How to Hang Shelves on Your Wall Without Tools or Screws

You might want to put up shelves but feel hesitant to do anything that could damage your walls. And even if you’re pretty handy with a putty knife, fixing screw and nail holes can often leave traces behind, which could potentially be a problem if you’re a renter. The good news is that there are ways to get some shelving up on your walls without risking much damage. Here’s how to hang shelves without tools or screws.

The Command strip approach

One solution is to use Command adhesive strips. These strips and hooks adhere temporarily to walls and can be removed easily without leaving residue behind, which has endeared them to renters for years. In fact, Command actually makes small picture ledges that are just shelves you hang on your wall using their adhesive strips. You could also buy their large picture hanging-strips and use them on the back of floating shelves.

The downside is strength and stability. The picture ledges only hold up to five pounds, which isn’t a whole lot. The larger strips can hold up to 16 pounds, but you’ll need to install them in a corner to get enough support. If you only put the strips on the back of the shelf, they will droop over time, but if you use a corner to get strips on both sides of your shelves, you can use just about any floating shelf to store up to 16 pounds worth of stuff.

Another way to use Command products for shelving is to buy their heavy-duty utility hooks (which hold up to 15 pounds) and then buy shelving designed to be used with hooks. (Just make sure the support brackets will fit your hooks.) This might require a bit of research, but the result is nice-looking and doesn’t rely on corners for stability.

If you’re ok with minor damage to your walls

If you’re not ready to put your faith into adhesive strips, or you’re more concerned about avoiding tools than wall damage, another way to get shelves on your walls is High & Mighty shelves. These shelves use a combination of an adhesive strip and press-in brackets to hold up to 25 pounds of weight. All you do is place the strip on the wall where you want your shelf (using a level, ideally), press the brackets into the drywall with your thumbs, and then slide the shelf onto the brackets and press into the adhesive.

This will cause some minor damage to your walls that you’ll have to reckon with when you move out, but it’s an extremely small footprint that won’t be too hard to fix up with some putty or joint compound (or, you know, toothpaste).

Both of these techniques will give you some storage without taking up floor space — and without the need for tools, nails, screws, or expertise. While I wouldn’t test the weight limits on these shelves (for example, trying to get 50 books on one of these shelves will likely end in tears), they’ll definitely get some stuff onto your walls without causing you to lose sleep over your security deposit.