I recently installed a floating shelf on an exterior wall, and about 12 hours later, I noticed my lights flickered. Now I'm anxious that maybe I nicked a wire during the installation. The shelf isn't near an outlet but is close to the wall edge, and I made sure to avoid hitting any studs by using drywall anchors. Is there a way for me to tell if I've damaged something without tearing open the wall? I really don't want a simple shelf project to turn into a disaster! Here's a picture of the setup: [the wall/shelf in question](https://imgur.com/a/0GabSPF).
2 Answers
If you actually nicked a wire while installing the shelf, you probably would have noticed some immediate issues. Just a heads up, your shelf appears to be leaning to one side—make sure it’s level! That's crucial for stability. If you're not comfortable checking further, maybe consider getting a handyman to take a look.
When you say your lights flickered, do you mean they strobe or just flickered once when you turned them on? If everything was fine before the shelf and this is a new issue, it might not be related to the shelf at all. If you had nicked a wire, you’d likely see problems during the install, not later on. Just keep an eye on it, and let us know if it happens again!