CRF Services Ltd
Alcove shelving and alcove cupboards
Alcove shelving makes use of the recesses either side of a chimney breast, a feature of most Victorian and Edwardian houses in Medway and plenty of later ones too. CRF Services Ltd fits floating and supported shelves into alcoves and builds low cupboards underneath, so the space holds books, media equipment and everyday clutter without a freestanding unit sticking out into the room.
Why alcoves need a carpenter rather than a kit
Alcoves are almost never square. The chimney breast leans, the back wall bows and the side walls are often a different distance apart at the top than at the bottom. A shelf cut to a single measurement will leave gaps, so each one is measured at its own height and scribed to the shape of the walls. That is what makes built in shelving look built in.
The walls themselves also vary. Chimney breasts are usually solid brick, while the back wall may be brick or a stud partition. The fixings are chosen for each wall rather than one size for all, a subject covered in the hanging shelves on plasterboard guide.
Shelf options
Floating shelves have hidden supports and give a clean look, but they need solid fixings and suit modest loads such as ornaments and paperbacks. Shelves sitting on timber battens along three sides of the alcove carry far more weight and suit books and record collections. Adjustable shelving on uprights is useful where the heights may change.
- Floating shelves on concealed fixings
- Batten supported shelves for heavier loads
- Painted MDF or solid timber shelves
- Shelves set out to line up with a cupboard top
- Gaps left for cables and sockets
Built in alcove cupboards
A cupboard at the base of the alcove, with shelves above, is the most popular combination. The cupboard is built on a frame scribed to the floor and walls, topped with a solid worktop or a painted top, and fitted with doors to suit the room. In a living room it might hide games consoles and routers, with a hole for cables; in a dining room it might hold glasses and table linen. Skirting is run around the base so the cupboard looks like part of the room.
Where one alcove gets a full height cupboard instead, it starts to behave like a wardrobe. The wardrobe fitting page covers that taller kind of storage.
Finishing
Most alcove units are made in MDF and painted once fitted, as paint hides the joints and the scribed edges. Solid timber shelves can be oiled or waxed instead. The final step is filling, caulking and painting, which can be included or left to you to match the rest of the room.
What affects the cost
The number of alcoves, their height, whether there is a cupboard as well as shelves, the material and the finish all change the price. Doors, especially panelled ones, take more time than plain slab doors. Every job is quoted in writing after measuring, as alcoves vary so much from house to house.
Booking
Send a photo of each alcove with rough measurements of width, depth and height through the contact page. Simple shelves only, without cupboards, can also be booked through shelving and storage fitting. Built in units are part of the carpentry service.
This work is part of our Carpentry service.
Common questions
Alcove shelving and alcove cupboards questions answered
Useful guides
How to get an accurate quote for home repairs
What to send, what to expect back, and the warning signs.
How to hang shelves on plasterboard walls safely
Studs, cavity fixings and the mistakes that bring shelves down.
Boxing in pipes: a neat finish that still lets you reach them
Hiding soil stacks and pipe runs without trapping the valves you will one day need.
Have a job in mind?
Tell Danny what needs doing and get a clear, no-obligation quotation.