This article is about how to hang a shelf on plasterboard wall. In it we will analyze several solutions of varying complexity: for light shelves, and for massive wall furniture. So, let's go.
With all the undoubted advantages of gypsum board, it has several... let's say - features that make it difficult to install wall-mounted furniture:
- Low strength with respect to bending deformation loads. The sheet simply breaks under any significant load, the vector of which is directed perpendicular to its axis;
- A loose core in which self-tapping screws hold weakly and nails do not hold at all;
- Weak adhesion of the core to the kraft paper shell, which precludes adhesive installation of planks under wall-mounted furniture.
Solutions
Despite all these difficulties, the problem has a solution - and not just one.
The video in this article will allow you to learn even more about how to hang a shelf on a drywall wall.
Drywall dowels
How to hang shelves on a plasterboard wall if they are light in weight and will not be loaded during operation? The type of fastener we need is called a gypsum board dowel.
You can find two varieties of it on sale:
| Image | Description |
| The snail dowel (also known as the Driva dowel) is not driven into a hole drilled in the gypsum core, but is screwed into it. By cutting a thread in a loose core, a plastic or light alloy dowel is held quite securely in it and can withstand a load of up to 2-3 kilograms. |
| When the screw is screwed in, the butterfly dowel folds and forms a support platform on the back side of the gypsum board, distributing the load over a large area. The fastener can withstand forces of up to 7-10 kgf. |
A caveat: the butterfly dowel requires free space on the back side of the sheet, which means installing drywall on a frame or sheathing. For walls lined with plasterboard using adhesive installation, it is unsuitable.
Anchor Molly
How to fix shelves on a plasterboard wall if they are supposed to be used for storing books or souvenirs?
Using the so-called Molly anchor. The structure of the product will seem familiar to you: it strongly resembles a butterfly dowel. The only difference is that this type of fastener is all-metal and is designed for heavy loads.
When you tighten the anchor bolt, its shell opens and presses against the back of the gypsum board.
Note: the head of the fastener must be held with pliers, pliers or any other tool. The fact is that when the bolt is tightened, it can turn, crumbling the drywall around the attachment point.
Self-tapping screws in profile
Another way to secure a shelf or light hanging furniture is to use ordinary self-tapping screws, but screw them not into the plasterboard, but into the profiles of the frame or sheathing (see Installing a frame under drywall on a wall with your own hands). To find them, use a magnet.
The obvious drawback of the method is that the attachment points cannot be located in arbitrary places: the standard step between profiles when assembling the frame is 60 centimeters. It is related to the width of the gypsum board (120 cm): if the width is a multiple of the pitch of the sheathing or frame, the edges of the sheet will fall exactly on the center of the profiles.
Long anchors
This method involves fastening furniture not to a false gypsum plasterboard wall, but to a main wall hidden behind the sheathing, or with plasterboard mounted on glue. The anchors are driven into it through a hole in the trim and tightened.
The advantage of the method is the almost unlimited weight of wall-mounted furniture: for example, a high-strength anchor with a diameter of 10 mm, buried 40 mm into the wall, can withstand a shear load of up to 980 kgf. The disadvantage is that this method of fastening is not suitable for light plasterboard partitions.
Wooden mortgages
Wooden or plywood embeds are installed into the frame of a plasterboard wall at the installation stage. Here are some examples of installing mortgages.
Mortgages for kitchen cabinets Mortgages for bookshelves Embedment made of thick plywood for mounting a water heater on the bathroom wall
Some basic rules DIY installation of mortgages:
- They must have the maximum area. How larger area, the lower the specific load on the gypsum board;
- They should be pressed tightly against the drywall on the side where the hanging furniture is installed. The instructions are quite obvious: otherwise the lining of the frame will simply be pressed through;
- The mortgages must be securely fixed (best of all - glued to the back side of the gypsum board using liquid nails, silicone sealant or any universal glue).
Shelves and niches made of gypsum plasterboard
Finally, another solution to the problem is to make shelves and niches directly in the wall, using the same profiles and drywall. And here we will show the reader a few examples.
Frame plasterboard construction with built-in niches and shelves A niche for a TV and semicircular shelves at the stage of framing the frame If you use a flexible arched profile, plasterboard shelves on the wall can have an arbitrarily complex shape Combined solution: glass shelves in plasterboard niches
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to attach wall-mounted furniture. Good luck!
GKL boards are very popular due to the possibility quick leveling reasons at relatively low cost. But if you need to hang a shelf on a plasterboard wall, significant problems can arise. In such a situation, it is necessary to choose the right fasteners depending on the weight of the structure being hung.
Methods for attaching lightweight objects to drywall
If it is necessary to install elements that do not create a serious load, ordinary self-tapping screws are used. There are two fixation options.
Method No. 1
The simplest technology:
- The area on which it is planned to hang the object is determined.
- Based on the frame diagram, you need to find the nearest rack profiles and jumpers. With absence detailed plan You can use a large magnet.
- If possible, the position of the element on the surface is adjusted. It is desirable that of the two fastening points, one is on the sheathing part.
- For fixation, special screws are used, which are selected depending on the frame material.
Self-tapping screw screwed into wall profile, easily withstands small paintings and other similar items Discover wooden beam It’s more difficult under drywall; tapping can be used for this.
Method No. 2
This method is not complicated, but does not always guarantee the desired result. Algorithm of actions:
- A hole is drilled into the surface slightly smaller than the shaft of the selected screw.
- The space is filled with elastic putty.
- After the solution has set a little, carefully screw in the self-tapping screw.
- If small area will be open at the surface, then grease it a little.
- After the mixture has completely dried, it can be fixed to a slab of lightweight plasterboard item.
It is taken into account that this method does not ensure the preservation of the position of the element if it is affected.
On a note! An excellent option is to use a dowel-nail, the sleeve of which is selected according to the thickness of the sheet. An alternative is to create an independent seat from a wooden chopstick.
Planting on a solution, just like the use of conventional dowel-nails, is justified only in the case of fixation on two- or three-layer drywall, but in any case, the maximum for such a suspension is 5 - 7 kg Installation of decorative shelves and paintings
Heavier objects should be hung using special fastening devices.
Up to 10 kilograms
With such a load on the plasterboard surface ideal solution there will be a use of "butterfly". This option is a dowel consisting of a plastic sleeve with two spread legs on a rod and a threaded screw.
The product is attached according to the following diagram:
- Based on the size of the sleeve, a suitable drill bit for a screwdriver or drill is selected.
- Mounting points are outlined.
- The tool attachment is directed strictly perpendicularly. The resulting hole should be smooth, without deformation of the edges. To prevent such damage, you need to correctly set the power of the drill.
- The legs of the plastic element are straightened, and the sleeve is carefully inserted. It is not recommended to press hard, as the gypsum board may be damaged.
- To completely sink the product, a hammer is used, since there are two protrusions at the neck that fix the position of the part.
- The screw is screwed in. Due to this, on the reverse side the paws rest against the sheet.
After installing all the mounting points, you can hang a picture or mirror.
To use a standard butterfly mount in a plasterboard wall, you need to drill a hole with a diameter of 8 mm Up to 30 kilograms
It is recommended to fasten massive objects that create a load of up to 25–30 kg per fixation point using a special dowel - Driva. Its structure is similar to the previous version, but the plastic element has a “snail” shape. The part is equipped with a sharp tip and thread located on the surface of the body. A special screw is used for fixation.
Fastening a shelf or other item is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Installation points are marked and holes with a diameter of 6 mm are drilled. It is taken into account that seat must be exactly perpendicular to the surface.
- After preparation, you need to screw on the plastic elements. This will require some effort, because the snail thread cuts into the structure. A screwdriver will make the process much easier. The neck of the dowel should be almost in the same plane with the wall.
- Depending on the fastening device of the item being hung, installation occurs by installing and tightening a screw.
Driva fastener installation diagram It is taken into account that Driva is divided into categories: recommended for plasterboard bases plastic options, since metal ones do not provide reliable installation into such a surface.
How to attach a heavy shelf or hanger to a plasterboard wall?
Do-it-yourself installation of objects that exert a significant load is much more difficult. In such a situation, hidden mortgages are preferable. If they are absent, it is important to choose the right fixing fittings.
Using Molly
Molly is a fairly popular solution that allows you to hang a shelf for books or dishes, as well as small locker. The fastener consists of a metal sleeve and a screw.
Installation technology:
- You need to make sure that the threaded element screws in without problems. A hole is drilled according to the diameter of the main part.
- Carefully hammer into the seat metal part. This fragment has two teeth on the neck, which must be completely recessed into the surface, which will prevent the sleeve from twisting during installation.
- The remaining fastening points are prepared in the same way.
- A washer is put on the screw, and the object being hung is screwed to the wall. Fixation is achieved due to the fact that several legs on the reverse side open and rest against the drywall.
“Molly” has proven itself especially well when used for through fixation to drywall through a metal profile, when the legs of the anchor on the reverse side rest against the body of the metal structure The last stage of fastening will require little effort. It is taken into account that the mounted object must be held until all screws are completely screwed in. If possible, installation is carried out directly through back wall
locker, if there is a special mortgage for this.
Through anchors This method provides the greatest reliability if there is concrete or brick walls
. It is better to use metal options.
- Process diagram:
- A suitable size product is selected. The length is calculated from the thickness of the slab and the frame space data, multiplied by two. The fact is that the penetration into the supporting wall cannot be less than the size under the gypsum board.
- A hole of the required diameter is drilled in the plasterboard surface, after which a seat is formed at the base. A drill is used for this.
- The metal sleeve, which should fit flush, becomes clogged.
When fixing through plasterboard to a load-bearing main wall, a stud 8–12 mm thick is used, and the depth of immersion of the stud into the base should be equal to the distance from the plasterboard to the wall The required result is achieved only when making the right choice size of the fixing product and precise installation.
Ten years ago, there were few places where you could find an apartment or house with plasterboard walls, but now it’s difficult to find housing without them. Redevelopment or construction of new partitions - gypsum plasterboard is best suited for this. Naturally, the question arises of how to hang anything on drywall, be it a cabinet or shelf, a TV, a picture or any other element. interior decoration. This is exactly what this article will be about.
What can drywall withstand?
If the wall is sheathed standard sheet The gypsum board is 12.5 mm thick, and the frame is standard with a rack installation step of 600 mm, then you can expect that the fastening at one point can withstand up to 50 kg of load. It is assumed that this is a constant load, without any permanent vibrations or deformations.
With multi-point fastening, the same 12.5 mm drywall can withstand up to 50 kg/m. sq. In reality, this means that you can hang the shelf on drywall or hanging cabinet with two fastenings at a distance of a meter from each other with a total load of up to 80 kg. The weight of the shelf itself and everything that can be placed on it is taken into account.
Mounting the TV on a special holder involves mounting at 3-4 points, but at the same time they are located close to each other, so the total load still does not exceed 50-60 kg. Taking into account the load when turning and positioning the TV, the weight of the entire structure should not exceed 40 kg.
To secure indoor unit air conditioner, you cannot do without preliminary strengthening of the frame under the plasterboard, otherwise you must first secure the frame base in which the fastenings distribute the load into at least two square meters, and then attach the block to it. All this is explained by the presence of vibration during operation of the air conditioner.
What to fasten with what, what kind of hardware is used
For drywall, special fastenings have been developed taking into account the thickness of the material. Under no circumstances should you use ordinary dowels or chops, which would push the material in the hole. Let's first look at an example of how to hang a cabinet on drywall. It most often has two fastenings along the edges of the upper edge in the shape of ears that cling to a pin in the wall or are screwed with a bolt or self-tapping screw with a press washer.
Two types of fastening can be used:
- Molly metal dowel;
- Plastic dowel TNF*W “Butterfly”.
They have a wide edge outside, or a puck. On the reverse side, which is inserted into the hole in the wall, there is an expanding part; when a bolt or screw is screwed in, the outermost part of the dowel is pressed against the sheet and bends the consoles to the sides. The result is tight contact around the hole.
The force on the fulcrum should be directed strictly downward; any lateral directions will contribute to the destruction of the plaster and weakening of the fastening. Before hanging the boxes on drywall, you should check that the fastenings will in no way touch the communications laid in the wall. Because even though the dowels themselves may ultimately not reach, for example, the corrugation in which they are laid power cables, but when drilling holes it is quite possible to damage them.
The procedure is simple:
- At the required mounting height, a horizontal line is marked strictly level.
- The positions of the attachment points are marked.
- Two holes are drilled for the corresponding dowels.
- A dowel is inserted and a self-tapping screw with a hook at the end is screwed into it or a clamping bolt is tightened. Finally, screw the fastener all the way in so that the hook points upward.
- The cabinet is hung on the brackets.
What is important to remember when performing work? Firstly, the line for installing the fasteners will be higher than the level of the upper border of the cabinet. Secondly, since the eyelet itself, by which the cabinet is hung, is often pear-shaped, you should measure along the top of this hole. Before hanging the cabinet on drywall, you should check the fastenings so that they do not wobble and sit firmly in place, and the hooks do not turn.
As reinforcement, you can install a 1-1.5 cm thick strip along the bottom border of the cabinet, secured to the drywall with two or three dowels with self-tapping screws.
Installation of decorative shelves, paintings, light lamps
For these purposes, using dowels with a butterfly end does not make sense, but with a simple self-tapping screw cannot be used. In the first case, the fasteners will be too massive, in the second, unreliable. If the self-tapping screw is only screwed into plaster, it will quickly become loose, destroying the material. Even if it hits the profile, sooner or later the fastener will begin to reach.
You should use a special dowel for drywall. It has the shape of a truncated cone and wide-profile threads with a large pitch. The diameter is often up to one centimeter. These dowels are called DRIVA or snail dowels. There may be dowels with or without a drill at the end, metal or nylon.
For drywall, DRIVA nylon dowels with a drill at the end and a length equal to the thickness of the drywall sheets on the wall, no more and no less, are best suited. They have a cross-shaped groove at the end for easy tightening using a Phillips screwdriver.
Work order:
- The locations of the fastenings are marked at the central points.
- Using a screwdriver and a cue ball with a cross-head bit, screw in the dowel until it stops.
- A shelf or other element that needs to be secured is leaned against and a self-tapping screw with a press washer is screwed in.
It all comes down to using only special fasteners for drywall, which are not more expensive than regular ones, but provide reliable fastening and do not create preconditions for cracking and destruction of the gypsum inside the material. You can hang almost anything on drywall, as long as you take into account its strength and follow simple instructions.
How to hang a cabinet or shelf on drywall
Fastening a shelf to drywall is a responsible job that every man should be able to do. To cope with the task, you need to choose the most suitable installation option and follow the prescribed procedure.
For lightweight structures
Not only an experienced, but also a novice craftsman can hang shelves on a plasterboard wall. To do this, you need to use one of the 5 main ways to carry out this work. The choice of one of them depends on the characteristics of the attached product, its size and weight.
Method 1: glue installation
Attaching a shelf to a plasterboard wall is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. The main problem that the master faces is the fragility of drywall. Due to excessive load, the material may begin to crumble and gradually lose its strength. To prevent damage, it is necessary to use special devices and materials during installation. Among them, glue is considered one of the most popular. With its help, you can secure plasterboard shelves on which only light objects will lie.
Algorithm of actions:
- On the wall, with a pencil or marker, mark the places where they plan to place the shelves.
- Contact adhesive is applied to these lines. Its layer should be as even and thin as possible.
- The same adhesive composition is applied to the back side of the attached object.
- The product is pressed against the wall and held for several seconds. The holding time depends on the characteristics of the glue used.
- Leave the structure for several hours until the adhesive has completely dried.
- After this, the shelf is tested for strength by placing various light objects.
Method 2: fastening with self-tapping screws
If you don’t want to use glue and wait a long time for it to dry, you can attach the shelf with self-tapping screws. Finished design It will be a little stronger and will be able to support larger objects.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Determine the location of the shelf.
- Make the appropriate marks and lean the structure against the wall.
- For single-layer sheathing, use screws for metal or wood with a length of 25 to 35 mm, and for two-layer sheathing - at least 60 mm.
- Tighten the fasteners with a screwdriver or an ordinary screwdriver.
While the work is being carried out, it is forbidden to unscrew the screws and return them back. If you make such a mistake, the carving will destroy the plaster and the shelf will not adhere well to the wall. A similar problem occurs when screws are overtightened.
For heavier shelves
To hang heavy objects on drywall (for example, not just one shelf, but a large rack), you need to use special fasteners. They will more securely fix the structure and reduce the likelihood of it falling.
Method 3: expansion and expansion dowels
The easiest way to hang a heavy shelf is with dowels, which you can buy at a store that sells repair supplies. The cost of these fasteners is high, but without them it will be impossible to attach heavy objects to a plasterboard wall.
Correct sequence of actions:
- Mark the places where the fasteners will be screwed.
- A hole is made in the plasterboard wall, the diameter of which will be slightly smaller size dowels This job can be done using a hand or electric drill.
- The fastening element is carefully hammered into the wall.
- The rack is attached to the wall.
- Tighten the locking screw, which will open the inside of the dowel and increase the area of load distribution.
Method 4: Through Anchor
This device is used only when it is impossible to use expansion or expanding dowels. This situation may arise due to the small distance between the wall and the sheathing. You can attach a shelf to drywall using a through anchor in a few simple steps.
Installation instructions:
- Use a simple pencil to mark the location of the shelf.
- Drill a hole whose diameter will be equal to the size of the fastener used.
- IN load-bearing wall Use a puncher to make a socket for the anchor sleeve.
- A metal or plastic sleeve is inserted into the resulting hole.
- Tighten the locking screw. As a result of these actions, the sleeve will open, and the entire load will fall on the concrete wall.
- After this, hang a shelf and place various objects on it.
Method 5: mortgage
So that after the completion of the repair there is no need to attach the shelves to the drywall, you need to foresee their presence on the wall in advance. To do this, install a special embedded beam to which all structures will be attached.
Order of operations:
- When installing the frame, choose the location of the rack.
- At these points, a thick board or timber is attached to the load-bearing wall. This is done using a through anchor. In this case, the thickness of the structure should be such that there is a minimum gap between it and the casing.
- After completing the finishing of the walls, the locations of the racks of the embedded structure are marked on plasterboard.
- A shelf is attached to them using ordinary self-tapping screws.
- The installation of other products is carried out similarly.
To hang shelves on a plasterboard wall, you need to put in a little effort and spend a few tens of minutes of free time. If mistakes can be avoided during this work, then the attached rack will perform its functions for a long time and delight the owners with its appearance.
Drywall is excellent material, allowing you to smooth out all the unevenness of the walls. But it has one serious drawback: it is difficult to attach anything to it. This is especially true for shelves.
But the problem of how to attach a shelf to a plasterboard wall is completely solvable. These are the ones we will look at in this article.
Mounting options
The best option
The best solution in this situation is to plan the locations of the shelves in advance. In this case, even at the installation stage metal frame You can install additional reinforcing elements made of wood or metal.
Fastening to the profile
If the finishing material has already been installed, we resort to a different method. By passing a magnet along the surface of the material, we determine the places where external finishing metal profiles pass through. Having identified them, the question of how to attach a shelf to drywall is resolved quite simply.
To do this, we screw metal screws into the right places. We choose their length so that the screw goes deep enough into the wall. And at the same time, a small part of the screw should remain outside. We will hang the fastenings of our shelf on these protruding parts.
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Fixation with dowels
If the sheets of material are attached directly to the wall, then the method of fixing the shelf to drywall will be slightly different. Here we will have to use dowel nails.
We select the size of the dowel based on the dimensions of the protrusion and the expected mass of things that we plan to place on it. The larger both parameters are, the longer the dowel - nail will have to be used.
Taking a concrete drill and a drill, we make holes in the wall. We insert the dowels there and screw the screws into them. After that, all that remains is to secure the shelf to the load-bearing wall through plasterboard, hanging it on the installed fasteners.
Advice! If you use small dowels, you need to keep in mind that most of them should be in the wall, not in the sheet. Otherwise, the fasteners can easily be pulled out from the installation site.
Installing a Heavy Shelf
Don't know how to attach heavy shelves to drywall? It's not much more complicated than the methods described above. To begin with, we fix screws or dowels in the wall on which we will hang the structure.
Then, from below we install stops from metal profiles or wooden blocks. In the future, they can be disguised by covering the top with the same material as the rest of the structure.
You now know how to attach a heavy shelf to drywall. But there is another way. It is the most radical and at the same time the most suitable option solutions to such a problem.
This is the creation of a massive ledge using the same finishing material. First we need to decide on the design of our future design. You can take ideas from the following photos as a basis.
Plasterboard shelf
Having decided on these questions, you need to find the necessary tools:
- screwdriver (you can use a drill with a special attachment inserted instead);
- perforator;
- metal scissors;
- drywall knife;
- building level;
- plane (it’s better to take a small one, it will be more convenient to work with).
To complete the work you will need the following materials:
- drywall(usually gypsum plasterboard brand is used for these purposes, but if in the room high humidity, then it’s worth taking a closer look at GKLV. This type of material is moisture resistant.);
- self-tapping screws;
- dowel-nails(a good and easy-to-use thing. Even if you have never used them, you don’t need any instructions to understand their principle of operation);
- direct hangers(they are needed only if we do not screw the guides for the frame directly to the wall);
- metallic profile(it comes in two types: guide and main. In the process of work, we will need both of these types. In order to save money, we can only get by with a guide profile. But this is only under the condition that the shelf will be decorative or something light will be placed on it).
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Design
First, we will make a drawing of the product. Using it you can calculate required amount material. And by attaching it to the wall, you can roughly imagine how the entire structure will look in a given place in the room.
When designing a shelf, you don’t have to limit yourself to standard shapes. After all, drywall is a fairly malleable material. With its help you can create quite unusual bends.
An example of such an unusual composition could be a shelf in the shape of a wave or a tree. At the same time, the price of its production will not be much higher than when creating shelves of standard shapes. But do not forget that the main thing when designing is that in the future such a product fits well into the existing interior of the room.
When designing a heavy structure, it is possible to provide for the use of wall plasterboard, mounted from several layers. But the use of this material does not eliminate the need for installation metal profiles. After all, without them such a product will be fragile.
Frame installation
The next stage of our story about how to make plasterboard shelves is the installation of the frame. First you need to secure the guide profile. For fastening you will need dowels of size 6*40 mm.
Taking a building level, we draw lines on the wall along which we will subsequently screw the profile. We mark holes and drill them in the wall. We attach the guides.
The back of the structure is ready. Now we insert the jumpers from the main profile into the grooves of the guide and fix them with metal screws. Next we fix the guides that form the front part of the shelf.
Advice! If the shelf is small and you are not going to place any heavy objects on it, then you can do it differently. Having secured the guides to the wall, immediately screw the strips of drywall to them.
Then, we insert guides for the front part of the frame into the formed niches and screw them with self-tapping screws to the edges of the strips. This is how we attach the plasterboard shelf. This greatly simplifies the work and allows you to complete it faster.