Decide the functionality and appearance you want from your shelf before you buy. There are many options with shelf brackets, ranging from very ornate to a simple piece of metal. The ornate shelf brackets will probably work great for your living room, but there is no real need to spend that much money on garage shelving, so be sure to know what you need from the bracket.

Pick an L-shaped metal bracket for the functional, cheap option if appearance is not that much of an issue. These metal brackets are functional and are a great way to throw up some quick shelves in a closet, tool shed or garage. They are also the least expensive and available at almost all retailers and home improvement stores.

Choose a decorative, flush-mounting wooden shelf bracket if you need style as well as function. These brackets can come in many different types of wood and in several different styles. Finding the perfect fit may take a while and you will have to pay a little more, but the result should keep you happy. There are also decorative metal and wrought iron shelf brackets if you want something other than wood.

Opt for an adjustable shelf bracket for added flexibility. Adjustable shelf brackets use a pair of tracks to mount vertically on your wall and brackets that fit into the tracks so that you can adjust the height of the shelves. This is a good storage solution on a budget.

Get a folding shelf bracket if you are not going to use your shelf all the time. A folding shelf bracket will give you the option of laying the shelf down against the wall when you are not using it, which can be a good space saver.

Find a glass shelf bracket for a glass shelf. If you are using a pre-cut piece of glass for a shelf, get a special bracket that will fit that thickness of glass and support the glass better than a normal shelf bracket.

Measure the shelf to make sure that the bracket can support it. Shelf brackets come in many different sizes so be sure to know the size of the shelf before you buy. Also, keep in mind that you may need more than one or two brackets if it is a long shelf. Make sure that there is enough support for what you will be placing on the shelf; it is better to err on the side of too many brackets.