Invisible Book Shelf

Step 7: Attach it to the Wall.

...sorry to switch books, but I wanted to finish the Instructable while the glue was drying.

use a large wood screw to attach the whole mess to the wall. Find a stud first.

Comments

[ElQuinntero]

i live in an apartment and i dont want to screw up my walls is there any substitute to the wood screw into the stud

[CherylTX]

I once used toothpaste to fill small nail holes in an apartment wall, LOL.

[pdub77]

Yup, the toothpaste works wonders. . .

[ashaloo]

That is a great (and hilarious) idea!!

[g0nn el tren]

you can make the hole, and when you want to remove it, you can try this method:
you'll need:
- paper towel (also toilet paper)
- glue
- water
- a bowl or something to mix (paper cup)

1st, mix the glue and water until the glue is a little diluted. next, cut the paper towel so it fits on the screw hole. wet the paper in the glue n' fill the hole with it. let dry. finally you'll need to sand it and paint it.

luck

[jack8559]

2 sided tape?

[bassclarinet23]

Attach it to one of your own shelves?

[hyperphreak]

You dont need a stud finder! I´m right here!

[Win Guy]

Um, some advice?
That might hurt.
Win Guy

[flipmee]

LOLL

[fermilab]

to find a stud, use a magnet and run it along the wall. When it sticks (to a nail or screw under the mud and paint) you found one. You may have to look around a bit. I suggest mapping out a 2' x 2' area to search first and if no luck search an adjacent similar sized area.

[jbpageh6]

studs should be located about every 16 inches

[madhops0620]

why would you have mud in your walls?

[mrthumbtack]

I don't know if you are kidding or not, but he means sheetrock mud.

[madhops0620]

no I was being serious, I wasn't aware that most people had mud in their walls

[brandyangelique]

try living in Santa Fe, New Mexico in a true MUD home! They are called adobe :)

[Win Guy]

I visited New Mexico one time, I really loved it there. I've seen some of those adobe houses and they're very interesting! I hope I can visit again sometime... By the way, your picture is sideways. ;)
Win Guy

[smukherjee1]

oh! i spent the last three minutes trying to make sense of the picture.

[Redgerr]

im olny kinda being funny, but he could be talking about like little mud house's like in the movies or the JAWA's from Starwars lol :) --just a though :O

[mrthumbtack]

Oh, well I do a lot of construction type stuff, so I guess I just assumed it was common knowledge. Wikipedia says, "Mud, in the construction industry, refers to wet plaster, stucco, cement or other similar substances." Fermilab is referring to the fact that if you want to hang anything heavier than a picture or a poster, you need to find a stud (support beam) to nail into. The sheetrock or plaster in the wall is affixed to these studs by hidden nails or screws, and unless you nail into a stud your hanging nail will eventually tear out of the wall.

[hcold]

I found one by tapping my finger across a wall until the sound wasn't hollow, and I corroborated that it was electrical or wateral by matching it up with a parallel stud.

[ramon_omar]

Be careful with that magnet. You could just as easily find an electrical conduit. Methinks it better to spend the money on a decent stud finder that will warn you away from wires and the like. Or just get some wall anchors and go to town.

[jbange]

Caution is in order when driling into walls, but conduit is buried well behind the drywall. The nails or screws fastening the drywall to the studs are on the surface. I guarantee you can't find conduit with a magnet. It's too far in. A stud finder is easiest, but finding screw heads with a magnet is perfectly acceptable.

[WolfWoof]

A conduit would make a line or track for the magnet while a nail or screw would only be one spot. With a nail or screw you should find one ever so often vertically down the wall, about every two feet apart. That is 'should', a better built building will be more often and if it's considerably less often you should look for a new apartment quickly.

[SoapyHollow]

Ramon speaks truth. Stud finders are really cheap compared to a hospital trip from tapping into a conduit.

[WolfWoof]

Getting hit by a standard wall wire really isn't that painful or damaging. *twitch*

[limpport]

 Have you ever stuck anything in an electrical socket?  It's the same exact thing.

[tadhg2]

i made something like this, but you don't need to destroy the bottom book, its just like a bracket thing that you slot the books on to,

[TheSuper]

I would use two "L" brackets so it doesn't wabble and if you don't have studs you can use wall plugs - these things can hold a lot of weight...

[thesparine]

any tips on finding the stud? I can google it of course, but if you included it in your instructable it would have been super-super-duper!

[gnose]

there are cheap stud finders that you run over your walls and theyll blip when theyve found one. ask at your local hardware store

[madscience]

you could double the number of "L" brackets and place them closer to the ends of the book thereby reducing bowing in the middle of the book. Also, if where you want to hang this shelf isn't near a stud, try using screw anchors (available at most hardware or home improvement stores---most large department stores will carry some too). Screw anchors will come in a variety of sizes that are weight rated--choose them with sufficient weight rating.
http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/pc/prodmeta/Products_1/Hardware_2104/Hollow_Wall-Drywall_Anchors_2571/EZ.jpg

[paddlerjay]

Well its a really good effect but .......... If you use a block of wood say 11/4 x3 and about 1/2 less than the height of the pages, screw it to the wall. Then cut same size hole out of book and glue it up the same. now slide the 'book' onto block and put 2 screws through top cover. It will always appear 'floating'. (this is how 'floating' shelves are made)