Hi,
Wondering if any of you can help.
I have very poor understanding of how much weight plasterboard can handle.
I am considering putting up an Elfa shelf system on a plaster wall.
I can't find any studs since one wall is 920mm wide and the other (on the other side of the door) is 1270mm, so the shelves will be 900mm wide on one side and 1200mm on the other.
I am thinking of 2300mm tracks and 300mm deep shelves. 7 shelves per side that will serve their function as a bookshelf.
I would rather not mount something that could cause the whole wall to fall apart since I'm not sure if a 13mm plasterboard can handle the weight.
I appreciate input from those of you with experience as I lack this.
Attached is a picture of the wall for an overview, so a shelf system on either side of the door.
I don't think a 13mm plasterboard can handle so many books. The studs probably align with the door frame where the door casing is now.
There are "click-in systems" by Elfa. Place the support rail as high up on the wall as possible, where the wall meets the ceiling. Hopefully, you should have a horizontal stud there. Test screw and check if the screw holds well.
Thanks for the input.
I think that the horizontal rails with 5 attachment points might distribute the weight between the seven shelves, but maybe I'm thinking wrong?
The downward traction might be too much anyway?
I'll check if a hanging rail might work, it could be a solution but since the ceiling height is 3m, maybe the lowest shelves will be a bit too high from the floor.
I need to ponder that a bit.
If the wall is only made of plasterboard, I wouldn't even consider hanging something as heavy as a full bookshelf on it. Are you sure it's a pure plasterboard wall?
A hanging rail can work if you anchor it into all the studs, but you need to know where they are. It doesn't have to be at the very top of the wall; it can be lower as long as you attach it to the vertical studs.
Molly plugs can take about 40 kg per attachment point, but I would still be afraid that the entire wall might come down if the rails weren't secured into studs.
The previous owner had a string shelf and mounted it with Molly, but that shelf also had feet so the weight of the shelf rested on the floor. Elfa with rails relies only on the wall to bear the load.
Studs are a must then, planning to scan with a GMS 120 tomorrow to locate them. Hope there is something that works.
Thanks for your inputs!
