Anchoring a shelf when there's only drywall to secure it to

February 2, 2016 8:53 AM

New home owner here (yay!). We just assembled a space-saver-over-the-toilet-shelf-cabinet-thingy and it needs to be anchored. The flat pack included the anchor strip and a wood screw for securing the anchor to the unit. It instructs the user to obtain a screw appropriate to the environment for anchoring. Our environment is essentially just drywall. To the side, there's a shared wall with the shower that sounds like it may have a stud in there, but can't be sure.

So my questions:
1. Is it at all safe to anchor this thing to drywall? Nothing too heavy will be stored in there, just toilet paper and maybe some spare towels.
2. What sort of screw should I use if it is safe?
3. If it is unsafe, what should I do?

Thank you.

posted by bluejayway to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Have you considered moly bolts? they're the ones that spread open inside the wall to provide more surface to hold them in place.
posted by easily confused at 8:55 AM on February 2, 2016 [5 favorites]

I'd check really carefully to make sure there isn't a stud you can screw into, but failing that you can get decent strength with an anchor that spreads the load over a larger area of the drywall, i.e. a moly bolt, toggle bolt or one of the plastic or zinc screw-in anchors. No screw that goes directly into the drywall without an anchor will hold much of anything.
posted by jon1270 at 8:58 AM on February 2, 2016

Best answer: You're fine without a stud. Molly bolts are okay, EZ Ancor is the way to go. Dirt cheap to get at any Big Box Hardware store, SUPER easy to use, no drill necessary! Bang with hammer until you get to the threads, then screw in.

I use these for EVERYTHING! They are fantastic.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:01 AM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Here's a guide. Some of the moderate-duty fasteners will certainly be fine, but for peace of mind and simplicity, I'd suggest just overdoing it and using a toggle bolt that can hold 20 times as much as you'll ever put up there.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 9:02 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

There are all sorts of "expand inside the wall" fasteners of which moly bolts are the best known. I believe I saw Tommy Silva (This Old House) put up a safety bar that had to rated at 500 lbs in a bathroom using fasteners of that kind. I used some medium duty plastic ones (of the winged plastic anchor type) for a towel bar and it's been fine.

So success depends on the weight of the cabinet and its contents. And I guess the dry wall has to be in good condition. (Actual plaster is beyond my range of experience.) If it's a fairly light cabinet and it will only hold roll of toilet paper and some shampoo, you'll be fine.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:05 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Ez Ancors are the way to go because you don't need to drill a hole which is always a chancy thing in a wall with plumbing.
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I've had some of those plastic screw-in types of anchors fail at less than their rated capacity when I used them on a shelf. I think slight movement from using the shelf might have worked them back and forth and crumbled the drywall around them. Personally for something like this I'd use toggle bolts.
posted by exogenous at 9:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

You want a drywall anchor. As others mentioned, these are things that open up inside the drywall to anchor the screw into place. You will need a drill with a drill bit that is a little smaller than the anchor (usually 3/8"), drill your pilot hole, insert the anchor, and then screw into that.

I just installed an Elfa closet system that is holding a few hundred pounds of cat stuff, and used the EZ Anchors with no issue.
posted by joan_holloway at 9:50 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Don't use the plastic sleeve versions. Get the metal ones, probably for 1/2" drywall. It wouldn't hurt to make a hole to double check the thickness.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:28 AM on February 2, 2016

Moly bolts are easy to install and strong but one disadvantage to moly bolts is that if you ever decide to remove the fixture, the anchor remains visible in the wall. With a toggle bolt, if you remove it, the anchor falls away inside the wall and you can easily patch the hole.
posted by JackFlash at 11:16 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

I would use the EZ Anchors for something like your shelf. Just make sure that you pick one with a high enough weight rating for your shelf.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:27 PM on February 2, 2016

2 ways to find a stud without a studfinder:

1. buy a super strong rare earth magnet and carefully run it along the wall (press too hard and you'll make marks) it will be attracted to the screws in the studs.

2. You can also hold a flashlight parallel to the wall to find the smooth areas where the putty was used to over the screw holes.
posted by any major dude at 4:10 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]