Hanging shelves on cavity walls

Hi folks -- great forums, I hope someone can help me with my problem.

I have successfully hung a run of twinlock (spur-type) shelves on a cavity wall (plasterboard, airgap, then somekind of concrete block). I have used Rigifix fixings and everything has gone well.

However I have reached the corner of the wall. It seams the entire vertical of the corner wall has some metal fixing after the airgap behind the plasterboard. This is where I need to screw the shelving upright and I don't know what the obstruction is or if it is safe to drill through it ! Well, I do know it isn't a pipe as there is no plumbing there. I don't really know modern building methods but I suspect it might be some kind of L-shaped corner piece to securely fix the 2 plastboards together at the corner. This is just a guess - in trueth I don't know.

Question is, can I drill throught it without risking my house falling down ??

Andrew

in this position it may well be electrical cables, with a thin metal capping.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques:walls

Why do you need to drill so close to the corner?

Hi there JohnD

Thanks for the reply.

It shouldn't be electrics -- it an upstairs room and there shouldn't be any electrics above the skirting boards on that wall (the light switch is on the opposite wall). Also the house has a dry loft so there is no plumbing anywhere near. I need to drill so close to the corner just to maximise the run of shelves (unfortunately, I am not using MDF shelves that could overhang the brackets - I am using metal shelves that clip onto the brackets and have no overhang, so I can't bring the uprights in from the corner any)

Is it a newish built? If so it may be metal framed rather than wooden studs

The house was build in '94.

As far as I can gather the plasterboard walls are what the guys in the trade call 'dot & dab' as there don't appear to be any regular runs of studs. I've always been wary of hanging anything of any weight until I discovered those Rigifix fittings that transfer the weight into the blocks behind the plasterboard without compressing the cavity. The corner I am working on is the corner of upstairs, outside and side wall so there should be no services there of any kind. Having said that, whatever the metal obstruction is, it feels quite substantial. I'm sure a HSS drill bit will go through, I just wan't to know if it's safe to do so

Andrw

Cut a small section of plasterboard out and see whats behind it

Thanks for the help Stephen

Just redocrated so was hoping it wouldn't need to come to that, but might need to go down that route. Thanks again.

Andrew