Also would genuinely love to be taught to put up a shelf
Does anyone here have tips on drilling into fresh plaster? We’re in a proper brick house the whole idea fills me with utter dread, I don’t wanna
duck the house up!
So you have plastered brick walls? How fresh is the plaster? Anything over a week, assuming it's skimmed, should be fine to drill into.
Things you'll need. Shelf + brackets (unless it's one of those magic ones, then just screws), rawlplugs/wallplugs, and screws to fit them. Longish if you can drill deep enough, spirit level, pencil, masking tape, tape measure. Hammer drill and masonry drill bit.
Two important things. 1) Make sure there's no electricity or water where you are drilling. Water isn't a problem in most rooms, unless your radiator pipes are behind the walls, but it should be fairly obvious where they might be. Electrics can be tricker, but you can buy a gizmo, or have a google for how to tell where electric cables generally are. I haven't ever used a gizmo, just followed the guidance, but if you're worried you can. 2) Measuring and checking things are level. Some brackets allow for a bit of a mistake when drilling, have a slot rather than a hole for the screw, but lots don't. So measure from ceiling to where you want the shelf to be, and measure distance apart for brackets, mark with the pencil (cross rather than dot) and then use the level to check that your ceiling is in fact straight and the holes are actually level (mine aren't as my house is 100+ years old). Adjust until you're happy.
Then you need a masonry (ones made of carbide or tungsten are the strongest) drill bit, and a fairly powerful drill, ideally a hammer drill, I bought a corded as they are cheaper but have enough oomph. If you're worried about the plaster cracking, then masking tape over the area you're going to drill is a sensible precaution. Go slow at the start, to get through the plaster (lowest drill setting) that will help prevent cracks. Drill as deep as you need, let the bit do the work, don't put too much pressure on it, then reverse direction on the drill and run it while you, ahem, pull out. You want to drill a hole that is big enough to fit your wallplug, but not so big it moves around. Check the bit against the wallplug before you start. Then screw the brackets in, I normally do this with the drill, with a screwdriver attachment. Shelf on and fix it to brackets, however indicated. If no instructions, then you just need small wood screws (assuming wood shelf) to fix it. Again I'd use the drill, but you can do it by hand. *
Ta-daa! Shelf!
*Vague credentials: I used to be a builder's apprentice years ago, and was taught a lot of DIY by my dad. I'm a little cavalier though, so hopefully haven't missed anything important out.