Light weight wood for shelf - Plasterboard on timber joists

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lister110

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Apologise for my first, very basic post, we're looking to put up a shelf in the kitchen for basic usage (not too heavy items, more decrotive). At first it was floating, but now we may use brackets as Im concerned about the weight (we could have 3 brackets). We would love oak wood but this'll probably be too much weight. What alternative could you use if the wall is like Pasterboard with on timber joists. It'll be around 180cm wide perhaps. Anyone know of a good link in the UK to get something ordered.

lister
 

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I can't tell you how to design a fixing scheme to carry a specific load. But the difference in density between oak and [say] pine is such that if the fixing was OK for pine but not OK for oak, then the resulting pine shelf would be barely usable anyway.
From the sketch I am guessing the proposed shelf is about 200mm deep, 2000mm long and 30mm high, or 0.012m^3.
Density of oak = 770kg/m^3
pine = 500kg/m^3

Difference in weight of the two shelves = 3.2kg. In other words, if the extra 3.2kg pushed you over the limit then it's no use to you as a shelf anyway. Oak is stronger than pine so for a given load you could use a thinner piece of timber, and then the difference in weight of the two shelves is even smaller.

In other words, when you approach this task you are not going to make it so that it only just manages to bear the weight of the shelf and some load, you have to over-engineer it.
 
The problem is the wall, it could be timber stud or it could be dot and dab.

If its dot and dab there is a screw system called "Corefix" that will enable you to fix oak shelf on brackets without the brackets pulling free.

If its timber stud, then you have to put reinforcement behind the plasterboard to give the brackets a sound fixing point, or...

There are products like hollow wall anchors "Screwfix 11143" or a product called Gripit, if you choose this route buy a tube of CT1 and glue the shelf to the plasterboard as a back up.
 
chirpychippy said:
The problem is the wall, it could be timber stud or it could be dot and dab.

If its dot and dab there is a screw system called "Corefix" that will enable you to fix oak shelf on brackets without the brackets pulling free.

If its timber stud, then you have to put reinforcement behind the plasterboard to give the brackets a sound fixing point, or...

There are products like hollow wall anchors "Screwfix 11143" or a product called Gripit, if you choose this route buy a tube of CT1 and glue the shelf to the plasterboard as a back up.
Click to expand...
Pics says timber stud.
 
lister110 said:
Apologise for my first, very basic post, we're looking to put up a shelf in the kitchen for basic usage (not too heavy items, more decrotive). At first it was floating, but now we may use brackets as Im concerned about the weight (we could have 3 brackets). We would love oak wood but this'll probably be too much weight. What alternative could you use if the wall is like Pasterboard with on timber joists. It'll be around 180cm wide perhaps. Anyone know of a good link in the UK to get something ordered.

lister
Click to expand...
If you fix using brackets you can use any timber, simple L brackets will take considerable weight .
 
foxhole said:
Pics says timber stud.
Click to expand...
I looked at a job last night, the customer said all my walls are timber stud.

I was one of the chippies on the site 12 years ago, none of the walls are timber stud, they are all dot and dab.
 
chirpychippy said:
I looked at a job last night, the customer said all my walls are timber stud.

I was one of the chippies on the site 12 years ago, none of the walls are timber stud, they are all dot and dab.
Click to expand...
Foxhole, what I'm saying is because the walls sound hollow some people think they are timber stud.
 
chirpychippy said:
L brackets will take considerable weight, the plasterboard however doesn't.
Click to expand...
The plasterboard under compressions will take loads of weight , my kitchen cupboard has dozens of jars and cans an air fryer and microwave all mounted on shelving fixed to plasterboard with stud behind .
 
chirpychippy said:
I looked at a job last night, the customer said all my walls are timber stud.

I was one of the chippies on the site 12 years ago, none of the walls are timber stud, they are all dot and dab.
Click to expand...
So you know this is not studwork?
Don’t guess, ask the OP.
 
foxhole said:
The plasterboard under compressions will take loads of weight , my kitchen cupboard has dozens of jars and cans an air fryer and microwave all mounted on shelving fixed to plasterboard with stud behind .
Click to expand...
I talk from a recent bad experience with a plasterboarded stud wall, I used hollow wall anchors, the shelf was light weight. The customer then filled the shelves up with plants, jars, books the accumulative weight ripped the hollow wall anchors through the plasterboard. The jars smashed and damaged the Corian worktop and the tiled floor.

Fortunately I had an email to the developer advising that fixing into plasterboard is inadvisable....my ar#e was covered.

But talking as a Proffessional I always cut the plasterboard wall open and fit appropriate supports, belt and braces.
 
chirpychippy said:
I talk from a recent bad experience with a plasterboarded stud wall, I used hollow wall anchors, the shelf was light weight. The customer then filled the shelves up with plants, jars, books the accumulative weight ripped the hollow wall anchors through the plasterboard. The jars smashed and damaged the Corian worktop and the tiled floor.

Fortunately I had an email to the developer advising that fixing into plasterboard is inadvisable....my ar#e was covered.

But talking as a Proffessional I always cut the plasterboard wall open and fit appropriate supports, belt and braces.
Click to expand...
A professional would not use hollow anchors for shelving .
 
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