Hi everyone – my handyman just installed a floating shelf for me. The instructions said to use two long screws (provided) and attach them to studs, but we couldn’t find studs so instead used four long screws with drywall anchors. One side of the shelf is completely flush with the wall, but the other has a little bit of a gap. I tried pushing in the non-flush side but it won’t budge at all. Is that a concern for stability, or just aesthetic? I don’t want to put weight on it if this is a failure point. Photos below. Thanks!
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I wouldn't trust any sort of weight on that, not with just drywall anchors. Nope. Should be studs behind there, and shouldn't be hard to find if there are.
Go to the hardware store and get yourself a "studfinder" for the wooden kind. Reinstall the shelf into the wall suds. What you have now will not last long.
Sometimes stud finders can be a little finicky. You can use a rare earth neodymium magnet (even as an extra check).--those super strong magnets. Find where a drywall screw has gone into a stud. It may not be centred so find a few screws. Use a level to draw vertical lines, marking the edges of the stud, up or down to where you plan to mount the shelf.
Yikes - thanks for the responses. I think he mentioned he didn't find any studs in the area that I wanted to hang the shelf, and anywhere else wouldn't be centered. He used double the number of screws and anchors. I was just thinking of putting some small plants on it. It simply won't hold without being attached to studs? Would I have any warning or would it just come crashing down?
Don't hang it over the headboard!! That shelf in just sheetrock is a lever looking to take full advantage of gravity. A handyman that can't locate a stud is an issue all by itself.
If I remove it and start over with a stud finder, how easy is it to patch the holes in the drywall? Do I put in joint compound and then paint? Does it look obvious? Maybe I'll be able to re-use the same area but I'm not sure.
The answer to your question depends upon the type of hollow wall anchors used by your handyman and his competency. There are anchors that can support the load you are referring to if installed properly, unfortunately the fact that one side is not tight to the wall is a bit concerning, but it could be nothing more than an uneven wall.
If your home is an American home with 16" centers for the studs and what appears to be a short shelf, maybe 24-30"?, a cabinet door which needs clearance on the right and usually a rigid mounting bracket, it could be impossible to get the shelf located in a position that is both asthetically pleasing and over two studs but I would think one could be found.
In the end it all comes down to how much faith you have in your handyman.
Thanks for the response. I'm in a high rise apartment in NYC, and the handyman is the building's (not mine), so I hope he knows what he's doing but have no idea at the end of the day. I suppose I could get a studfinder and check myself, but he seemed confident that his drywall anchor solution would be sufficient for up to 30 lbs (the weight limit of the shelf). If this sounds like a suspect installation I could always hire an external handyman and have them take a look. I'm not DIY-capable at all so I don't want to rely on myself here. Would you recommend a second opinion - could always get someone from Task Rabbit?
Most wing style hollow wall anchors are capable of holding 30lbs. If you have doubts and he works in the building you can always ask him to see the packaging which will list the weight limits of the particular fastener he used, but I'm inclined to believe you are fine. Just FYI I have 40yrs of professional home improvement experience and have used a hollow wall anchor or two over the years. Also keep in mind the listed weight limit is for individual fasteners, so 4 of them will increase the load limit.
+1 on esch5995’s response.
There are hollow wall anchors that are more like meek little requests to the universe that what they attach doesn’t plummet to the floor (or atop somebody’s head), and there are hollow wall anchors that can easily hold 20-30 lb if installed correctly.
The fact that the handyman couldn’t/didn’t locate a stud within the length of the shelf is...interesting. Assuming the wall is built to code, there should be studs on centers not more than 24” apart. (For a NYC apartment of certain types.) Should be. [Ahem.]
But....let’s assume the shelf is 24” long. (Looks to be about that, I’d guess.) If the studs are on 24” centers, it’s likely no t going to be possible to have two studs to support the shelf where you’d like it, and it could even be that the single stud behind the shelf is near the end, and not where the screw hole on the bracket needs to be.
If the shelf is 24” long, it could well have a bracket to which the shelf is attached that is, say, 18”long. The screw holes, probably two, are probably 16” apart (making them “match” the typical 16-inch centers of equally typical residential construction). If one end of the shelf, positioned where you want it, has a stud behind it, it could well be a single stud too near the end, and it won’t align with the bracket without accepting a shift in placement of the shelf.
Many of these floating shelves actually come with hollow-wall anchors included for installation, for the simple reason that the brackets supplied and the studs in the wall don’t always wanna work/play well together. They can often require a bit of fidgeting and adjustment to get them to do the job more or less as advertised, and sometimes, the Dark Side of the Force just says, “No,” and that’s all there is to it.
The small gap on one end doesn’t bother me too much—it’s most likely an uneven wall is my first guess. If the shelf seems solid, I’d not worry about that. It could also be that one of the hollow-wall anchors was installed slightly “proud” of the wall, and thus the bracket doesn’t come flush against the wall, and gives the gap. Still probably not a big deal.
Now, this all said, please remember—plants are heavy. (Well, not the plants so much as the dirt, the pot, and the water, etc.) I’d suggest thinking carefully about the weight of the item(s) placed on the shelf; big plants in heavy pots, requiring lots of water, could easily result in pushing beyond the limits of some hollow-wall anchors. (Though the ones I tend to use claim to support up to 50 lb, and I have, indeed, used them to put up shelves holding plants. So there’s that.)
But regardless of all this, it still comes down to whether the handyman was appropriately skilled and attentive to his work. If so, I think you’re good. If not, all bets are off, of course.
How old is the building? In our city (NYC) newer construction is all steel studs. Pull a cover plate from an outlet or wall switch and you`ll probably see steel. The magnet mentioned earlier is how to start. Interior spacing could be 24" on center if nothing is load bearing.
The building is in Manhattan and from 1982
You will certainly have steel studs
If you end up getting another handyperson, suggest to use Toggler brand hollow wall anchors called snaptoggles (though I just call them Togglers) , they're very strong. https://toggler.com/products/snaptoggle-heavy-duty-toggle-bolts-zinc-plated-carbon-steel-channels
Maybe the steel studs are the reason he would have used drywall anchors instead? How do you even drill into steel studs?
Standard drill bits or even self tapping screws work fine the steel is pretty thin. Your building maintenance man would know to handle them.
Drywall anchors other than the screw type should be sufficient. A stud is ideal but not essential.
The gap is structurally relevant but probably not significant though it depends a little on how the shelf is attached.
I would put something of similar weight to a plant but less messy if it falls on the shelf and if it's still up in a week then you're good to go.
Just don't sit under it whilst you wait...
Project Farm did a great video on wall anchors - can be really tedious, but it gets the results...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHb-Tcvkn7M
A fastener can say it's rated for 30 pounds, say. But a 30 pound mirror is weighing straight down. On that shelf, you've got weight outbreak the edge, acting as a lever. The force is greatly increased. The hole in the wall starts going oval. Gets larger. Boom goes the shelf.
There are lots of ways of finding a stud. If you know the shelf is going right there, you can drill some very small holes in a line behind it to find the stud. The holes will be hidden after. There are a lot of ideas above as well.
That is true and why many fasteners give weight ratings for both shear and pullout strength. Below you will see the technical data sheet for a popular toggle type wall anchor, and far from the strongest. You can see even at the recommended 25% of tested value they exceed her 30lb. shelf weight limit at 35lbs. And that is for a single fastener with 4 fasteners the theoretical pullout limit would easily double or triple that. I agree that hitting at least one stud would have been preferable but in the real world where I work it isn't always possible. I think it's time we let the OP stop fretting over this shelf. Her handyman works for her building which means he should know it's construction and more important he knows he can't hide from her if his work is substandard. IMO it is time we simply tell her to enjoy her new shelf.
If it looked good now, I might. But it's already pulling away.
New York high-rise the drywall is likely just uneven any hump or dips in the wall will naturally be revealed by a straightedge 24-30" long.
Thanks everyone! Really appreciate all the thoughts and advice. I spoke to my handyman who seemed very confident that it would be fine with anchors as he installed it, and I have no reason to think he doesn't know what he's doing (and as esch5995 points out, he works in my building so he won't be able to hide!). I think the side that is gapping a bit may well be due to uneven drywall; it was like that the second he installed it and there was no way to push it in and make it more flat. FYI, the drywall is either 1/2" or 5/8" inch (but it's definitely not 1/4"). In any event, I am going to give it a go, keep the load on the lighter side (and not dynamic), and hope for the best. If it comes crashing down, I'll post here and you can all give me a "told you so". Thanks again!
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