How Deep Should Floating Shelves Be?

It may seem impossible to come up with new ways to display your décor if you don’t know where to begin. Are a few floating shelves the best option, but you’re unsure of how deep should floating shelves be? Is the size of each floating shelf uniform?

We have done some research and have the answers for you right here. Let’s get started!

How deep should floating shelves be in living room? In general, floating shelves should have a depth of five to ten inches. You can try much larger sizes, ranging from 12 inches to 15 inches deep.

However, the majority of floating shelf designs require longer, thinner dimensions, so you’ll need to do some research before making a purchase.

We’ll talk about how deep a floating shelf should be as we get started and cover everything related to them. We can help you display your accolades, images, or prized possessions. In light of that, let’s get right into this post below!

What Does Floating Shelves Deep Mean?

Floating shelves depth refers to how far you want your shelving to extend from the wall. Length: (“L”) How far across the wall your shelf should extend. Height: (“H”) Your desired shelf’s desired thickness (or height).

How Thick Should My Floating Shelf Be?

A floating shelf should have a thickness of about two inches. Just like depth, thickness can have an impact on a shelf’s capacity to hold your priceless items.

If your shelf item isn’t sturdy enough, it might also break or sustain damage. The position of a floating shelf is determined by gravity, unlike a conventional bookcase or display shelf.

More than two-inch-thick floating shelves are also available. Fortunately, several brands provide hanging shelves that are up to 3–4 inches wide.

Aim for 2-3, as a thicker shelf on your walls can occasionally look odd. Choosing the option with the greatest depth or width is not always the best choice.

What Happens If a Floating Shelf Is Too Thin?

If the construction of your floating shelf is shoddy or too thin, expect issues. If the weight on top of your shelf exceeds a few pounds, as we mentioned above, it will probably start to crack.

Furthermore, you run the risk of having your shelf collapse and dropping your valuables with it. You should choose a thicker, higher-quality design even though a hanging shelf costs more money.

On the other hand, if you don’t need to display heavy or bulky items on your floating shelves, thickness won’t be a big factor. The decision you make will ultimately depend on what you want to display and how much weight it has.

What Is the Best Material for a Floating Shelf?

If you’re unsure of what kind of material to use for floating shelves, stick with wood. Particularly resilient and less likely to crack or warp than other materials is maple wood shelving.

Many floating shelf designs, though, make use of manufactured or “faux” wood, which is frequently less reliable. Any shelf with a base made of plastic or another synthetic material typically won’t support much weight.

For your shelving needs, you can also experiment with other woods. Due to their ease of use, durability, and affordability, oak and pine are frequently used by do-it-yourselfers.

How Deep Can You Make Floating Shelves?

Since the majority of books are less than 9″ deep, for instance, a floating bookshelf typically won’t need a shelf deeper than 10″. Since most cabinets and the dishes, cups, and bowls they contain are 12″ or less deep, 12″ usually works for floating kitchen shelves.

How Deep Should a Floating Shelf Be for Pictures?

If you want to display your family photos or any other type of prints, you don’t need to use an exceptionally deep shelf. We suggest 2-4 inches of depth because, typically, a few inches will be adequate for pictures and even books.

You won’t have any trouble finding designs because, as we said, that is a fairly standard depth for floating shelves. The Craft Patch claims that a “lip” is a common feature of hanging shelves, which can reduce a shelf’s overall depth.

If a floating shelf is three inches deep but has a lip, for instance, you might only get two inches of usable display space. Fortunately, that will do for a scrapbook or framed photo, but it is something to consider.

What Do You Use to Hang a Floating Shelf?

To hang a wall shelf, you should typically use either nail, wall anchors, or command strips. Wall anchors will provide the most overall support for this group, but they can leave numerous, sizable holes in a surface.

For instance, numerous items will come with built-in wall mounts that include the necessary screws or nails. You should keep in mind that these will cause holes in your walls.

Let’s assume you are a renter. A hefty fine for you at the end of your lease is frequently the result of making numerous holes in a rental property.

At that point, heavy-duty adhesive or Command strips are useful. However, not all adhesive strips will be able to support the same amount of weight.

Command strips typically have a weight capacity of four to sixteen pounds, which is a wide range. Once more, the weight limit of your adhesive will be listed on its label, so be sure to choose one that can support your shelving and display items.

How Deep Should Floating Shelves be in Kitchen?

The typical depths of floating or “hanging” shelves can vary slightly depending on the type you purchase. In most cases, the depth of floating kitchen shelving is 12 inches.

Floating shelving for the living room or other non-kitchen areas, however, is typically ten inches deep. The deeper kitchen shelving, which is required to hold cookware, bakeware, and everything in between, can be used to explain this.

The possibility of hanging shelves is on the shallower side has been mentioned. Many designs only have 4-5 inches of depth, which means they can’t accommodate larger objects.

Once more, you might not need to display sizable works of art or home furnishings, but it’s nice to give your items enough space to breathe. Despite the evolution of floating shelving, a conventional bookshelf still typically outperforms it.

Depth isn’t always ideal because hanging a floating shelf gets challenging as it gets longer and deeper.

Final Thoughts

Knowing what measurements will work best for you is crucial whether you need to create a floating shelf or find new ways to display your possessions. The majority of floating shelves, according to what we discovered, will be between five and ten inches deep, though there are options that are much deeper.

Kitchen floating shelves will typically be the deepest and have the most robust design. However, shelves in the living room and bedroom might be thinner and shallower.

No matter what, locate a floating shelf that can hold your prized possessions, and don’t be hesitant to think outside the box when it comes to hanging one!