ISS Shelving System Install: Day One

This holiday weekend found me heading to Marin to install an ISS shelving system for Matt and Ki — neighbors of Michael and Iris.

I was greeted by a tidy palette and a few boxes tucked into the garage and in short order, had it unpacked and splayed out. One of the things that didn't greet us was a detailed set of instructions. A low-res PDF was emailed but the photos in the instructions were so poorly shot and so low res (and the instructions so generic) that they really weren't much help. Fortunately, I've a black-belt in cabinet assembly after our kitchen assembly and these things are pretty standard. However, the unlabeled cabinetry parts in the palette coupled with the lack of decent instruction added at least four hours to the install (maybe six) as we had to test fit, twirl around and — in most cases — re-assemble the parts to get the correct configuration. It would have been nice to have had stickers (drawer side, cabinet back, cabinet top, inside/outside) on the dozens of pieces rather than spending 1/2 of a saturday sorting them out.

The system is pretty dialed-in and — at least the aluminum parts — are well manufactured. The system itself is almost 100% identical to the Rakks system we installed in our own office (from a materials, and bracket design standpoint) and this pole-mounted system went into the same location: against the office wall adjacent to the sliding door (Ki and Matt's house is almost the same layout... just in a much better ZIP code).

The tension poles are fairly easy to install even with one person. Some leveling and math is involved to get them just right — again, something that better instructions would have helped, but it wasn't too hard to figure out. They come threaded on each end with screw feet that tighten to create a solid hold. Fortunately, the floor was concrete and the ceiling was wood, so they're pretty tight. I'd be hesitant to install them with a drywall ceiling given the tension created in an area the size of a half-dollar. A 1X3 of hardwood running parallel with the shelf/desk edge above and fastened to the studs would help distribute the pressure and give you something to eventualy screw into.

Here are some shots from the first day. After six hours, the palette was unpacked, the poles installed and 1/2 of the cabinetry assembled. Day two found me doing quite a bit of electrical and data re-wiring as the previous owners had some "intresting" data and electrical run into the room.

We didn't finish until late Sunday, so hopefully some final photos will follow.

 

Comments

[Keith Fuchs]

ISS Designs Stinks. I wish I saw this before i bought the shelf system. NIGHTMARE.
I spent almost two days desiphering poor instructions and non labled parts.
I contacted the company asking for a video link. they had none. No support poorly labeled . What you should say is to stay away form this product. "Tailight Support" stops when the UPS Truck lights dissapear. Very angry & dissaponted.