What to use to fix shelving to breeze block wall?

[crowsoutside]

Hi,

I have some shelves made from 18mm MDF, around 800mm wide and 500 high which I want to attach to a breeze block wall in my garage.

Looking for advice on what type and size of screws and plugs (and drill bit) I'd need to use.

Thanks in advance.

 

[opps]

Are you using L brackets to put them up and when you say breeze block, do you mean thermolite?

 

[opps]

Look at page 21 of 22 on the following.

https://www.fischer.co.uk/-/media/fixing-systems/fiuk/service/substrate-reports/documents/thermalite_report.ashx

It will show you the load bearing of each of the Fischer branded fittings.

 

[crowsoutside]

Are you using L brackets to put them up and when you say breeze block, do you mean thermolite?

It's breeze block, ot thermalite.

The shelves are more like a cupboard without a back. It's one unit kind of thing.

Iv'e got two of them, for fixing purposes , one of them has a strip across the back of the unit inside the top shelf and one has a piece of mdf in each top corner.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

For lightweight blockwork it is often better to go for something like timber cleats or Spur-type rails fixed into the blockwork with multiple screws and plugs. This is far more reliable than depending on only a few screws in the corners. People like Fischer nake plugs soecifically designed for less dense construction materials. Whatever you do drill the holes tight - loose holes are utterly worthless

 

[crowsoutside]

For lightweight blockwork it is often better to go for something like timber cleats or Spur-type rails fixed into the blockwork with multiple screws and plugs. This is far more reliable than depending on only a few screws in the corners. People like Fischer nake plugs soecifically designed for less dense construction materials. Whatever you do drill the holes tight - loose holes are utterly worthless

I dont have the facilities to be able to make timber cleats.

Would fixing a piece of cls to the block then attaching the shelf to that be a suitable solution?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I dont have the facilities to be able to make timber cleats.

I don't mean a French cleat, or as they are referred to by timber yards in my neck of the world, split battens. Just a single cleat (BTW, some yards will actually sell you a ready made split batten set as well)

Would fixing a piece of cls to the block then attaching the shelf to that be a suitable solution?

Yes. But you don't need anything as big as 3 x 2in . Basically, a cleat can be just a piece of square edged softwood (as 2 x 1in or 2 x 2in) fixed to the wall which is slightly shorter than the internal length of the cabinet. Screw through the top of the cabinet into the cleat, then add a second cleat (this time 2 x 1in) to the wall below the cabinet to help carry the weight and again fix through the cabinet into the cleat

In soft blockwork, longer is better for screws so go for something like 4.5 or 5.0mm x 70 to 90mm. If you ever do reach a failure point the cupboard might sag, but probably won't fall off the wall

 

[crowsoutside]

Perfect explanation, thanks