My attempt to build a floating shelf ended with a hole in the wall

I saw a video online about making a simple floating shelf with just a 2x4 and some brackets. I measured everything twice, or so I thought. After I drilled the pilot holes and went to mount the bracket, the whole thing just ripped out of the drywall. Turns out I missed the stud by about an inch and a half. Now there's a fist-sized hole where my shelf was supposed to go, and my cat keeps trying to climb into it. Has anyone else had a stud finder lie to them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_christopher10h ago

Ugh, stud finders are the worst sometimes. I just ended up knocking on the wall and listening for the solid sound after mine failed me. The old school method actually worked better for finding the real stud.

hall.robin4h ago

Yeah, the knock test is way more reliable than those beeping gadgets.