Closet shelf came down?
Question:I have a long closet that has (had) one of those plastic coated metal shelf units. I had so many clothes hanging on it that the little plastic thingies broke and some even pulled out of the wall! What to do? I need something strong and that has a shelf too. Can I use the same kind or isn't it going to work even with longer screws drilled into the wood spaced behind the drywall? Should I go to Home Depot and holler HELP!! Please ANY one with any advice?
Answers:
instead of plastic clips you could use fender washers(hardware store) which are washers with normal size center hole but are bigger diameter and go through in between shelf wires/slats into wall studs and if you can use wood strips along sides for support (wood size can vary but also make sure they hit studs when attached) studs=the wood that makes up wall skeleton
you should get some butterfly anchors for the sheetrock but you should also be able to stick like a 2.5" screw into the studs and be fine. the people at home depot can tell you how to use the anchors,theyre pretty easy.
The little plastic thingies were not meant to hold alot of weight. You need to go directly to the wall stud, with at least a 2" screw, preferably a #8. Pre drill holes and have a screw gun to install screws.
yeah, that kinda thing happens alot and I think that's what keeps them in business. Put the shelf back where it's supposed to be and reinforce it underneath with 1x2 strips of wood to add support... good luck. contact me if you need more spcifics
I had the same problem, or should I say "she who collects clothes" had the same problem. We used the butterfly anchors that are provided with the shelf kits and we tried to get a few screws into the 2x4 studs that are behind the drywall but that still didn't hold. Eventually we bought triangle shaped brackets that will hold a closet rod and will support a decent sized wooden shelf. We attached two 1x2 pine strips along the back wall of the closet using lots of screws and driving them into the studs. We then attached the shelf supports to the pine 1x2s, again hitting the studs. We got everything at Home Depot. If you want to see a picture of the brackets go to The Hardware Hut.com and search for KVM-1195CR.
Most of these installers only pop a hole in the sheetrock for the shelves supports. It holds for a while then comes out of the wall. Fill the holes with spackle & paint. Find the studs behind the sheetrock & support your shelves by attaching the supports to the studs. Your studs should be 16 on center. In other words, once you find the first stud each stud should be 16 inches away from the last one.
Good luck
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