Quick question - hanging stuff on plasterboard

podge018

Im talking things like shelving, pictures etc, how heavy would you go?

Also, can I just screw screws into it for hanging a picture. I guess there's no other way is there?

karltimber

For shelving - it depends on the type of wall -a partition with wooden studs or a solid wall with plasterboard either batten'd or glued on.
Partition - try and find the wooden studs and locate your selves so you can use these.
Solid wall - try find battens if dry-lined or just rawl plugs for glued plasterboard.

there are numerous ways of fixing items to pb.

I saw in my local builders providers - these possibly new type of rawl plug.
Instead of the plastic holder expanding - these crumple up behind the plasterboard and go very tight. they had a display with these rawl-plugs holding 25kg off them.

Dilbert75

Drivas (sp?) - wide metal spiral plug which screws into the plasterboard (self threading) and a screw screws into the centre of it. For larger items they're good - for small stuff, the driva can be visible above the object.

antoinolachtnai

You also get the plastic spiral plugs. If you ask me, these are slightly better, because the plastic is softer than the metal, which should make it less likely that it will cut itself loose. However, you need to drill a pilot. I would suggest either the metal or plastic spiral plugs for putting up something heavy like a curtain rail. The bigger 'superstore' type hardware stores tend to have these.

You can also get these metal plugs which you hammer into the plasterboard and which a lot of the small builders providers and hardware shops sell. These are surprisingly good for small to medium weight stuff.

I wouldn't use a regular rawlplug except for something very light. It works ok if you're handy and are able to get a very tight fit. But if you're a bit ham-fisted (like me) it's easy to make a mess of it.

You can put a screw into plasterboard, and quite often it will hold. No guarantees though. The problem is that the spiral is too small and it may work itself loose.

If the picture isn't too heavy, one of those picture hook things with two panel pins may be all you need.

Stoner

I have found that spiral plugs work well for some things, but it you use them for shelves or curtains they will work, but its only a matter of time in a normal house before someone will pull them out and you are left in a bad situation with a hole in your wall. These things are good for pictures and light stuff, but they tend to work themselves loose/ become loose/fall off if they are holding something where people are at them, i.e. curtain poles, sleves, curtain tie backs etc.

Mellor

The old fashioned fibre plugs work very very in plaster, far better than any new metal or plastic plug that has points or edges that "cut" into the board.
Fibre plugs are small brown fibrous tubes, the screw goes into this and it expands evenly, when the pilot hole is drilled the right sizr these give very good grip.