Note to closet system installers.....HIT THE STUD......

[redgtxdi]

So at 3am this morning, I hear this thundering crash. The wire closet system in our master that our house came with crashed to the ground.

After assessing the damage and pulling everything out of the closet, I realize.......they hit MAYBE 2 studs out of 6 in the entire assembly of their fvcked up little system.

I cannot believe what I uncovered. All the cradles that go on the back are put in with what look like stubby roofing nails. FFFFAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKK!

I'm gonna head down to the depot and see how many times they've heard this story. Gonna tap into studs all the way around with some serious drywall screws and get this shit right. Fuck I am so pissed right now!

I can't really blame Closet Maid but I'd love to get my hands around the throats of the original installers.

 

[mztykal]

Why would you use fragile drywall screws?

 

[olds]

Someone hits me I am hitting back

 

[SunnyD]

Someone hits me I am hitting back

He said "Stud", not "Dud".

 

[drnickriviera]

I think you can blame closet maid. The anchoring system works like a hollow wall anchor. The nail expands a plastic piece behind the drywall. I usually use a side cutter to cut that part off, then use a pan head screw.

 

[redgtxdi]

He said "Stud", not "Dud".

Touché

Actually, I'll probably use deck screws but I'll ask the set what they may know about post-crash closet shelving repairs for best results.

 

[redgtxdi]

I think you can blame closet maid. The anchoring system works like a hollow wall anchor. The nail expands a plastic piece behind the drywall. I usually use a side cutter to cut that part off, then use a pan head screw and drive directly into a stud whenever possible.

Correct?

And, yes, I see what you mean. It's on those shelf level cradles. The back splits like a pathetic anchor and I suppose they figure if they span them every 6 inches then they don't need to hit studs. Whereas for the same time and trouble they could pan head right into the studs and have 10x the strength as hollowing into drywall. Aargh!

 

[amdhunter]

Someone hits me I am hitting back

I know what I'm getting you for Jesusmas.

 

[drnickriviera]

Correct?

And, yes, I see what you mean. It's on those shelf level cradles. The back splits like a pathetic anchor and I suppose they figure if they span them every 6 inches then they don't need to hit studs. Whereas for the same time and trouble they could pan head right into the studs and have 10x the strength as hollowing into drywall. Aargh!

Yup. I have to do this in my rentals. They always get torn out or damaged.

 

[MarkXIX]

Why would you use fragile drywall screws?

This. Locate the studs and put some real fucking screws in there, the kind you have to pre-drill before hand and use a ratchet and socket to drive in. Back those up with the drywall anchors Closetmaid sells every 6-inches or so.

 

[Oakenfold]

Before you put everything back together you might as well pull those crappy wall anchors out now, mud, sand and paint.

I just took a wire shelf down, those wall anchors make one hell of a mess.

 

[redgtxdi]

This. Locate the studs and put some real fucking screws in there, the kind you have to pre-drill before hand and use a ratchet and socket to drive in. Back those up with the drywall anchors Closetmaid sells every 6-inches or so.

That's what I'm doing......(though just going from the #8 pan head Phillips they use to #10 and going from 1" long to 1.5" long for extra strength and grip). Just got back from the depot and even those folks are a little clueless, but when I'm done I'll be able to double them as bunk beds for Clay Matthews & B.J. Raji. The only limit will be the brackets themselves which it looks like closetMaid improved...... Albeit slightly! (ribbed flanges)

Wish me luck!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Stud finders are your friend. Locate them throughout the closet, use 1x2 pieces of wood screwed to the studs horizontally as shelf holders and pine boards for the shelves, very solid. You could even use 2x2's instead of 1x2's and screw the shelves into them as well if you want overkill. Good if there are kids that are likely to try climbing as with loose shelves they could flip.







Had a bit of trouble getting some of those shelves in, hence the stuffs. But it ain't going anywhere. Was a couple day project, mostly due to waiting for primer/paint to dry.

Could also install those adjustable rail systems but I find they can be flimsy. It's nice to be able to throw a UPS or big ass battery on there and not worry about weight.

 

[IronWing]

How old is the house? With modern construction it can be a challenge to find the studs.

 

[waggy]

who wouldn't use studs to start with? talk about lazy.

when i built my closet setup i took the time to find the studs. fuckers are secure enough i can sit on the damn shelf.

 

[wirednuts]

yeah hit studs if you can.. but if for some reason you have to anchor to drywall DO NOT use the supplied fasteners! they are terrible quality and the design will pull right out of the wall.

use the zip-it kind where it looks like a big fat screw that you just drive in. thats the bare minimum. even better is toggle bolts, which if you use those youll get surprisingly good weight limits on your shelves.

 

[redgtxdi]

Ok, top shelf done. A bit of a PITA as the support brackets that sit at 45 underneath are not very friendly after you get the first one and move to the 2nd while trying not to pull everything else out of place. Had to start #1 over and play nice after I figured out how to do it properly.

The cradles that line the back are in with #8 x 1.5" pan head phillips.....(I really wanted to use #10 but the damn wire the shelf is made out of won't let you snap in as the cradles are molded with a perfect #8 head counterbore so the #10 heads would be too big.). That said, there are 6 mounted directly into studs.....DEEP!!! I only used a couple of the hollow style in between as the span is only 8 feet long.

The brackets are 3 acrossed underneath (with side wall slot support which was in damaged during crash). I'm tempted to put 3 more in between but I am going from 3 drywall mount to 3 #10 x 1.5" pan heads going a solid 1" into the studs which has to be triple or more the strength of what it was, no?

My ass is tired now. Bottom shelf tomorrow.

 

[Tiamat]

Yup my builder did the same bs. I ripped all that stuff out, mudded and sanded, and hit every stud with 3” deck screws and if needed, those zip clamps that have a metal bar that unfolds behind the drywall that secure with long bolts and require 1/2” hikes

 

[redgtxdi]

LOL......any longer and you'd have gone thru the whole wall and out the other side.

So as it stands now, I'm spanned the common 16" centers for the cradles along the rim of the back, with a couple extras where there was no stud but I felt couldn't hurt.

And the 45 brackets on the bottom are where they were before except deep in the studs with bigger screws than before.

Anybody think I should still squeeze 6" spans on the back cradles and/or double up those 45 brackets? (I might already be exceeding the structural integrity of the wire shelves and brackets as it stands.)

(shrug)

 

[natto fire]

LOL......any longer and you'd have gone thru the whole wall and out the other side.

So as it stands now, I'm spanned the common 16" centers for the cradles along the rim of the back, with a couple extras where there was no stud but I felt couldn't hurt.

And the 45 brackets on the bottom are where they were before except deep in the studs with bigger screws than before.

Anybody think I should still squeeze 6" spans on the back cradles and/or double up those 45 brackets? (I might already be exceeding the structural integrity of the wire shelves and brackets as it stands.)

(shrug)

That's what I was thinking it sounded like, especially considering most of those homebuilding companies go with bottom of the barrel hardware to turn a little extra profit.

Also, you might want to translate the title into Spanish, just sayin...

 

[acheron]

If you're not attaching to studs, use toggle bolts; I haven't found anything else to be worthwhile at all unless it's a really light load (small picture frame or something).

Red Squirrel: those shelves look sharp. I'm moving into a new house soon, might do something like that in one of the closets there.

 

[redgtxdi]

So here was where I was last night.....

It felt good but then I decided I'm not keeping the bottom shelf anymore anyway as we never hung anything from it and anything on its shelf just interfered with the stuff hanging from above so I went into overkill mode and doubled up on everything on the top shelf.....

We're going to do cubby storage underneath which will sit lower allowing us to do stuff a few inches lower so as not to interfere with the clothes hanging above and not have to dick with any more of that wire than I have to. And never have to worry about it crashing down at 3am!!!