Screw into flimsy aluminum studs or use hollow wall anchors?

[MichaelD]

Here goes.

I need to put up two "L" brackets. The two brackets will be supporting a total weight of about 25 pounds (shelf + items).

Shoud I use hollow wall anchors or should I try to put the screws for the brackets directly into the studs?

The quandry here is b/c my apt complex is new and uses those flimsy aluminum studs instead of the traditional wooden studs. Screws rip right the hell out of that tin can crap. Screws also rip right the hell out of drywall if you don't use anchors.

What say you?

 

[Anubis]

studs, the wall anchors will rips out sooner then the stud with 25lbs on it

 

[Zim Hosein]

<-- Waits for Evadman's expert opinion

 

[ScrapSilicon]

fill walls hollow arears with quikrete

 

[Sluggo]

Why dont you use a toggle bolt on the metal stud? Best of both worlds.

Kind of a big hole for an apartment though.

I would screw into the stud, metal or wood.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
fill walls hollow arears with quikrete ..possibly can use those butterfly toggle bolts..not sure..wait..yea..fill the hollo..ooouhhh..mentioned that already.. ..gl tho

:Q

 

[mugs]

You can get toggle bolts that will hold as much as 250 pounds in drywall. I don't know much about metal studs, but if what you say is true I'd get some toggle bolts.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
fill walls hollow arears with quikrete ..possibly can use those butterfly toggle bolts..not sure..wait..yea..fill the hollo..ooouhhh..mentioned that already.. ..gl tho

:Q

well..if it wasn't an apartment..

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks guys. I'm not worried about the holes in the walls. I have so much stuff nailed/screwed into the walls and ceilings already, that I'm gonna have to spackle before I move.

I just don't want that shelf coming down. Some expensive stuff will be on it.

I bought these heavy-duty 16" L brackets. They are not the flimsy, standard L-brackets. These mothers have a triangular brace that goes from the end of one leg to the other.

They will support up to 500 pounds when properly anchored in concrete. :Q

Guess I'll go with the toggle bolts then...but wont' the brackets move around I little? I don't want that.

 

[Evadman]

Steel studs suck. unless you get the big ass 16 and 14 gauge studs, which no one does beacuse wood is cheaper in that size range. It is all about money. Steel studs are used primarly for partition walls that do not bear any load. Most places sell the 20 and 24 gauge steel studs with a rolled edge that are good for holding up some drywall, and a coat of paint or 2. Thank god they have not caught on around here.

Anyway, to the subject at hand. Screwing into a steel stud will give you just about the same load carying ability as screwing directly into drywall, about 5 lbs. The only good thing is the steel will keep the screw from falling out of the wall under its own weight, and getting drywall dust on yoru carpet.

You are better off using a hollow wall anchor, and anchoring into the drywall. The type of anchor depends on weather you will be hitting a stud or not. If the placement hits a stud, use an expanding anchor or toggle bolt. Toggle bolts are more difficult to install correctly, because they get the most strength when the toogle flipps verticly. An expanding anchor will give you 4 points, so the strength is assured. If you do not hit a stud, use the self drilling type. They can be had in up to 50 lb flavors, which is what I would use in your case.

The fact of the matter is, the anchor will not break, the drywall will. Drywall can handle seemingly insurmountable sheer loads whe in plane with the same axis as the wall. Placing loads on the outsode of the wall pulls the drywall in a way it was not designed. Limit weight to a max of 50 lbs in any cavity (usually every 16")

You can not use the screw in type if you hit a stud because they will torque the stud out of alignment, and possibly pop the drywall off the stud, weaking your wall.

Originally posted by: mugs
You can get toggle bolts that will hold as much as 250 pounds in drywall. I don't know much about metal studs, but if what you say is true I'd get some toggle bolts.

The toggle will hold 250 lbs, but the toggle will rip out of 1/2" drywall somewhere around 80-100 lbs at maximum load dispersal per 16" cavity. Remember, a stud cavity is only 3 1/2" thick, so the maximum load area (assuming a perfect world) would be 49 square inches (assuming a toggle expanded to a sheet of metal, not legs), but I have never seen a toggle with more than 2 " "legs", which would place all 250 lbs on a piece of drywall roughly 1/2" x 7", or 3.5 square inches. That is 71 PSI. Your car puts less than 70 PSI on the road, so you should be able to drive on a piece of wall assuming drywall could support 250 lbs.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Steel studs suck. unless you get the big ass 16 and 14 gauge studs, which no one does beacuse wood is cheaper in that size range. It is all about money. Steel studs are used primarly for partition walls that do not bear any load. Most places sell the 20 and 24 gauge steel studs with a rolled edge that are good for holding up some drywall, and a coat of paint or 2. Thank god they have not caught on around here.

Anyway, to the subject at hand. Screwing into a steel stud will give you just about the same load carying ability as screwing directly into drywall, about 5 lbs. The only good thing is the steel will keep the screw from falling out of the wall under its own weight, and getting drywall dust on yoru carpet.

You are better off using a hollow wall anchor, and anchoring into the drywall. The type of anchor depends on weather you will be hitting a stud or not. If the placement hits a stud, use an expanding anchor or toggle bolt. Toggle bolts are more difficult to install correctly, because they get the most strength when the toogle flipps verticly. An expanding anchor will give you 4 points, so the strength is assured. If you do not hit a stud, use the self drilling type. They can be had in up to 50 lb flavors, which is what I would use in your case.

The fact of the matter is, the anchor will not break, the drywall will. Drywall can handle seemingly insurmountable sheer loads whe in plane with the same axis as the wall. Placing loads on the outsode of the wall pulls the drywall in a way it was not designed. Limit weight to a max of 50 lbs in any cavity (usually every 16")

You can not use the screw in type if you hit a stud because they will torque the stud out of alignment, and possibly pop the drywall off the stud, weaking your wall.

Thanks much, Evadman. I have some of the self-drilling types already...I think they are big enough. I also have a stud finder, so I can avoid the studs. The length of the shelf hasn't been determined yet; i can make it as long or short as I need. It's going to hold up an 10 pound projector and it's mount, which weighs about 4 pounds. The size of the shelf is irrelevant to me, aesthetics-wise. I just make it wide enough to "go around" the studs.

Thanks again. :beer:

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: EvadmanToggle bolts are more difficult to install correctly, because they get the most strength when the toogle flipps verticly.

This kind is easy to install so they're alligned vertically, but it's overkill for his needs.