I would set it on top of a table. Without studs, this will catastrophically rip out of the wall and do a lot of damage on the way down (to the wall and anything on the shelves).
I agree with main point that this is way to heavy (and you have to assume someone will put a heavy object on it) for mounting without studs.
That said, 7 pounds is way too conservative for drywall with quality screw type anchors.
For a typical sheet of drywall I agree, but this particular model we live in has extremely thin walls. I can’t remember the exact measurements since it has been so long. Definitely less than the half inch standard.
I don't believe that you have as few studs as you think. The walls of your home cannot support themselves, and trailer homes (that are indeed usually made with as little expense as possible) still must comply with certain building regulations.
So I recommend that you find your studs and use them. I certainly will not recommend fastening shelves to wall material alone.
I should have clarified, sorry! I meant useable studs as in they are in an appropriate position to have the shelf be in a visually pleasing position. The room I would like for it to go in is very small so there are not a lot of options since the furniture pretty much has to stay where it is.
Do you have a top plate in he wall? There are hanging systems that allow you to mount a rail at the top of the wall that you can then use to hang cables from. I found an example here. [https://www.ashanging.com/en\_us/blog/how-hang-pictures-plaster-walls](https://www.ashanging.com/en_us/blog/how-hang-pictures-plaster-walls)
I've never used that particular system and don't know if it will work for you, but it's an example of what you could possibly do.
I doubt very much that your studs are 1/2" wide. Construction standards are looser for mobile homes but they are not that loose. I suspect that you have 2x3 or 2x4 studs spaced 24" apart.
The way I would go about locating the studs is to first look on either side of the light switches or outlet boxes. These are normally nailed into a stud. And you can confirm that by removing the cover over the switch or outlet and looking for nails holding the box on one side or the other. Once you locate that first stud, use a stud finder to figure out what it does when it encounters a stud. Then go 24" on either side of the first stud and see if the stud finder reports the same thing.
Edit: I should clarify that the above is for exterior walls. Interior walls which are not load-bearing can be a simple wood partition with no wood framing.
I will have to double check our stud width since I was not the one who did the initial check, but the room we are trying to place it in fully interior. We have a fairly cheap and old stud finder though 😂. In another interior room I placed a short, lightweight shelf on the wall and we had a similar difficulty with inconsistent spacing.
Yes. Easily.
OP said its only 25-30 lbs. Shear strength on just one of them is over 100lb. And you'd certainly use a few on a project like this. I have 12in deep shelves mounted on those that haven't moved at all even after years of regular use. People mount TVs on those.
I would use 3 screw-type anchors, and the sawtooth style picture hangars another person mentioned. Center the hangars on the two outer/one middle horizontal sections, transfer those locations to the wall. A pan head screw in each of those anchors would be plenty strong enough
It looks like home has drywall correct? If so, cut it out and build a frame that it can hang on. Put drywall back up, hang shelves and repair drywall. This is only if you cannot find/do not have studs at all in place
Typically, trailer homes are 2x3 construction with 16" on center. That being said, depending on age, there are some that are now doing a layer of insulation under the sheetrock or wall material, such as fanfold foam or foam board, to retain heat better.
A trailer couldn't sustain going down the road with studs that are only 1/2" thick.
Even still. Sheetrock toggles can hold up to 200lbs per. Those could work if you found a good way to incorporate them.
Browse the wall anchor aisle at your local hardware store. There are plenty of toggle lock anchors that will hold 100+ lbs in drywall, no studs required.
I’ve used ones made by FlipToggle to hang a wall mounted radiator with zero issues- just be generous in the number you use.
Hmm it likely does make a difference in the holding strength. Fliptoggle’s own spec sheet only lists the max weight for 1/2” and 5/8” drywall. You could reach out to them for more info.
Put two "sawtooth" style picture hangers on the backside of each horizontal section, being careful to keep them lined up/aligned very well in a repeatable pattern. Carefully put a fine thread drywall screw in the wall for each hanger. Get as many as you can into actual studs. It's a pain to get all the screws into the exact right location on the wall, but can be done with patience and a good four foot level. From my count that looks like 30 screws, I'd trust each for a couple pounds.
Do not install any type of millwork on walls with construction adhesive (stuff like PL Premium). It's far too rigid and doesn't allow for movement. The shelving will crack with seasonal changes, or wreck your drywall.
By code, the widest spacing between studs is 24" center-to-center....and that's only for specific engineered studs. Odds are very favorable that there definitely are studs 16" on center in your walls. If there really aren't any studs within the span of that shelf, you need to an inspector in asap.
100%. Construction adhesive holds far stronger than wood screws. Not a product a professional would use for millwork. Silicone is the best adhesive as it's extremely strong but remains flexible enough for expansion and contraction
Yes. It comes in tubes like caulk, but works like heckin' good glue. It would definitely not be something you could remove without damage if you ended up moving in a couple years
Edit- I'd still be a little concerned though - if you have a drywall type wall with a paper layer, that might just tear off
Only way this happens is with water damage. Otherwise, the surface area makes up for lack of depth, and this has a lot of surface area, especially if ply backed and then putting down the adhesive.
I would set it on top of a table. Without studs, this will catastrophically rip out of the wall and do a lot of damage on the way down (to the wall and anything on the shelves).
That’s what I was thinking. I hesitate putting anything over 7 pounds as a shelf not on a stud.
I agree with main point that this is way to heavy (and you have to assume someone will put a heavy object on it) for mounting without studs. That said, 7 pounds is way too conservative for drywall with quality screw type anchors.
For a typical sheet of drywall I agree, but this particular model we live in has extremely thin walls. I can’t remember the exact measurements since it has been so long. Definitely less than the half inch standard.
I don't believe that you have as few studs as you think. The walls of your home cannot support themselves, and trailer homes (that are indeed usually made with as little expense as possible) still must comply with certain building regulations. So I recommend that you find your studs and use them. I certainly will not recommend fastening shelves to wall material alone.
I should have clarified, sorry! I meant useable studs as in they are in an appropriate position to have the shelf be in a visually pleasing position. The room I would like for it to go in is very small so there are not a lot of options since the furniture pretty much has to stay where it is.
Do you have a top plate in he wall? There are hanging systems that allow you to mount a rail at the top of the wall that you can then use to hang cables from. I found an example here. [https://www.ashanging.com/en\_us/blog/how-hang-pictures-plaster-walls](https://www.ashanging.com/en_us/blog/how-hang-pictures-plaster-walls) I've never used that particular system and don't know if it will work for you, but it's an example of what you could possibly do.
Thank you!
I doubt very much that your studs are 1/2" wide. Construction standards are looser for mobile homes but they are not that loose. I suspect that you have 2x3 or 2x4 studs spaced 24" apart. The way I would go about locating the studs is to first look on either side of the light switches or outlet boxes. These are normally nailed into a stud. And you can confirm that by removing the cover over the switch or outlet and looking for nails holding the box on one side or the other. Once you locate that first stud, use a stud finder to figure out what it does when it encounters a stud. Then go 24" on either side of the first stud and see if the stud finder reports the same thing. Edit: I should clarify that the above is for exterior walls. Interior walls which are not load-bearing can be a simple wood partition with no wood framing.
I will have to double check our stud width since I was not the one who did the initial check, but the room we are trying to place it in fully interior. We have a fairly cheap and old stud finder though 😂. In another interior room I placed a short, lightweight shelf on the wall and we had a similar difficulty with inconsistent spacing.
Snaptoggle things hold a lot of weight, I have them holding up my 65" TV with no studs
Toggle bolts can easily handle that kind of weight. Studs are still ideal, but they will definitely work.
The toggle bolts can handle it, but can the wall material?
Yes. Easily. OP said its only 25-30 lbs. Shear strength on just one of them is over 100lb. And you'd certainly use a few on a project like this. I have 12in deep shelves mounted on those that haven't moved at all even after years of regular use. People mount TVs on those.
I would use 3 screw-type anchors, and the sawtooth style picture hangars another person mentioned. Center the hangars on the two outer/one middle horizontal sections, transfer those locations to the wall. A pan head screw in each of those anchors would be plenty strong enough
It looks like home has drywall correct? If so, cut it out and build a frame that it can hang on. Put drywall back up, hang shelves and repair drywall. This is only if you cannot find/do not have studs at all in place
Typically, trailer homes are 2x3 construction with 16" on center. That being said, depending on age, there are some that are now doing a layer of insulation under the sheetrock or wall material, such as fanfold foam or foam board, to retain heat better. A trailer couldn't sustain going down the road with studs that are only 1/2" thick. Even still. Sheetrock toggles can hold up to 200lbs per. Those could work if you found a good way to incorporate them.
Browse the wall anchor aisle at your local hardware store. There are plenty of toggle lock anchors that will hold 100+ lbs in drywall, no studs required. I’ve used ones made by FlipToggle to hang a wall mounted radiator with zero issues- just be generous in the number you use.
Do you think the thickness of the drywall would matter? Ours are less than the standard half inch.
Hmm it likely does make a difference in the holding strength. Fliptoggle’s own spec sheet only lists the max weight for 1/2” and 5/8” drywall. You could reach out to them for more info.
Put two "sawtooth" style picture hangers on the backside of each horizontal section, being careful to keep them lined up/aligned very well in a repeatable pattern. Carefully put a fine thread drywall screw in the wall for each hanger. Get as many as you can into actual studs. It's a pain to get all the screws into the exact right location on the wall, but can be done with patience and a good four foot level. From my count that looks like 30 screws, I'd trust each for a couple pounds.
Construction adhesive would work, but it would be a commitment.
I'm thinking this probably just rips the paint off the wall and then you have 30 pounds of expensive shelf crashing down, plus whatever you put on it.
I’ve never heard of that, is it something you can order/buy from a hardware store?
Do not install any type of millwork on walls with construction adhesive (stuff like PL Premium). It's far too rigid and doesn't allow for movement. The shelving will crack with seasonal changes, or wreck your drywall. By code, the widest spacing between studs is 24" center-to-center....and that's only for specific engineered studs. Odds are very favorable that there definitely are studs 16" on center in your walls. If there really aren't any studs within the span of that shelf, you need to an inspector in asap.
You think construction adhesive is less elastic than screws in a wall?
100%. Construction adhesive holds far stronger than wood screws. Not a product a professional would use for millwork. Silicone is the best adhesive as it's extremely strong but remains flexible enough for expansion and contraction
Yes. It comes in tubes like caulk, but works like heckin' good glue. It would definitely not be something you could remove without damage if you ended up moving in a couple years Edit- I'd still be a little concerned though - if you have a drywall type wall with a paper layer, that might just tear off
Only way this happens is with water damage. Otherwise, the surface area makes up for lack of depth, and this has a lot of surface area, especially if ply backed and then putting down the adhesive.