Shelving

I have spur shelving in my study. The uprights are secured (through plasterboard) to studs with standard spacing. The shelves are contiboard and conrain books, magazines and (small) laser printer. There is no sign of bowing of the shelves after 20 years

Malcolm

somewhere in the 1.5 - 2' region. Real wood is much better fwiw.

NT

OK so stud spacing should do. I would prefer faced blockboard but this seems to have vanished from the market.

Interesting that advancing years seem to have created a hygiene/cleanliness ambition in my domestic staff. Real wood is not encouraged:-(

Standard spacing could be 600 or 400 but no bowing is encouraging;-) Books are heavy!

Real wood is clean if you use the right cleaner. The stuff they use for public toilets does a great job on it - it stinks of public toilet cleaner of course but the smell goes as soon as dry.

NT

Yep - decently short spacing intervals is the key IME.

That said, I took a chance (on recommendation) with some alcove shelving with support just at the walls (so 1m+ spacing) using 18mm timberboard supporting quite heavy books - so far so good after 3 years. Friend tried the same using 18mm pine - bowed within weeks.

Interesting. The timberboard I've got is pine.

NT

Dig about for the instructions on the web? I've used various forms of that type of shelving system over the years and normally go for about

Melamine faced chipboard ("Contiboard") rather than bare chipboard I take it. You say "larder" is this a proper larder with stone walls, naturally cool, possibly very slightly damp (warm damp air from house)? Chip might move a bit under those circumstances so perhaps err to the narrow side of 18".

I'm not sure what it is - looks like pine:

I'd meant solid pine bowed, timberboard didn't.

I tend to go for around 400mm spacing, modified by convenience/constraints of the location. I have some ridiculously high loading in the workshop such as 500mm plus bracket length stacked 600mm high with hardwood offcuts with out problems.

Slight concern in your proposal is the 12mm ply, being the limiting load factor. Suggest you use all the possible fixing holes and screws that project 5/10mm through the back of the ply to get the best possible hold.

Bowing in thin material can be prevented by fitting an upstand at the back or a deep lip at the front or both.

Richard

You need to make sure the screws are all tread in the ply, if they are too long the shank will be in the ply and then you lose strength. I used self tappers the last time as they had a nice thread all the way up.

I've found flipping Contiboard shelves carrying books end over end every year or few means the bowing, if any, is not visible. But then I don't usually bother with screws through the brackets unless the shelves are high - and then possibly only at the back. And this is mainly pine-veneered Contiboard from the 1980s so YMMV.

If the domestic staff observe the ancient rite of "Spring cleaning" that might be a good time to flip the shelves.

Ok. I think the studs are 24".

Umm... There are no outside walls to the larder. I suppose *dry goods store* might be a better description. I tried to avoid any heat input but two sets of flow/return underfloor heating pipes run through the floor insulation.

There is a convenient unused chimney nearby if this is an issue and I can fit vents in the access door.

OP says 18mm chip, far weaker than ply, and ply isn't ideal. 18mm should really help though. Solid wood is strongest, most so if glued strip so defects don't dominate strength.

NT

Not to answer your original question exactly -) ... but remember that there are at least two different versions on 'spur' twin slot shelving, with annoyingly- slightly-different dimensions. Make you you have thought about repeat ordering for the future etc.

J^n

Yes. Toolstation seem to have stock on the sizes I need so I'll probably get them to deliver.

A gash contiboard shelf in a shed on 0.8m centers with a relatively light load has bent like a banana (obviously a real banana and not one of those EU specified straight banana)

There is a good chance that a pine plank from the sheds would have bowed on its own, without a load.