How to fix to thin plasterboard wall?

[edcayton]

My son called in a panic today as he was trying to fix some coat hooks to a wall in his flat and that rawlpugs were just pulling out.

I went to have a look and the wall appears to be plasterboard, but only about 1/4 inch thick or so.

 

My plasterboard fixings are for much thicker material.

 

Went to B & Q and asked the nice lady for advice. Came away with a Rawlplug product which claimed to be for thin plasterboard, but no luck.

 

Any ideas please?

 

Thanks

 

Ed

[30801]

Have you tried fixings like these?

If they don't work buy a hat stand

[Jaz]

some where along the wall will be the wood that the plasterboard is hung on. If you use once of those electronic tools that find screws, you should be able to locate where it is screwed in and then find some purchase on the wood. You can try running your hand along to see if you can find the join, but suspect there will be a thin skin of plaster over it.

Best of luck.

[doctor quinn]

Put a batten across screwed into the studs in the wall and fix the hooks to that. TBH I doubt hooks screwed straight into the wall would last Regardless of the fixings.

 

Find the studs using a stud detector or knocking on the wall, it won't sound hollow where the studs are.

 

Hope this helps

 

Nick

[Jaz]

oh and perhaps if you trace the wood, you can add a picture rail all around the room, then the coat hooks, pictures etc can be safety hung off the picture rail. Old fashioned perhaps but rather useful under the circumstances.

[chris p bacon]

Ed.

 

You need to find the battens the PB is fixed to  for anything heavyweight (like a coat), stud walls will have the upright studs at a maximum centres of 600mm but can be anything less than that.  If you have a metal detector thingy then it should find the screws/nails but beware if it is a continuous tone that rises up the wall as it could be a cable !

 

When you have found the uprights just screw straight into them, I would put a bit of 6x1 on the wall and then put the hooks on that.

 

There are some specialist fixings you can get but unless the thing you are hanging is the weight of a feather I would always screw a batten to the wall and then fix to that.

[APOLLO]

This youtube vid may be of help,

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8nPkeqjVM

 

Brit15

[skipepsi]

I would normally agree with Dave but my rented house appears to have two thin sheets of plasterboard back to back with very little space in between, those B&Q devices push through the second plasterboard. I havent found any studs at all, I thought maybe top and bottom channels with the plasterboard slotted in?

[multiprinter]

If there are two sheets back to back there should be a honeycomb of card between the sheets - just like a cheapo door.

[PatB]

The load bearing properties of plasterboard are very poor, but if you must fix to it, my favourites are either toggle screws (or "butterfly" screws as I tend to call them) with the spring loaded wings on the nuts, or alternatively, where there's less room behind or there will be a need to remove and refasten whatever it is, a product which are called "Wallmates" over here. They're a hollow screw with a large diameter, coarse thread which really bites into the plasterboard. The hole in the middle then takes the fixing screw for whatever you're hanging. They come in either nylon or pot metal and a variety of point designs but all seem to work very well, given the limitations of what they screw into.

 

Avoid anything which relies on the screw expanding a plastic thingy as it's tightened. They're rubbish and never work properly.

 

But, as others have said, for anything that's going to see any load, first preference is to seek out the wall studs and fix to them.

[chris p bacon]

I would normally agree with Dave but my rented house appears to have two thin sheets of plasterboard back to back with very little space in between, those B&Q devices push through the second plasterboard. I havent found any studs at all, I thought maybe top and bottom channels with the plasterboard slotted in?

That's Paramount board which takes the weak properties of plasterboard and then expands them into new dimensions. There is an inch batten on the ceiling and floor that it is fixed to  -  bloomin useless stuff!

 

I remember a plumber in Sandy about 20+ years ago had never seen it, he fixed a new basin to the wall in the bathroom after what seemed like ages trying to find a decent bit of support to hold it. Turned out he'd put 2 screws into the bed headboard in the next room (I know because I got him out of trouble!)

[Jonboy]

I have fallen in love with this bad boy from Black and Decker - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M4-M5-M6-Tool-Plasterboard-Wall-Metal-Anchor-Plug-Setting-Fixing-Molly-40-plugs/330831375615?rt=nc . It seems expensive initially, but I haven't had to rehang to curtains since I fitted them with it (full height, over a patio door and lined with a black out liner so fairly heavy, and previously hung three times with the usual raw plugs giving out over time).

 

I originally got it from Homebase, but they don't list it online anymore.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

That's Paramount board which takes the weak properties of plasterboard and then expands them into new dimensions...

 Indeed so. Not suitable for use in proximity to a hormonally supercharged teenager.

 

Replacement in a conventional stud wall frame skinned with 9mm plasterboard both sides is a plan. (Cannot use block and plaster unless on a solid ground floor, the upper floor joists really won't take it on recent builds.)

[skipepsi]

That's Paramount board which takes the weak properties of plasterboard and then expands them into new dimensions. There is an inch batten on the ceiling and floor that it is fixed to  -  bloomin useless stuff!

 

I remember a plumber in Sandy about 20+ years ago had never seen it, he fixed a new basin to the wall in the bathroom after what seemed like ages trying to find a decent bit of support to hold it. Turned out he'd put 2 screws into the bed headboard in the next room (I know because I got him out of trouble!)

I don't think it even has an inch batten the total thickness of the wall appears to be one inch, designed to give maximum internal dimensions to rooms within a detached house of normal size.

[chris p bacon]

I don't think it even has an inch batten the total thickness of the wall appears to be one inch, designed to give maximum internal dimensions to rooms within a detached house of normal size.

 Sure sounds like Paramount, from memory it was something like a 1/2 inch batten top and bottom, 2 sheets with a minimal paper core to bond them together, door frames etc were a frame with grooves  routed in to accept the board and which went from floor to ceiling (with a borrowed light above) so they could actually fix to something.

 

We were sure they were designed by a Japanese Kamikaze builder used to paper walls, one really good teenage slam of a door upstairs could make the wall "bounce" and pop out of the door frame.

 

Cr*p but I'm sure that give it a another year or two and Ikea will produce it again and muppets will think it wonderful........

[chris p bacon]

 Indeed so. Not suitable for use in proximity to a hormonally supercharged teenager.

 

Replacement in a conventional stud wall frame skinned with 9mm plasterboard both sides is a plan. (Cannot use block and plaster unless on a solid ground floor, the upper floor joists really won't take it on recent builds.)

Don't use 9mm or you'll have to have studs at 450mm to stop it bouncing, use 12.5mm which will also give better fire protection. You can have the studs down to 50mm x 50mm if you don't have the room but if you do then increase the number of horizontal studs to keep the wall stiff, and make sure that any electrical switches etc are not back to back (bit tight) but offset to each other. 

 

Dave

[edcayton]

Many thanks to all who took the trouble to reply to this.  We ended up using a Rawlplug product as suggested by 30801. I'm not at all convinced it will last. Of course I couldn't find my stud locator, but tapping was inconclusive. I rather liked Dave's idea of screwing through the bloody wall and fixing into the wardrobe behind!

 

Cheers

 

Ed

[tomparryharry]

We use something called a 'maggot'.

 

It's a coarse thread screw, about 10mm diameter, with a sharp taper down to a drill type sharp point. Within the 'maggot' is a finer thread, designed to take a 4mm screw. The length is about 20-25mm.

 

Don't predrill the hole, just line up, and hand screw the baby home. If you come up against a batten/noggin, the screw will just 'bounce', so you can lose the 'maggot', and just use the screw.

 

Some walls are double boarded, to ease out any inperfection. Also, we are using pressed metal uprights & channels, to cut down on wood. If your sons house is quite new, there won't be any wood in the wall..... If this is the case, use a self tapper, up against the metal upright.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Ian

[chris p bacon]

We use something called a 'maggot'.

 

It's a coarse thread screw, about 10mm diameter, with a sharp taper down to a drill type sharp point. Within the 'maggot' is a finer thread, designed to take a 4mm screw. The length is about 20-25mm.

 

Don't predrill the hole, just line up, and hand screw the baby home. If you come up against a batten/noggin, the screw will just 'bounce', so you can lose the 'maggot', and just use the screw.

 

Some walls are double boarded, to ease out any inperfection. Also, we are using pressed metal uprights & channels, to cut down on wood. If your sons house is quite new, there won't be any wood in the wall..... If this is the case, use a self tapper, up against the metal upright.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Ian

The "maggot" or inserts are ok but can be easily pulled back out of the wall.

 

As far as metal studding is concerned its not as widely used as you would think, none of the suppliers around here stock it and if you want it it is a special order.

[Smiffy2]

Is this what you mean as a maggot?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rawlplug-Nylon-Selfdrill-Plasterboard-Fixing/dp/B0001P0K7W/ref=pd_sim_diy_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QST1AVCTPZAV0S0MKGX

 

I've used them quite a bit in France and the seem to work well, though I use several for heavy items.

[PatB]

Is this what you mean as a maggot?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rawlplug-Nylon-Selfdrill-Plasterboard-Fixing/dp/B0001P0K7W/ref=pd_sim_diy_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QST1AVCTPZAV0S0MKGX

 

I've used them quite a bit in France and the seem to work well, though I use several for heavy items.

 

That looks pretty much like the product known here as Wallmates. As I noted upthread, if you must fix to plasterboard, they do as good a job as anything.

[Smiffy2]

I've used them for pictures u to small shelf units, and reasonably heavy light fittings (no roses in France). Not had any problems, though the plastic is a bit soft and it's best not to drive them in with a hefty drill driver... I prefer the Rawlplug metal ones, but hand driven.

[tomparryharry]

The "maggot" or inserts are ok but can be easily pulled back out of the wall.

 

As far as metal studding is concerned its not as widely used as you would think, none of the suppliers around here stock it and if you want it it is a special order.

 

We're using it by the mile (Kilometre?) down here. Very quick to erect. Not what i'd want in my house, but there you go.

 

Ian

[tomparryharry]

Is this what you mean as a maggot?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rawlplug-Nylon-Selfdrill-Plasterboard-Fixing/dp/B0001P0K7W/ref=pd_sim_diy_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QST1AVCTPZAV0S0MKGX

 

I've used them quite a bit in France and the seem to work well, though I use several for heavy items.

 

Yes, that's exactly right.

 

Don't use a power driver: It'll strip out right away. Best applied in 'Handraulic Mode'

 

Ian