Shelf installation, fixed level and load-tested

• Timber or metal stud with plasterboard

  Fixed into the studs themselves where the layout allows, otherwise rated hollow-wall anchors or toggles

  Up to about 30kg a pair of fixings on studs, 15kg on rated cavity anchors

• Solid brick or block

  Frame fixings or resin anchors into brick rather than perpend joints

  40kg+ a pair of fixings, the strongest wall most London homes have

• Dot-and-dab plasterboard over blockwork

  Corefix or Geefix through-fixings that bridge the void and land in the block behind

  Up to about 35kg a pair once bridged — a plastic plug in the board alone holds almost nothing

• Victorian lath and plaster

  Located onto the timber studs behind, pilot-drilled slowly so the plaster key is not blown off the lath

  Up to about 25kg a pair on studs; the plaster itself is never treated as structure

• Reinforced concrete panel or slab

  SDS drilling with dust extraction, scanned for rebar and conduit, resin or sleeve anchors

  The highest ratings we fit, limited by the shelf rather than the wall

Every wall is sounded and scanned for cables and pipes before a bit goes anywhere near it. Where a shelf lands on plasterboard we fix into the studs or use rated cavity anchors, never a plastic rawl plug taking a bookcase's worth of weight.

• Floating shelf, single (up to 120cm)£45–£75

  40 mins · load-tested

  Concealed bar brackets set into stud or masonry, laser-levelled, then loaded and re-checked

• Floating shelves, set of three£95–£155

  1 hr 30 mins · load-tested

  Spacing set out from the room, not the box, so the gaps read even against the skirting and cornice

• Bracketed shelf or timber shelf on rails£40–£70

  35 mins · load-tested

  Brackets pulled onto studs where they exist, rated cavity anchors where they do not

• Picture ledge or narrow display shelf£38–£60

  30 mins

  Fixed to a marked-up line so a row of frames sits square to the ceiling rather than the floor

• Glass shelf, bathroom or display£45–£80

  35 mins

  Tile-safe drilling on slow speed, holes sealed, brackets bedded so nothing weeps behind the tile

• Alcove shelf, cut and scribed£65–£110

  1 hr · load-tested

  Templated to a wall that is never square, scribed tight, supported on a battened frame

• Alcove set, three to four shelves£190–£340

  3 hrs 30 mins · load-tested

  One alcove set out as a run, equal reveals, battens hidden and edges lipped ready to paint

• Full-height alcove shelving, both sides£380–£720

  7 hrs · load-tested

  Chimney-breast pair matched shelf for shelf, levelled across the room rather than each side alone

• Heavy-duty shelf (books, records, tools)£75–£130

  1 hr · load-tested

  Through-fixed or resin-anchored to a stated safe working load, then loaded in front of you

• Kitchen or utility shelf run£85–£160

  1 hr 30 mins · load-tested

  Set above worktop height off the units, tile courses respected, silicone-sealed where it meets splashback

• Flat-pack shelving unit built and anchored£55–£100

  55 mins · load-tested

  Built square, backboard pinned properly, then anti-tip anchored into the wall behind it

• Anti-tip anchoring, existing bookcase£35–£55

  25 mins · load-tested

  Restraint straps or brackets fixed into structure — the five-minute job that stops a tipping accident

• Media wall shelving with cable managementOn survey

  4 hrs · load-tested

  Quoted on survey: shelf runs, TV bracket loads and concealed cabling planned as one wall

• Garage or utility racking bay£95–£180

  2 hrs · load-tested

  Bays plumbed to a wall that leans, feet packed, upper bays tied back so nothing walks under load

• Loft storage shelving over the joists£130–£240

  2 hrs 45 mins · load-tested

  Raised off the insulation on stilts so the loft keeps its U-value and the boxes stay off plasterboard

• Old shelving removed and made good£40–£75

  45 mins

  Shelves down, plugs pulled, holes filled twice and sanded flush so the wall takes paint straight away

We carry plasterboard anchors, Corefix and Geefix through-fixings, resin capsules, frame fixings, toggles and long masonry bits, so the wall we find is the wall we can fix into. The fixings you actually need are itemised on the quote rather than sold as an unexplained extra.

• How long does shelf installation take?Honest fitting times per shelf type, and the four things that turn an hour into an afternoon.
• How much weight can a shelf hold?What each wall type really holds, which fixing gets you there, and how to load a shelf without pulling it off.
• Alcove shelving in London homes: a practical guideWhy no alcove is square, how the boards are scribed, and what a proper alcove set costs and takes.

How much does shelf installation cost?

Per shelf: from £45 for a single floating shelf, £95 for a set of three, £75 for a heavy-duty run, £190 for an alcove set and £35 for anti-tip anchoring on a bookcase you already own. Mixed snag lists are £55 an hour with a one-hour minimum.

How much weight can a shelf hold?

It is the wall, not the shelf, that decides. Timber studs take around 30kg a pair of fixings, solid brick 40kg and up, dot-and-dab about 35kg once bridged with through-fixings, and plasterboard alone with plastic plugs almost nothing. We state the safe working load in writing when the run is finished.

Can you fit shelves to dot-and-dab or lath-and-plaster walls?

Yes, and both are everyday work. Dot-and-dab plasterboard gets Corefix or Geefix through-fixings that bridge the void into the block behind. Lath and plaster gets a slow pilot into the timber stud, never a plug in the plaster itself.

Do you fit alcove shelving?

Constantly. Alcoves are never square, so each shelf is templated and scribed rather than cut to one measurement, supported on a hidden batten frame, and both sides of a chimney breast are levelled across the room as a pair.

Will you take the old shelving down and make good?

Yes. Removal is a fixed extra per run: shelves down, plugs pulled, holes filled twice and sanded flush ready for paint. Old timber leaves under our waste carrier licence with a transfer note.

Do you scan for cables and pipes before drilling?

Every hole, every time — and dust extraction runs on the drill so the room is left clean. Same-day and evening slots are available for £35 where a delivery or handover sets the date.

Hello Services is an independent installation company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IKEA, String, Vitsœ, B&Q or any other shelving brand. Brand and range names are used only to describe the shelves we fit.