Exposing Studs for Mounting Floating Shelves That Carry Heavy Loads

[TomInNC]

I want to build some floating shelves that will hold liquor bottles above a bar. I've made box-style floating shelves that slide over shop-built mounting brackets before. For those builds, I mounted the bracket over the drywall and then drilled into the studs. The shelves held up fine, but they also didn't hold nearly as much weight as the bar shelves will need to. 

I was looking around YouTube and came across the video below. If you look around the 12 minute mark, he says that for heavy-duty applications, you should actually remove the drywall before mounting the bracket because over time, any sagging in the shelf will slowly crush the drywall. Has anyone installed floating shelves this way? Removing the drywall shouldn't be all that difficult, and there is an added advantage of being able to verify that you hit the center of the studs with the screws. I'm curious if there are any downsides that I am missing. 

 

 

 

[krtwood]

I have a lumber rack mounted through drywall in my shop with 6 point loads on the drywall that has been fine.  Maybe it's crushed the drywall underneath a tiny bit but if there is any damage surely this would be easier to mud over than to replace a giant hole in the drywall.

 

[Ronn W]

Thanks for sharing the video.

[TomInNC]

On 4/22/2024 at 12:31 PM, krtwood said:

I have a lumber rack mounted through drywall in my shop with 6 point loads on the drywall that has been fine.  Maybe it's crushed the drywall underneath a tiny bit but if there is any damage surely this would be easier to mud over than to replace a giant hole in the drywall.

 

That's a good point. I have a ton of weight hanging (mostly parallel clamps) on french cleats mounted over drywall, and I never noticed any issues. 

[wtnhighlander]

I can see removing the drywall allowing the cantelever arms to be attached to the sides of the studs, rather than into holes in the studs. That potentially allows a far sturdier arm attachment without special hardware, or reducing the stud strength with a large lag screw hole.

Otherwise, it sounds like a lot of work, and difficult to reverse.

[Coop]

I like the video overall but too, question the need to remove the drywall.