Determine how to hang a shelf on a drywall wall: popular methods

Despite the fact that drywall is considered to be quite popular and in demand in construction and renovation materials, some impacts on it are highly undesirable. This also applies to the ultimate load, for example, when hanging a shelf or decor elements on a wall made of plasterboard. The heavier and more voluminous they are, the greater the chance that the integrity of the drywall wall will be compromised, the material will crack and spoil the appearance of the surface, if not drop the shelf or hanging object at all.

There are several ways to hang various decorative elements and furniture on the gypsum board, from light shelves to even hanging cabinets. Today we will answer some of the most common questions related to this topic.

In order to fix a shelf of small size and weight on a plasterboard wall, you can use special dowels. This is a butterfly dowel or an umbrella dowel. Which one to choose and how to get to the appropriate parameters, you will be prompted in any hardware store, where they will indicate the maximum load, weight, and so on. If we talk about the principle of operation of such fasteners, then it is approximately the same: while twisting the dowel into the wall, its cap opens, forming a significant stop and taking on most of the load. Here it is very important to choose the right kit, in which the self-tapping screw or screw will be slightly longer than the dowel itself, by about 1-1.2 cm.

It is best to find a profile in the wall for attaching shelves to drywall.

Working with such a mount is as follows: a hole of the required diameter is drilled in the wall, a dowel is inserted under the drywall, a shelf mount, for example, a hook or bracket, is attached to a screw or self-tapping screw, and the shelf itself is hung.

How to hang heavy shelves

It may not work in the usual way to fix a heavy shelf on drywall (or any voluminous accessory, decor element, etc.), since the weight of the product will simply crumble the wall cladding material and spoil the overall picture and mood. But for this there is its own, special way: on the metal profile of the frame using special fasteners.

A hole is drilled in the required place through the drywall and the profile on which it is fixed.

To find the metal profile of the frame on which the drywall is fixed, you must use a magnet.

Further, a butterfly or Driva dowel is inserted into the hole through the profile (it all depends on the design) and the screw itself with the main fastener for the suspended element. Everything is clamped with a certain force so that the wall can withstand the pressure, and the finished mount is the weight of the suspended piece of furniture or decor.

popular way

There is a method of anchor bolts, known to almost every builder, but used only in extreme cases. Attaching something to the wall, the main wall through the plasterboard sheathing, is always more reliable, even in the case of minimal load.

So, holes are drilled in drywall for installing anchor bolts in those places where the shelf, cabinet or necessary accessory will be attached. Further, holes of the required depth are also made through the finished holes in the main wall, for example, in the panel of the house. Now, through the drywall wall, the anchor is inserted into the wall and clamped. It can itself be a high-quality mount, or it can also fasten a hook or bracket for a suspended object.

Also, you can use a similar method with the Driv dowel, which enters the wall itself and perfectly holds a shelf, a lamp or even a small hanger, taking almost all the load on itself. But a similar method of installation on gypsum boards is possible only if the plasterboard wall is not installed on a metal frame, but the gypsum is simply glued to the surface. If the distance between the dowel and the main wall is large, it is better to use anchor bolts, which we talked about a little earlier.