Wall fixings emergency! Help!

[john_s]

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.

When you say it's soft, do you mean on the surface or when drilling?

If it's the former, that's probably the bonding coat of plaster. If it's soft to drill into, you're probably into mortar... try moving the hole and re-drilling.

You'd certainly know about it if you'd hit a lintel!

 

[WillyNelson]

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.

We have a plan.

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

The rest? There aren't any more wall cupboards, this is the only one. Or the rest of the wall...?

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.

The depth of the hole 60% the length of the screw, yes?

 

[WillyNelson]

When you say it's soft, do you mean on the surface or when drilling?

If it's the former, that's probably the bonding coat of plaster. If it's soft to drill into, you're probably into mortar... try moving the hole and re-drilling.

You'd certainly know about it if you'd hit a lintel!

It crumbles very easily, I can scrape it away with my fingernail. I don't think it's the bonding coat as it's pretty thick. It could be where someone has previously filled a hole with a cement-type mix.

My current plan is buy some of these http://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-kkr-pa6-nylon-frame-fixings-8-x-120mm-pack-of-12/2204g. Drill a 120mm deep hole, hoping I hit something more solid like the underlying brick. Thoroughly clean out the hole. Put a bit of Gripfill in and drive home the plug. Let it go off and then screw though the cupboard onto the plug.

 

[BigBoy]

Not depth of hole length of rawl / wall plug hole should be deep enough to accommodate the length of screw, more importantly the hole needs to be ever so slightly smaller than the wall/rawl plug your putting in it, just think tighter is better!

 

[Teknobry]

Anchor bolts. Never coming off then.

 

[john_s]

It crumbles very easily, I can scrape it away with my fingernail. I don't think it's the bonding coat as it's pretty thick. It could be where someone has previously filled a hole with a cement-type mix.

Given you mentioned earlier that you might be in the region of the lintel over the blocked up door, could you be trying to fix into a band of mortar just under the lintel?

In theory the mortar should only 10mm thick, but if whoever blocked up the door was a bit low with their final course, they might have just pointed up the last bit with a load of mortar. If that's the case, you might have a real sod of a job fixing into it.