Alcove Floating Shelf
Custom floating shelf built and hung on a hidden steel cleat in a plaster-repaired alcove.
A small but exacting install. The alcove plaster was repaired and skim-coated, a hidden steel cleat was set into the framing, and a custom floating shelf was fabricated to sit dead-level with no visible hardware.
What the client wanted this project to accomplish.
- Turn a shallow plaster alcove into a real display surface
- Hide all hardware so the shelf reads as floating
- Preserve the original plaster edge condition
Conditions we designed and built around.
- Original plaster had cracks that had to be repaired without disturbing the alcove edge
- Hidden cleat had to catch framing behind lath and plaster
- Shelf had to land dead-level in a wall that wasn't
Every line item, priced and planned before demo.
- Plaster repair and skim coat inside alcove
- Hidden steel cleat set into wall framing
- Custom floating shelf fabricated to length
- Level install with concealed fasteners
The details that separate a good build from a great one.
- Plaster repair and skim coat inside the alcove
- Hidden steel cleat set into wall framing through the plaster
- Custom floating shelf fabricated to length and finished on all sides
How the build actually unfolded on site.
- Step 01
Plaster repair
Cracks stitched, alcove skim-coated and sanded flush.
- Step 02
Cleat install
Steel cleat located, framing caught, cleat set level.
- Step 03
Shelf fabrication
Shelf milled to length, finished on all sides.
- Step 04
Install & paint touch-up
Shelf slid onto cleat, wall touched up around the shelf edge.
The work behind the finished photograph.
In ProgressEvery documented photo from this project.
In ProgressThe shelf reads as if it grew out of the wall. No visible hardware, dead-level across the span, and the plaster edge is quiet enough that the eye goes straight to the object on the shelf.
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