Hanging something on drywall

[MikeB]

OK, I probably shouldn't be doing stuff around the home :)

To keep our dog in one part of the house, I hung a baby gate in a doorway. It was one we took down from the top of the stairs some years ago when our kids grew up and we didn't need it anymore. So no instructions, but how hard could it be? I first put it in the drywall with smallish rawlplugs and within a day it pulled right out of the wall. SO I went to Lowes and got bigger, stronger plugs that screw into the wall (don't remember the name now, but they're grey and have a wide thread. That worked well for all of a month, now the gate has pulled out of the wall again and of course left a gaping big hole in the drywall. About 1/2 inch big hole. These plugs said on the packet that they could support 75lbs and I'm pretty sure the gate weighs a lot less than that.

Questions for the knowledgeable here:

1. How can I hang this gate so it'll stay there? I only have about 9 inches of wall and there is no stud there. I don't want my next attempt to simply rip a bigger hole in the wall. On the other side of the wall is a small closet for the water heater, so can I maybe put something right through the wall into the closet?

1. Can I hang it so it obscures the hole, or how do I fix the hole unobtrusively without re-wallpapering the entire kitchen?

Thanks!

[dadiOH]

Molly bolts, avaible just about anywhere.

2. Can I hang it so it obscures the hole, or how do I fix the hole

[dadiOH]

[keith]

Attach 1x or 2x support rails to the wall, long enough to reach the studs and wide enough to cover your previous attempts. Stain/paint support rails to match woodwork (or gate). Attach gate to said support rails.

[mkirsch1]

The plugs can, but the drywall can't.

Don't hang it from the drywall.

The holes can be patched easily with some spackle and fiberglass mesh tape, and if you kept the leftover wall paper LIKE YOU"RE SUPPOSED TO, you will have plenty to cut a patch from. Round edges are less visible than square and are less likely to peel up. Just cut a piece that matches the pattern and covers the hole.

If your mounting wall is only 19" long, you should be able to mount the gate to one corner stud or the other, and run it at a slight angle to the other end. It does not have to be perpendicular to the wall.

[norminn]

There are tension gates that work nicely...the one I am familiar with had two fence sections with a gate in the middle. It could be removed any time, kept in two small dogs, and was quite sturdy. Probably from Petsmart.

You can patch wallpaper if you have some left over...cut out a section of new paper that matches the pattern where the patch is needed. Place new over the old, cut out a patch a bit larger than the defect (cutting through both layers). Peel off the old paper inside the cut, patch defect with spackle, prime, stick on the patch. Paper tends to fade, so it may not match. If you are artistic, you could paint in the pattern to camouflage the defect.

[Ron]

Toggle bolts that when open will be bigger then the existing holes.

[Tater Gum Fries]

:Attach 1x or 2x support rails to the wall, long enough to reach the :studs and wide enough to cover your previous attempts. Stain/paint :support rails to match woodwork (or gate). Attach gate to said :support rails.

I did this exact thing, for attaching a gate at the top of the stairs. Used

1"x4" on a short wall, corner stud to corner stud. Screwed the 1x to the stud using 2" drywall screws, only needed 2 screws on each side.

Worked out gr8, and only had minor holes in the drywall to deal with.

[Phisherman]

Install a 3/4" thick ply panel that is screwed into the studs, then screw the gate into the ply. Fix the hole now or later (probably better).

[aemeijers]

The lever action when the gate opens is what is tearing the fasteners out, not the weight. Plus, the dog probably stands up and leans on the thing when you aren't looking. Drywall will not take that load. Make some hardwood trim plates to hang the gate on, wide enough to hit the corners of th archway or whatever, so they are fastened to some actual framing. If SWMBO vetoes that, other approach is to replace that part of the drywall with finish plywood, and mud it in flush and paint it.

[benick]

Attach 1x or 2x support rails to the wall, long enough to reach the studs and wide enough to cover your previous attempts. Stain/paint support rails to match woodwork (or gate). Attach gate to said support rails.

I agree..That's the only way to go...The drywall will not take the action of opening and closing...HTH...

[Ron]

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Why not just use toggle bolts?

[trader4]

Exactly. The weight of the gate is acting through leverage when the gate is open and that force is significantly larger than the weight of the gate. Now, I think the idea of fastening some kind of wood strips to the wall wide enough to cover the holes, using toggle bolts, is probably the best solution.

[Ron]

I just find hard to believe that toggle bolts wouldn't work. This speaker is mounted to drywall with 3 toggle bolts. It weighs 15lbs and is extended 10" from away from the wall.

[MikeB]

I think the consensus here is that it is NOT the wight that is relevant here, it is the movement of the gate. That serves to crumble the drywall and then the fixing works loose. Eve the tiny movements associated with opening, closing and leaning on the gate put stresses on the rawlplug (or whatever it's called). That crumbles the druwall and then it cannot old stuff anymore.

I'm going to look into something unobtrusive like a white-painted piece of wood I can put there.

Thing is now that I look at it, the latch portion on the other side is also working itself loose and there I'm even more limited in space

- I've no idea how I can reinforce that part. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

[keith]

You fix the other side the same way. ;-)/2

[MikeB]

Dude, it's 9 inches between a door and a built-in cupboard. Not enough space to find a stud in, I think.

[casey]

WTF is wrong with that guy? He should've been able to tell that by looking in his crystal ball. The no good lazy @#$%^&*!!!

[benick]

Dude, it's 9 inches between a door and a built-in cupboard. Not enough space to find a stud in, I think.

It DOESN'T MATTER...Jesh , just use glue and toggle bolts on the damn strip of wood..It will still hold better than the drywall alone...Do you want me to draw a picture for you or what ?? Talk about taking a simple problem and making a project out of it....JESH...

[aemeijers]

Repeating- the drywall will not take the strain of the gate opening and closing. Toggle bolts will just give you a bigger hole when they pull through. You need solid material, screwed to solid framing. Drywall can be between 2 solid things, like a trim plate and a stud, but it can't be the surface that the mounted thing flexes against.