Newbie in London - and thoughts on removing floating shelves

[tommysis]

Hi everyone, I have just returned to the UK after living overseas a little while. I’ve moved back into a house I bought just before we left the UK, and I’ve got quite a few jobs lined up for the next few months (or years!) Want to:

- Build some fitted bookshelves
- Build a bed into an attic room.
- Convert a shed into a garden office.
- Have a go at building an old-fashioned kitchen sideboard, like you see in the kitchens of National Trust places. I am excited about this one.

My first project for this weekend is actually a destruction project. I need to convert an office into a bedroom. It’s got some lovely floating shelves/cupboards, and a floating desk, but they have to go sadly. I just cannot work out how they have been attached.

The desk seems to partially be attached to a plinth underneath it, but the shelves don’t have any visible brackets etc. Any idea of how it may have been done so I can remove them with the minimum of mess would be amazing. They are all MDF, fitted by a pro.

Thanks!

Tom

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

One GUESS would be that the shelves at some point are hollow, and fitting over a piece of wood that is screwed to the wall, that's how many floating shelves are done.
Look for small screws underneath the shelves at various points, it will fit over the support and then just be secured in place.

 

[ChaiLatte]

Make a small incision at the side of the shelf that goes for outside to inside. Thread a piece of wire through and pull it around the full perimeter of the object. It will hit any fastenings.

One of the retractable, break-off blade knives can also be used to probe the perimeter.

If they are caulked to the wall, cuttingthe joint will alow them to be removed with a clean line rather than tearing off a two foot strip of wallpaper.

Measure the inside depth of the shelf and the outside depth to make sure it does not have a false back that is concealing a French cleat.

 

[DeBangis]

Welcome to UKW.

 

[tommysis]

Thanks guys a couple of top suggestions. I will investigate over the weekend and report back.

 

[tommysis]

hey everyone, job done. All the units and the desk were built onto backing plates of thick ply that were screwed with 6 inch screws into every stud, with 6 inch screws. The unit was then built onto those backing plates but the screws were hidden by the rest of the framework and in any case filled so well I couldn’t find them. In the end of lump hammer and a lot of effort, destroyed the shelves and walls, and then I had to use a crowbar to peel off the backing plate to reveal the screws. Full days work but job done. Thanks everyone for your advice.