Shelves on drywall, maximum weight without studs?

[andreascarlsson]

Planing in a chipboard frame? No! You will still need a filler panel if you want to open the doors properly!

On a cabinet next to a 40-cabinet and 10 cm filler panel on each side? Or can you find a 50-cabinet? If you have already bought cabinets, you'll have to modify one to 50 so you have space for filler panels. But not by planing, instead by cutting the top, bottom, and back pieces.

That would be so much extra work. It would have been easier just to make the side a bit thinner (and the door too) and smile.

But as you say, it's probably stupid to plane in chipboard...

6 mm...

 

[somesundaymorning]

How did it go?

 

[Lato]

I'm setting up Ikea's Metod series along an entire wall, 240 cm long, so it will be four 60-cabinets.

This is a rental, so I'm trying to manage without too much intervention, and therefore bought the long rail on which to hang the shelves. The house is from the 1890s and was renovated 5 years ago. I guess the drywall is from that renovation, but I don't really know.

The problem is that I can't find any studs! Or well, I found one stud which is probably metal, as I'm unable to screw into it in the normal way (and fastening something to metal doesn’t feel that reassuring).

So now I've placed screws every 25 cm with standard plugs. And it’s only secured in the drywall.

I have two concerns:
- Do I need to reinforce with any molly plugs (or equivalent)?
- How much can a drywall actually hold? There will be a total of 4 60-cabinets on the wall with various binders and stuff in them. The plugs surely hold, but does the drywall handle the weight? In my imagination, the whole upper part of the drywall cracks and everything crashes down with the rail and all...

(and yes, it's the ceiling that's so crooked, I've measured with a spirit level a thousand times)

Grateful for input!

Cut a couple of pieces of drywall. Insert them into the steel stud. Then just screw through the drywall again into the wall. Holds firmly. Done it many times.