Introduction: Wall-Mounted Necklace Organizer & Jewelry Shelf

By RaeAn Designs

I just moved to a new apartment and wanted to FINALLY get my jewelry organized and easily accessible on my wall. I really wanted something like this one on Amazon  but without spending $45 plus shipping, especially since I'd already purchased some floating shelves and figured I could just modify them to serve the same purpose.

MATERIALS:

- Floating shelf: I bought a set of 3 (Target brand) for $15. [NOTE: Must be wood for this project! No plastic or metal shelves.]

- Ceiling hooks: I used 13 total, but you can use fewer or more depending on the length of your shelf, how many rows you want, how close together you're willing to place them, etc. Cup or mug hooks would also work, but I personally liked the length of the ceiling hooks (3.3 cm). These were $1.49 for 10, so $3 total.
  ****IMPORTANT: Make sure the screw part is SHORTER than the WIDTH of your shelf wood! Bring the shelf with you when you buy the hooks to make sure -- otherwise you risk poking through and having sharp points on the surface of your shelf.

- Mounting materials for shelf: the Target set came with mounting materials, but one of the anchors broke when I was putting it in the wall, so I was glad I had some of my own, also. For drywall, this means a plastic anchor and a screw. For other walls, ask Google what you should use. Just make sure it can support the weight safely!

The drywall mounting supplies I had on hand cost $2, so this whole project came to $20 -- less than half the price of the new one on Amazon *before* shipping!


TOOLS:
- Hammer
- Phillips head screwdriver
- 1 small nail
- 1 large nail
- Measuring tape and/or ruler
- Pencil or dry-erase marker
- Level (I'll wholly admit I used the "Level" app on my iPhone for this.)

Step 1: Mark the Hook Spacing

With the BACK of the shelf facing you, use the measuring tape to find the halfway point on the shelf. Put a dot with the pencil or marker about 1/2-1 cm in from the edge.

Mark the other spots for the hooks. I did 7 in the back row: 1 at each edge, then I spaced 2 more evenly between the edge and center hooks.

Note: It might seem like a good idea to put them close to store more kecklaces, but spacing them farther apart will make it look more organized! You can always add more rows than I did -- the more space each necklace has, the less likely it is to get tangled with those around it and the better it looks aesthetically. Mine ended up being spaced about 5.5 cm apart.

Step 2: Make Guide Holes

Make guide holes for the hooks. This makes it MUCH easier to screw them in, not to mention making it easier to keep them straight as you do.

Use the hammer and the small nail to make a small hole in the wood at each marking. Just hammer it in a tiny bit -- just enough to make a small guide hole, maybe about 2 mm.

Step 3: Screw in the Hooks

Screw the ceiling hooks (or mug hooks or whatever you're using) into the guide holes along the back of the shelf.

Align them so the hook opens up to the front of the shelf (i.e. away from you right now).

Note: be sure to keep them as straight as possible you screw them in! If they end up slightly crooked, don't worry: you can usually push them straight once they're screwed in, as long as it's not *too* far off.

Step 4: Make the Second Row

Make guide holes for the second row. Offset them from the back row.

I used a ruler, placing it along the back row of hooks and marking the spots halfway between the other hooks, so the width of the ruler itself kept the second row evenly aligned.

Then screw in the hooks for the second row. If you did 7 in the back row like me, you'll have 6 in the front row.

Step 5: Mount the Shelf on the Wall

Get the wall ready for the floating shelf. The package for your floating shelves should have specific directions for that product, but in general this is what you do:

1. Mark the points on the wall where the screws should go. Align them with the holes on the shelf and use a level to make sure they're even.
2. Make a guide hole with a LARGE nail.
3. If the anchor is a self-drilling type, screw it all the way into the wall. Plaster will fall down -- just sweep it up once you're done.
     If the anchor isn't self-drilling, drill the right size hole that the anchor requires, then screw, push, or hammer in the anchor.
4. Screw in the screw for the anchor, but NOT ALL THE WAY. Leave it sticking out about 1/2 cm.

Then just hang the shelf on the protruding screws!

If the shelf isn't 100% flush against the wall, screw in the screws a little more and re-mount. Repeat until it is flush against the wall but still "catching" on the screws. The tighter the shelf is against the wall, the more secure (and more level) the shelf will be in the end.

Step 6: Put Stuff on It.

Now you can put stuff on the hooks and the shelf -- and you have a beautiful jewelry organizer!
(Or, really, an organizer for anything you want to put on hooks that isn't heavy. I do NOT recommend this design for heavy items!)