this has a much lower weight capacity than shelves that hang using command strips. People also like the magnetic shelf mounting method, but this requires using metal walls or magnetic paint. 

But if you don’t want to use glue or adhesives, you can use suction cup shelf brackets. But this does require you to use suction cup brackets which can be hard to get. 

FAQs on How To Hang Shelves Without Nails

Final Verdict

So, that is everything you need to know about, how to hang shelves without nails. 

Floating shelves are truly cool and add aesthetic appeal to your living space. However, take care to avoid injury while hanging or taking the shelf down. 

Wishing you luck as you install your floating shelves!

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