Using gripit fixings on a double plasterboarded wall

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Hi all,

I am hanging two floating shelves (some 2x6”) on a bathroom wall. I drilled some holes into the side of the shelf and then ripped 2” off of the width giving me two parts. Into the smaller part I installed some 1/2” dowels and made sure everything fit nicely. The smaller piece is fixed onto the wall and the larger piece slides onto it.

I came to installing the first shelf and drilled the 25mm hole needed for the gripit fixing. I discovered the wall consists of two pieces of plasterboard with a tiny gap at the back before the brick. With a lot of swearing I managed to get a gripit fixing into the back of the hole and flare the wings to secure it in place. This was done more by luck than skill and I’m wondering if there is an easier way of installing the second shelf.

I am using m8 bolts to secure the baton onto the wall. Could I perhaps use the brick if I use a large enough bolt perhaps? Or should I use the gripits as best I can again?

Many thanks
David
 
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It depends on what the fixing for the shelf is. Would this type of concrete screw work. Needs no wall plug.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Floating shelf requires fixing to brickwork to be secure, plasterboard on its own is likely to fail.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I was unable to find any studs so had to make do with the plasterboard. The shelves are only 750mm wide and won’t be having anything heavy on them. Perhaps a candle....

The masonry fixing above would do the trick but would need to be longer. Perhaps 80mm?
 
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Found the slightly longer ones. Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll post a pic of the shelf. Perhaps you guys could confirm these fixing would be ok. They’d pass straight through the wood, the plasterboard and then into the wall.
 
pic attached
 

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I use 180mm concrete screws to fix soil pipes etc through 100mm of external wall insulation into the brickwork, but you've got a gap behind the plasterboard, so you may want to go a bit longer than 80mm. I'd make sure that you've got at least 50mm in the brick. Use a drill that's just the thickness of the shank diameter, and they work great.
 
I use 180mm concrete screws to fix soil pipes etc through 100mm of external wall insulation into the brickwork, but you've got a gap behind the plasterboard, so you may want to go a bit longer than 80mm. I'd make sure that you've got at least 50mm in the brick. Use a drill that's just the thickness of the shank diameter, and they work great.

Thank you for this. I'll go for something a little longer. The shelves are indeed going onto an external wall. I have two concerns:

1) I hit mortar and don't get a good fixing
2) The head of the torx screw (7.5mm) is smaller than the hole I've already created in the wood to house the bolt I was originally going to use. We shall see.

Thanks for all the advice. Didn't even know these screws existed until the other day. Thought I was going to have to mess around with plugs and all sorts. Cheers.
 
You can redrill the holes, but yes, you need to be in the brick, so reckon to make a few test holes that will get covered by the shelf support.
 
Of course I can. Didn't think of that. Thanks again. Here is a pic of the first one in all it's glory.
 

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I went for the Rigifix in the end. I reckon I could have hung from the fixing it was that strong. Needless to say the shelves are up and looking great.

Thanks for the help.
 
Hi David. Sorry to hear you ran into trouble putting up your shelf.

It is possible to use our fixings with double thickness or insulated plasterboard, dot and dab, or in fact any situation where the board is over 15mm thick. But you’d need to use our undercutting tool to create space for the wings to unfold.


Sounds like we’re a bit late this time but hopefully you’ll give us another chance in future.
 

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