Plasterboard wall and pictures - advice needed

[Bear]

Hi - can someone set my mind at rest regarding a picture I've recently hung on a plasterboard wall?

I've used plastic plasterboard raw plugs to hang a picture (about 5 feet wide and 2 feet tall) on a plasterboard wall but am now regretting my decision and wished I'd sourced some of the metal type plugs instead which splay out. The picture has two mirror type fixings top and bottom of the picture (the type which screw into the wood frame and then require you to screw these to the wall).

Whilst the picture is quite heavy it seems stable and the screws are certainly tight (it's been up for 2 weeks now). But I'm a little worried that over time something may give. The screws are 1 1/2 inch size 8 and the two fixings on the left side of the picture went into something other than just plasterboard! I don't think it was wood, but when drilling the holes there was certainly more resistance than with the two right side fixings.

Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome. I don't simply want to take the picture down and re-fix it using the metal type if the general consensus is that it will be fine as it took my wife and I over 1 hour to hang the picture due to its size.

Thanks for reading

[Phil L]

The first thing to realise of course, is that if it falls off, a picture of this size is going to cause some damage, either to itself, the wall or other objects/people nearby, so it needs to be fixed securely at all fixing points.

If the screws are tight, then this is all you can hope for

[NT]

Theres more than one type of plastic plug

of which will be entirely unsuitable. Personally I wouldnt hang anything that big on PB, but some folk would. I'd always screw straight into the uprights, no plugs needed, no risk of falling.

NT

[The Medway Handyman]

Always assuming that you can of course. From the OP's description I'd thing the picture has this sort of mirror fixing?

being the case, it may not be possible to screw them to the frame and also centralise the picture on the wall in line with the studs. If the mirror plates are factory fitted over rebates to take screw heads the position is fixed.

OP. I assume the 4 mirror plates are there so two could be used landscape & two portrait? Also assuming the right plugs were used?

Since the load is only downwards and not 'pull out' I'd say it would be fine.

[Bear]

Many thanks to the kind folk who have replied.

These are the type of plugs I've used (which I now read are low/medium weight bearing)

Always assuming that you can of course. =A0From the OP's description I'd = thing

and bottom of the frame. As such you are correct in that finding the joists and centralising the picture etc is impossible.

Are you suggesting I should have fixed two additional mirror hooks portrait orientation on the upright sides of the picture? I have two along the top and two along the bottom edges of the frame only.

This was my assumption especially with 1 1/2 inch size 8 screws and it is tight to the wall but I'm no expert hence the OP. Thanks to all

[RobertL]

I supose, for a heavy pucture, one could locate the nearest studs and screw a horizontal batton to them and then attach the picture to the batton.

Robert

[fred]

In article , Bear writes

219_l.jpg>>> Always assuming that you can of course.  From the OP's description I'd thing

fixing?

nmongery/Brackets/Brackets/Mir...>>Yes you are correct. These are exactly the type of thing affixed top

The plug in the picture looks like good quality and the back part will pull in to grip the plasterboard so it would take a fairly major failing of the plasterboard in a number of places for the picture to fall.

You are also spreading the load across 4 fixings so it sounds like you're ok by a reasonable margin with the proviso that your 'quite heavy' description is a bit subjective for proper advice.

Was it: Ok to lift solo but too awkward to hold while fixing to the wall; too heavy to lift solo, def a 2 man lift or something else?

[Bear]

Thanks for the feedback Fred. It's ok to lift solo but the shear width makes it difficult to near impossible to fix to the wall without help. Especially if wanting to get it level.

[fred]

In article , Bear writes

Sounds fine then, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same.