Depends on the amount of weight you plan to store on it. If heavy items you should definitely put it up where the studs are. If no studs are available in the area purchase plastic screw anchors. I usually drill a hole the approximate size of the anchor first, place anchor within the freshly drilled hole, hammer or mallet the anchor in a bit but not all the way. Once you insert the anchor a little you can put the shelf over it and screw in a screw. You can do this project with either an electric drill or regular screw driver but screw driver can take a bit longer. Hope this helps