Which Floating Shelf Is Right For You?

Choosing a floating shelf to suit your space is easy when you know how.

In this article, we will focus on finding the perfect floating shelves for your home. Whether you want them for your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or all three!

 

Pine or oak - which floating shelf is best?

BUDGET

A lot of whether you choose a pine or an oak floating shelf will come down to budget.

Pine is cheaper than oak, mainly due to the fact that pine trees grow much faster than oak trees do. As a result, lots more pine trees can be grown and more floating shelves (and other products) can be produced in the same timescale than it would take to produce oak versions.

DENSITY

The other main difference is that unlike oak which is a hard wood, pine is a soft wood. This means that in theory, oak is much more durable and more of a long term investment. While this is true, a decorative floating shelf in your home is not going to be exposed to heavy rainfall or cold frosts, so this is usually not too much of a factor when choosing a decorative wooden item which will live within the home.

If your floating shelf is going to get a lot of heavy use and will be more practical than decorative, oak will be less prone to damage.

Pine’s soft wood status does not mean that a pine floating shelf is an inferior product to the oak version, it just means that it is different. Here at Traditional Beams, we make our pine floating shelves from the finest quality FSC Certified kiln-dried Scandinavian pine. They have a rustic look which would look good against both a rustic or a more modern style of interior design.

Our oak floating shelf is our more premium option and can come with more of a square-edged modern look, or more of a rustic style with brushed surfaces and textured edges.

Both our oak and pine shelves are kiln dried for minimal movement.

COLOUR AND GRAIN

We have also recently launched our new pine colour range. This is very similar to the colours we offer for our oak floating shelves, however the colour is much more vibrant. This is due to the natural colour of pine being a lighter shade to begin with. You can see this from the colour swatches under each shelf’s product description. So if you are looking for a stain on your shelf which stands out much more, pine could be for you.

Oak and pine look very different. Oak has much more unique grain patterns and tends to have wavier grain and more unique markings. So if you're looking for a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture, oak may be the favourable option. Paired with its beautiful golden colour,  oak makes a charming addition to your home.

 

What depth should you pick?

Our floating shelves come in a range of different depths to suit different purposes. Consider what you want to put on your shelf and measure items to see how much depth they would comfortably need.

For example, do you want the shelf to put books on, or is it going to act as a kitchen shelf and needs to be wide enough for plates?

 

Which fixing type do you need for your floating shelf?

Whether your wall is a solid masonry wall or plasterboard, we have the fixing option to suit. Just make sure you order the shelf with the advertised fixing option that you need for the wall you want to fit it on.

If you are unsure which type you need, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us and we will do our very best to advise.

 

Finally, if you have done your research and decided that an oak floating shelf or a pine floating shelf is not what you are looking for, we also offer shelves with industrial metal brackets. A stunning option with even more character!