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All homes have some form of storage system, in most cases this means shelves.  Fitting shelves is easy, when you know how
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Fitting Shelves
 
Fitting Shelves in an Alcove
When shelves are being fitted into an alcove, rather than using brackets, timber battens can be used.  This is done by fixing battens onto to the wall at each end of the shelf and along the back if required.  Because the ends of the side battens that are visible, they are usually cut back at an angle or shaped to make them more pleasing to the eye. A suitable timber size to use would be 50 x 25 mm.
The advantage of this method is that it is inexpensive and not difficult to carry out.  
Different to using brackets though, fixing the shelf onto the battens is not as straight forward.  Outlined below are two methods that could be used.
  • Drill a hole through the shelf and screw it down into the batten below. The obvious drawback with this method is the screw heads being visible on the surface of the shelf.  If the shelves are made of blockboard, plywood or MDF, the screw heads could be countersunk bellow the surface, then hidden by using a matching coloured filler. Alternatively, brass screws could be used countersunk flush to the surface.  If you use this method, remember that because the brass screws are visible, they will need to be positioned symmetrically, with each subsequent shelf.
  • 'Mirror plates' on the batten first, as shown in this diagram.  This will allow the shelf to be fixed with one screw per plate, from the underside.
Linings
If the alcove walls are uneven or out of plumb, you could have difficulty fitting the shelves to them, with the added problem of the shelves looking untidy and unprofessionally done.  If this is the case, consider lining the walls first with a suitable material such as 18mm MDF that will effectively give you new surfaces to work to. The new linings can then be finished with timber architraves to the front edges. The linings will need to be 'packed out' as required so as to be straight and plumb, achieved by using a straight-edge and spirit level should be used.
A bit of forward thinking at this stage will save you some time 'making good' later;  If the position of the shelves can be pre-determined (300mm apart for example), and marked onto the panels, some of these positions can be used as the fixing points of the panels to the wall.
The head of the counter sunk screw heads, used for fixing will then be conveniently hidden when the shelf is placed in position.
When you are satisfied that the first panel is 'true', proceed with the opposite side. As you proceed with the second lining, checks should be made that the two surfaces are parallel. A good method of achieving this is to use the shelf that you intend fitting as your gauge.  Obviously, this shelf must accurately prepared, ensuring that the corners are square (cut at 90 degrees).  You should also cut the remaining shelves to this pattern. The more attention given to this process at this time, ensures easier installation of the remaining shelves later.

When the two panels are fixed in place, the architraves can be fitted to the front edges, so as to hide the gap between the wall and the panel.
Bookcase strips or 'plug in' shelf supports could then be used to support the shelves.

Tip

When fixing into the edge of MDF, avoid splitting by gluing and pinning the architraves in position rather than nailing.


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