Wall fixings emergency! Help!

WillyNelson · 23 Sep 2015 at 22:04

My lovely new kitchen wall unit has come away from the wall! It was fixed through the top rail with brown wall plugs and 5x80mm (not 50mm) screws into a solid external wall. Either the plugs have blown the wall out or the blockwork has crumbled. Either way the plugs have come straight out of the wall.

It's a solid timber wall cupboard that's supposed to hold all our everyday crockery and glassware. There's a baton supporting the bottom taking the majority of the weight and these two screws were holding the top.

What are my options to fix this? The structure of the wall looks like concrete but it's reall soft. Ideally I'd like to use the same fixing positions but my trust in the solidity of the wall, or that part at least, is very low.

Dis86 · 23 Sep 2015 at 22:51

Who fitted it?

WillyNelson · 23 Sep 2015 at 23:19

BigBoy · 24 Sep 2015 at 00:10

5x50mm over what distance? 50mm is not that long once you have taken the depth of the battoning into consideration, personally If I'm battoning to then hang something from I use 100mm as a minimum mainly because I know how poor the walls are in this house!

*Edit*

50mm screws into concrete walls no were near long enough to support the weight of a solid cupboard and crockery.

WillyNelson · 24 Sep 2015 at 01:14

The batten is below the cupboard supporting the weight from the bottom. The fixings at the top go through the top rail of the carcass and straight into the external wall.

Unfortunately that part of the wall seems very duff. Where the plaster has come away round the hole I can scratch the underlying concrete with my fingernail.

So if I drill the holes deeper and use 100mm screws, could I fill the knackered hole opening with some sort of resin or filler? I could really do with fixing in the same position if possible. Or am I better drilling new holes in the wall altogether?

fornowagain · 24 Sep 2015 at 01:39

Yeah you could use resin and studs in soft blocks etc. Put a few more frame fixings in along side, I'd use the longest I could get away with.

http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/resin-fixings/cat840022
http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/frame-hammer-fixings/cat840010

WillyNelson · 24 Sep 2015 at 07:11

Thanks. I was looking at those resin kits last night.

The problem with adding extra fixings down the side is that it's a match board back and there's nothing much structural to fix through aside from the top rail.

I'm pretty pee'd off with this, it's the only chuffing wall cupboard in the whole kichen FFS! :mad:

BigBoy · 24 Sep 2015 at 10:05

Got any pictures of the damaged wall? I would be more interested In the cause of poor blocks than a quick fix.

skyripper · 24 Sep 2015 at 10:15

If the back of the cupboard is not very strong, but the top/sides are - could you batten above (screws thru top into batten) and fix the batten to the wall with bigger fixings?

I'm having my own nightmare with shelving, dot-n-dab fixed plasterboard and big old concrete blocks. I've gone done the route of big rawlplugs directly into the blockwork, and fat long screws, basically ignoring the plasterboard completely for support.

WillyNelson · 24 Sep 2015 at 10:20

I do.

And for context

Skiddley · 24 Sep 2015 at 10:52

Are those holes into brick, or mortar?

a1ex2001 · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:00

Longer screws, much longer!

WillyNelson · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:20

Skiddley said:
Are those holes into brick, or mortar?

The rest of the wall is brick but it looks like concrete or cement here, though it's very soft. I thought it might have been the lintel for the old back door but I'd expect that to be much more solid.

kefkef · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:28

At least 100mm screws. I did all mine with a combination of 100mm and 150mm and my fixings all had double screws mounting to the walls. Nothing's fallen off.........yet.......

WillyNelson · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:31

What gauge screws? All the ones I've seen over 120mm are bloomin huge! Or hammer in.

kefkef · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:43

Think they were 6mm stainless steel screws

BigBoy · 24 Sep 2015 at 11:58

a1ex2001 said:
Longer screws, much longer!

This is the answer you are looking for, longer and at least 6mm diameter screw (nit head diameter but thread) and by the looks of it better wall plugs.

Filler over the top of that will be fine, you could even no nails the hole and put the wall plug in whilst still wet and put the cupboard straight up.

Mark M · 24 Sep 2015 at 13:09

Id be concerned about the rest coming down too to be honest!

Skiddley · 24 Sep 2015 at 13:15

I might even consider anchor bolts.

BigBoy · 24 Sep 2015 at 13:18

Just remember the hole for the wall plug needs to be at least 60% the length of the screw. And a very tight fit to the hole. If the plug is 8mm you want a 7.5mm hole.