what do you use on plaster board walls?

Question

i am moving into a new house that has plasterboard walls (only 5 yrs old) could someone help to tell me the best things to use to put pictures and shelves up? i am used to old house walls and brickwork. Dont want to ruin walls or have shelves fall down and am a novice at the DIY since husband left thanks.

Answer 1

Hi
look a the link
there are various methods you can use
Then visit your local DIY shop they are bound to have some

Answer 2

There are many different ways to attach things to sheetrock (plasterboard). The weight is the key....
You can mount very light items, small pictures etc, with a finishing nail in the plaster board. If there is too much weight, the nail will pull down, sag, and then pull out of the wall.

You can also search for the studs (frame work that the sheetrock is attached to), and then nail items into a stud. This provides the strongest support, yet very rarely do studs exist where one wants to hang pictures, mirrors, etc. But luck does occur sometimes. Also, for hanging shelves, you can space the supports where they are attached to the studs, and then the horizontal boards can be supported that way. Sometimes wire can be strung between studs when hanging heavy mirrors.
Then there are a host of other gadgets that have a plastic or metal srew on the end that gets progressively larger, like a swirl. It's usually about 1/2 inch or larger and it screws into the board and tightens in on itself.
There are so many items no available, you could go to anyhardware store and tell them what you're trying to hang on the wall. Even those with minimal knowledge can probably steer you in the right direction.

good luck

Answer 3

When you get to your new place, you're going to want to start putting things on the walls -- and you'll have different needs for each type. I have a couple of specific suggestions.

First, learn how to find the wall studs. These are 2x4's that the plasterboard is nailed or screwed to. You can find them by tapping on the wall... go allong in a horizontal line, and about every 16 inches, your tapping will have a different sound -- those are the strongest places. You can also buy an electric stud finder. Studs are good, because they're thick wood and can support a lot of weight.

But you don't have to attach things to studs. If you're not using the studs, you need to spread the weigh out. That is, don't have all the weight resting on one screw or nail. A heavy picture can be hung on two hooks with several inches of space between them; that way, each hook carries only half of the weight.

Here is a picture of an excellent type of picture hooks that are easily available: http://www.govart.com/images/hwr_brasshookgroupLG.jpg Notice that the big ones have a wider flat surface with three small nails. If you use two of these big hooks to hang one picture, you're providing a lot of support. The packages tell you how much weight each hook can sustain, and if you're nervous, you can just be cautious and use sturdier hooks.

Answer 4

For light weight stuff use plastic plaster board fixings, for heavy weight stuff use metal plaster board fixings. All you need to do to fit them is make a small pilot hole and then screw them in with a Philips screw driver. The screws for the item you are putting up then go into the fixings. For the shelves, fix one side, use a small level on the shelf then mark and fix the other side. Good luck.

Answer 5

Special rawlplugs are available for use in plasterboard. All good DIY shops stock a broad range. One type is endorsed by Tommy Walsh off Groundforce and although I wouldn't normally follow celeb endorsements these are very good.

Answer 6

hi Chin we've been sticking ceramic tiles on plaster board for the final 50+ years to my understanding. in basic terms use a water-resistant adhesive and the bathe tray needs to have a fillet of silicone between it and the tiles to stop the water getting down between the wall and the bathe tray. in fact the silicone is used to seal all aspects that water ought to get into.

Answer 7

There are special hooks for these types of walls. Go to a good DIY shop and ask. Do not bang too hard otherwise it will crack.

Answer 8

you must get it papered,atrtexed,or plastered.plasterboard is far to crumbly to use on its own as a wall base.