As with all DIY, preparation is everything; an extra half hour spent on preparation will save hours of grief in times to come.
A good quality hammer drill with sharp masonry bits; a selection of wall plugs or other suitable fixings; a decent screwdriver (electric if preferred); and, of course a good quality spirit level:- none of these will be needed on a farm job. All you need are some 6″ nails (8″ will do at a pinch) and something to bash them in with – my wife prefers to use a clog. Nail the brackets to the wall somewhere in the vicinity of their intended location, a slight slope will add character so don’t worry. No need to check for water pipes or electric cables buried in the wall, nature has a way of letting you know if you hit one of these. You may find that the nails have gone clean through the wall and into the adjoining room, this is normal, why not hang a picture on the points or simply bend the tips of the nails over for an even more secure fix?
love it………….
when is the book being published?
When we know that Rupert won’t sue.
Ah! I see your point. Why am I dispencing such valuable pearls of wisdom for free when people would happily pay. Perhaps I should include a little payPall widget and force people to pay to read the blogg?
I read with some dismay your “advice” on shelf fixing. Surely it is more useful to ascertain the thickness of the wall you wish to attach the shelf to,then if the wall is for eg, 2″ thick,you only need a 3″ nail,thus saving unneccesary expenditure of physical effort and money Also Ihave found,through years of experience, that if you use H.T.S.S. screws driven in with a “Birmingham screw driver” (big ‘ammer) you can make a far more satisfying noise and mess. A further household hint.If thenail/screw juts out more than a half inch instead of bending the point over, use it to hang a picture on. As meerkat would say. “Simples”.