Hello, first post and not an experienced home builder. I recently moved into a new apartment and the interior wall between the living room and the bedroom is, according to the building manager, plaster and straw. At first, he claimed it was chipboard, single or double, but after I drilled a test hole, only white powder and then dark gray powder came out. I asked him again, and he changed his story to plaster and straw. The interior wall is about 8 cm thick. I have cabinet shelves that I want to mount on this wall. Each weighs over 30 kg and has 3-4 mounting points each. The contents will also weigh a bit, probably double that. Now I'm wondering how I should proceed or if it's a lost cause. When you knock on the wall it sounds hollow, but when I test-drilled, the drill didn't seem to reach any empty space in the wall. Unlike another plaster and straw wall I've encountered before, this wall doesn't crumble apart.
Welcome to byggahus 
Could it be that you have lightweight concrete walls?
Could it be that you have lightweight concrete walls?
Well, it's a bit difficult to judge without experience. They are going to wallpaper here, so I scraped a bit on the surface of a similar wall. Wall number two in the bedroom that separates the hall and the bedroom. On the outside, there was a white layer, about 2-3 mm thick, and underneath that comes this very dark material that crumbles "easily." From my experience with plaster and straw (one wall), the plaster itself doesn't crumble into small grains but more like mortar, when it breaks down it becomes large chunks. Here, it almost turns into a powder. Shouldn't lightweight concrete really sound like that, isn't it supposed to be solid like regular concrete?
It sounds a bit risky with such heavy shelves (30 + 30 kg x X each?) when there's such uncertainty about what the wall is made of.
Is there no possibility to "rebuild" so the shelves stand on the floor?
I'm thinking of some kind of sides similar to those of warehouse shelves.
For example, built from "glespanel" 28x70 mm.
Is there no possibility to "rebuild" so the shelves stand on the floor?
I'm thinking of some kind of sides similar to those of warehouse shelves.
For example, built from "glespanel" 28x70 mm.
Thank you for your responses. I really appreciate the suggestions. Unfortunately, I can't build any form of framework for them. The idea was that they would hang above the sofa with spotlights underneath. To then have a framework that detracts from the decor defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place.
And you are sure that they weigh as much as 30kg?
In fact, I had 70mm lightweight concrete inner walls in my previous house, and the upper cabinets in the kitchen were only held up with two nail clips each, driven slightly downwards (the 80 cabinets actually had three). They stayed there despite being full of plates and glasses, so it holds more than you might think.
In fact, I had 70mm lightweight concrete inner walls in my previous house, and the upper cabinets in the kitchen were only held up with two nail clips each, driven slightly downwards (the 80 cabinets actually had three). They stayed there despite being full of plates and glasses, so it holds more than you might think.
I guess the empty ones weigh 30kg because that's what it says on the weight of the package from Ikea and there was just a little cardboard left over, then a door on top of it. The wall feels stable, but the property manager just laughed at me when I said thirty kilos so I don't know.
When was the house built? I live in a house from 1936 where the interior walls are made of slag stone with plaster on both sides. When drilling, gray dust comes first followed by black dust.
Long nail plugs usually work to attach things to the wall, but I'm not sure if I would dare to hang heavy items on my fastenings.
Long nail plugs usually work to attach things to the wall, but I'm not sure if I would dare to hang heavy items on my fastenings.
Well, then it remains to find out what the wall can really withstand in terms of load.
And what kind of fasteners you should use.
There are many to choose from; plug, molly, chemical anchor...
One would think the "property manager" should be able to provide answers.
But otherwise, maybe you could ask some of the neighbors above and below for their experiences.
And what kind of fasteners you should use.
There are many to choose from; plug, molly, chemical anchor...
One would think the "property manager" should be able to provide answers.
But otherwise, maybe you could ask some of the neighbors above and below for their experiences.