How can I add shelves to a metal filing cabinet without power tools
by
Rosemary
I can have wood cut for shelves at Homedepot but how do I adhere shelves? We have a drill and live in an apartment so no tools. And we want to keep door.
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Is it a lateral file? I'm having a hard time picturing adding drawers to a file cabinet. You mentioned a door, so is the file drawer behind a door? I keep picturing a locker type set-up in my head. You could attach braces (L shaped) to support shelves, or make an upside down U shape to hold up the shelf. You could put ledges in to support a shelf. You could put in shelf tracks and support them with clips. Unfortunately, anything you add to the cabinet may involve more cutting of the wood. The L brackets may be the only thing you could manage since at most you might have to notch the wood a tiny bit (unless you could mount them completely underneath. Narrow ledges might be the best solution, since you could make them from scrap wood or trim.
It depends on what you will be putting on the shelves and how heavy the items will be. You can always adhere with a strong glue or silicone.
I'm concerned about nails showing on the side of the file cabinet. I guess paint. This is a vertical metal file cabinet leaving the doors on.