I can't say I've had the best experience with this shelf so far. One of the side brackets came out of the box twisted and bent - an obvious manufacturing defect, so it looks pretty jenky on the wall. After reading other reviews, I ignored the directions and made my own, which worked pretty well. I recommend putting all the brackets on the shelves first, but just start the screws so they hold as opposed to tightening them right away. Then, put on the side brackets and tighten up the screws on the top and middle shelves. If using a drill, use a lower torque so the screws don't strip out of the particle board when tightening. It's pretty flimsy, so be sure to use a level to square up the top and sides before you mark the holes on the wall. You'll need a 5/16" drill bit for the wall holes if you are using the plastic anchors that are provided. Once the shelf is up you can put the bottom shelf in place and then tighten the screws down.