Steven Campbell wrote:
Can someone please off me advice as to what kind of fixings I need to hold
the strips to the plasterboard wall and what kind of weight i can put on
them. I need one set of 6' shelves (3 shelves) and one set of 4' (3 shelves).

I know the general advice so far is don't, but my last house was all
plasterboard and these walls held 5 feet central heating radiators with no
problem, which are a hell of a weight when full of water.

Now I come to think about it, our kitchen units are all attached to
plasterboard walls and not via the studs either. These are also some weight
by the time the dishes etc are in them.

Both heaters and units were attached using these hollow wall anchors
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...03851&id=11143

Is this the kind of shelving you plan to use where you just insert the
brackets into these uprights?
http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/74/p1381474_x.jpg

If so then personally I would have no problems in attaching these to
plasterboard using the hollow wall anchors.

With a new build the kitchen will be catered for by the architect
demanding that patresses ply boards be built into the walls before the
plasterbaord goes on. The fitters then just screw into the ply.

Failing that the fitters will have to put boards up on the studding,
over the plaster and screw to them.

And that is what you must do. Buy some soffit or something and fix them
to the studs at the heights that you want to set the brackets ot=r the
screws in the stanchions.

Depending on their make and section, there will be countersunk screw
holes every 6 to 18 inches. ou don't need a screw in each one. 3 or
four decent x10's will take the weight.So you will only need 3 or 4
horizontal strips of soffit or batton behind them.

I'd space them so that your shelving can rest on them, thus adding
support whilst being hid to some extent. You will need to notch out the
shelving to get it past the stanchions (uprights.)

With such a support you can use fewer brackets. With fewer brackets you
need fewer stanchions. That will thus save you money or allow you to
erect more shelving elsewhere. Either way you are on a winner.

If the studs are jumbo tins, then you will have to use gripfill on the
battons, to help take the load. Jumbo studding is absolute crap and
should be banned. If you miss the studwork, the plasterboard will come
off them and they are held together (or rather apart) by the
plasterboard.

They are an accident waiting to happen.