Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and the
studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so would
the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have to
find some way to anchor the board to the wall?

Were all houses in he 1970s built like this? Have the regulations got
much stricter since then or was my house built by cowboys?!

TIA

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:23:31 +0000, Fred
wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and the
studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so would
the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have to
find some way to anchor the board to the wall?


It would be quicker, easier and less disruptive to fix the shelves,
not to the plasterboard or the studs, but directly to the wall behind.

Fred wrote:

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works?

I doubt if it would make any difference, my stud detector (which "sort of"
works) has a couple of felt pads where you press it against the wall. If
the signal gets through them then I doubt if a bit of embossed paper would
be much problem.

Take the wall apart to see for myself,

A bit drastic. You might be able to locate the nails fixing it to the studs
if you slide a strong fridge magnet over the surface. Having located any
potential studs you can confirm your findings with a few exploratory holes
with a bradawl, they'll be easier to patch than putting the wall back.

--
Mike Clarke

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Bruce wrote:

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:23:31 +0000, Fred
wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and
the studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so
would the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have
to find some way to anchor the board to the wall?


It would be quicker, easier and less disruptive to fix the shelves,
not to the plasterboard or the studs, but directly to the wall behind.

There *isn't* a wall behind! This is a stud partition with plasterboard both
sides, *not* a single sheet of plasterboard fixed to a solid wall.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Fred wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and the
studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so would
the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have to
find some way to anchor the board to the wall?

Were all houses in he 1970s built like this? Have the regulations got
much stricter since then or was my house built by cowboys?!

TIA

If your stud detector doesn't work, you could drill a series of very small
holes 1.5mm (say) in diameter, about 1" apart along a horizontal line in a
position where they'll hidden by a shelf. You'll soon find where the
uprights are. Once you've found one, you can make a guess as to where the
others will be, to reduce the number of holes you need to drill.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Fred wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and the
studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so would
the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have to
find some way to anchor the board to the wall?

Were all houses in he 1970s built like this? Have the regulations got
much stricter since then or was my house built by cowboys?!

TIA

If your stud detector doesn't work, you could drill a series of very small
holes 1.5mm (say) in diameter, about 1" apart along a horizontal line in a
position where they'll hidden by a shelf. You'll soon find where the
uprights are. Once you've found one, you can make a guess as to where the
others will be, to reduce the number of holes you need to drill.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!


My bedroom walls are plasterboard - I believe off-cuts are bonded between
each outer face to thicken and strengthen the wall. Not sure how systematic
the off-cuts are applied but the walls are reasonably good - although sound
insulation is poor.

On Jan 31, 10:23*am, Fred wrote:
Hi,

I'd like to put up some shelves onto a plasterboard wall. I know the
technique is supposed to be that you find the studs and screw into
those but...

I bought a Zircon stud detector, I got the impression from posts here
that they were the only brand that worked well, but IMHO it is
useless. However our walls are papered and they have a pattern
embossed in them, and I wonder whether the fact that they are not
smooth is confusing the device? Do you think so?

The house is a 1970s build and once upon a time it seemed a good idea
to take a wall apart in another bedroom (though I can't think why
now!). That wall was 8' x 8' so it was covered by just two sheets.
these were supported by just three studs: one at each end and one in
the middle, where the two sheets joined. There were NO studs at 60cm
or 40cm spacing's and NO noggins between them.

The second wall in that room was about 12' x 8' and was of a similar
construction: the sheets were only supported along their edges and the
studs were quite thin: only about an inch and a half wide.

This doesn't seem much to me but OTOH the walls had remained up for
thirty years.

My worry is that the room I wish to shelve, is another bedroom and I
worry that if one bedroom's walls were like this, won't this rooms
walls be the same?

This room where I want to do the shelving is over the stairs, so would
the wall be better supported there?

I worry that if the wall is that badly put together there will not be
enough studs to screw into.

What would be the best way to proceed? Strip the wallpaper to see if
the detector works? Take the wall apart to see for myself, and if
necessary reinforce it? Or could I just cheat and somehow fix a sheet
of plywood to the wall and screw the shelves into that? But doesn't
that solve one problem and create another because I would then have to
find some way to anchor the board to the wall?

Were all houses in he 1970s built like this? Have the regulations got
much stricter since then or was my house built by cowboys?!

TIA


The mark 1 knuckle is a good stud detector, not sure there's much
point in electronic detectors. I've a feeling you might end up
removing the PB altogether on one side and fitting more uprights.


NT

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:04:26 +0000, Mike Clarke
wrote:

I doubt if it would make any difference, my stud detector (which "sort of"
works) has a couple of felt pads where you press it against the wall. If
the signal gets through them then I doubt if a bit of embossed paper would
be much problem.

Yes, mine has those pads too; I suppose it's to stop the machine
scratching the wallpaper? I find that you have to hold and move the
detector gently, if you change your grip so that you press lighter or
heavier, that sets the alarm off.

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:07:02 -0000, "Roger Mills"
wrote:

There *isn't* a wall behind! This is a stud partition with plasterboard both
sides, *not* a single sheet of plasterboard fixed to a solid wall.

I'm the OP but Roger beat me to it; my wall is exactly as he
describes: bedroom/plasterboard/stud/plasterboard/staircase. I guess
the other poster thought it was a lined brick wall?

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:50:21 -0800 (PST), NT
wrote:

I've a feeling you might end up
removing the PB altogether on one side and fitting more uprights.

Quite a few people have mentioned drilling holes to look for the studs
but my fear, based on my experience in the other bedroom, is that they
will not be there. I fear that adding more studs may be the only
solution. I need to make sure that the other side of the wall is not
disturbed though because it is over the stairs, which would make
access difficult if I needed to repair that side.