Floating Shelf Brackets -8 Pack Heavy Duty Wood Invisible Shelf Brackets with Screws,DIY Adjustable Hardware Blind Supports Shelves 120LBS

I read through a lot of reviews. The most useful was one that suggested taking off the plastic anchor sleeve and drill a 1/4"hole instead. Then just screw the bolt into the wall. What's important is drilling level, perfectly perpendicular holes both into the wall and into the shelf. Easiest is to put the brackets into the wall then bring the shelf to them to mark where the shelf needs the holes drilled. Again, the holes need to be straight and perpendicular. Yes, it can be done if you have the right tools. I was hanging a driftwood mantle so I needed to be a little creative. I attached the mantle to a board. I put boards at each end making it level. I used a drill with a level built in so I could drill straight down at the marks in the boards and a few inches into the mantle. After detaching the board I used it to mark the wall with the holes drilled at the marks. It was easier to handle the board and level it than trying to handle the driftwood to measure. Since the drill has built in levels I knew I could make at least level holes so I guesstimated the straightness. Worked perfectly this time but since then I was able to get the parts I needed for my portable drill press which will allow me to make perfectly straight, perpendicular holes in the wall. These brackets do need to go into studs the way that I used it. I'm not sure if the plastic anchor would work in drywall. Personally, I wouldn't trust any wall hanging shelves on drywall. If any heavy items are on the shelf I'd be afraid that any shelf would get ripped out of the wall.

I installed as others have suggested, given metric drill bits are not common. Even if I had installed using metric, the plastic bit that expands is too far in to grip the dry wall. The result is a loose fit that causes your shelf to sag forward. You end up with a massive hole in your drywall without a good fit for your shelf. I don't know the purpose of the plastic but closer to where it sits in the wall, as ratcheting down hard on the screw does not compress it into expanding at all. if those fins expanded out it would likely hold strong no matter what, but the only part that expands are the 4 back fins which again are about a quarter inch too deep past the drywall to create any sort of hold.I even tried metric drills and it again wasn't secure. Because the end doesn't screw on without significant grip on the plastic you won't be able to engage the rear securing fins without some grip on the part that should be in the wall.Basically I ended up with massive holes in the wall and unless my drywall is somehow thinner than everyone else's I doubt anyone else wouldn't get the loose fit I did.

These work great. Drill a 1/4" hole into the stud. Make sure it's STRAIGHT. Buy a drill guide for $10 if you don't have one. Remove the anchor from the bracket and throw it away. Use a socket to screw the bracket into the hole. Do this for all of your brackets. Lay your shelf on top of the brackets and carefully mark their positions. Now use a dowel jig ($30) and a 3/8 bit to drill holes into your shelf at the marked positions. Now you can push your shelf onto the brackets. It'll be tight but that's fine. Use a mallet. I used 3 brackets for a 76" long shelf (5/8" thick and 5.5" wide) and it's super secure.

These work as listed. I followed 1/2 inch and 3/8 inch drill bits. The 1/2 inch in the wall we're slightly to big. I think this was because I pulled the bit in and out a few times as some of the holes were snug while most were not. I ended up using chopsticks in the wholes with the brackets so spinning /tightening them would give them something to grab. This worked great. My top shelf wasn't level, the front edge was lower than the back, I was able to push it up and it seemed to help some. As you can see it's not level at all but with it on the top you can see too well and I can saw that I did it on purpose so it's easier to see what's on the shelf. I'm not in love with the product but they worked and were not too hard to install. I'll be buying more as I know these work and aren't hard to install