Anyone know about walls (shelf question)

[suicidal_orange]

I bought a shelf many years ago when I was young (at least 10 years ago) but got scared before putting it up.  Today I'm revisiting the idea having had some building related experience but I'm still coming up short on how this is supposed to work.

As I understand it walls are brick or block with plaster on top, in which case you drill a big hole, insert a rawlplug then screw in a wood screw or they have studs with plasterboard in which case you either find the studs and use wood screws or use special fixings which expand in the gap - either of these would be fine.

On removing a socket to check which my walls are I found a grey block with a chunk taken out for the socket with a 1/4" gap then a board.  Not enough room for expanding fittings, but surely putting all the weight on screws which are basically unsupported for the first 3/4" is not a good idea?  I'm hoping to put some weight on this shelf and plan to sleep below it so failure is not an option

Any thoughts?

[fohat.digs]

I don't know about British construction standards, so I will not advise you directly.

That said, what you want to do is quite possible but I strongly recommend that you do not attempt it yourself if you are not competent and comfortable doing the work. For one thing, what do you know about drilling into masonry?

A good experienced handyman should be able to do this at a reasonable price, while a professional might not take on a job that small.
 

[Leslieann]

I'm not entirely sure I understand the construction method used, it sounds like someone put up drywall over the blocks with a gap between. In which case I'm not sure how to advice you because of moisture issues it could cause. You don't want drywall right up against bricks, which would explain the gap, but I would have expected a larger gap. If you try and span that gap, yes the strength is an issue, but you could also pull the drywall into the brick.

More importantly though... Don't put a shelf over your bed.
If it comes loose and/or has a small slant, walls can rattle (trucks going by, earthquake)... Things can and do move around and fall off. My brother got nailed by a trophy once. He was not as amused as I was. I grew up in earthquake country so it may not be a big of a problem elsewhere but I still follow the same rules.

[suicidal_orange]

Further searching has revealed a method which is basically "throw random blobs of plaster on the wall and stick boards to it" which seems to be what this is.  It's an internal wall so no damp issues, it's been up nearly 30 years.  No earthquakes here either and trucks are far enough to ignore but I'm not going to get a handyman to do it today (if it's even allowed during lockdown) and back to work next week so the shelf is back on hold.

 I hope your brother wasn't literally nailed by a fishing or snooker trophy Leslieann, that sounds very painful!

[tp4tissue]

To get in dat brick you need hammer drill.

[Darthbaggins]

To get in brick, you don't need a hammer drill - you need a masonry bit that will cut into the brick.  But it sounds like a block base, with wood framing and drywall over that - if that's the case find the studs (wood framing over the block) and mount into studs - just make sure to use screws that are long enough to bite into the stud properly.  If you truely are unsure, hire a handyman or contractor to put them up for you - I can bet there is someone in your area that could do it for a decent price and do it properly.

[tp4tissue]

To get in brick, you don't need a hammer drill - you need a masonry bit that will cut into the brick.  But it sounds like a block base, with wood framing and drywall over that - if that's the case find the studs (wood framing over the block) and mount into studs - just make sure to use screws that are long enough to bite into the stud properly.  If you truely are unsure, hire a handyman or contractor to put them up for you - I can bet there is someone in your area that could do it for a decent price and do it properly.

Well, if you're just doing a couple holes, the mason bit alone will be fine.   But without the vibratn' it takes longer to drill.

[fohat.digs]

You are not getting good advice here, and your description is equivocal.

If the structural wall is masonry and the interior finish is drywall or paneling, then you need to ascertain how the interior finish is affixed to the structural surface. Typically, "furring strips" are used to set the interior finish off from a masonry wall, for various reasons, and these are usually thick enough to create space for insulation and things like wiring, as well as to have some "meat" that you can realistically screw something into. That would usually be more than 1/4" (6mm), in the US at least 2x-3x that amount.

Depending on the bearing surface of the brackets or whatever holds up the shelves, crushing the drywall is not likely a problem, but collapsing the space behind it could be. One way of dealing with a void would be to drill a larger hole in the wall panel and stack up washers to come back up to the the bearing surface plane, assuming that you have good masonry anchoring.

My recommendation of seeking outside help (even a cousin's boyfriend or the friend of a friend of a co-worker) who understands construction and recognizes your situation still stands and would be invaluable. Maybe you could even pay them in beer.

[suicidal_orange]

Thanks fohat, I like the idea of "big hole and washers" but no way am I going to try it.  I found two solid strips I assumed were studs so they may well be "furring strips" as there's definitely not 1 1/2" for a 2x4 stud (maybe 1/2" and the hole I was looking in had a fuzzy edge...) but then I found a ~6" solid circle(ish) where the next one should be.  Just as well or I'd have been using a wood drill and screws into masonary!

I'm not touching it, will have to wait for lockdown to be lifted to get anyone in regardless of what they would like to be paid in.

[iri]

Holes in the wall suck, use balusters.