Best fixings for plasterboard walls and ceilings?

[Gareth]

I'm baffled by the huge array of fixings for use on plasterboard walls, e.g.

Fischer Plasterboard Plugs LDF and HDF

Rawlplug Unu

Fischer High Performance Universal Plugs

Then there are more complex looking things like:

Self-Drill Plasterboard Fixings, metal and plastic

Spring toggles

Metal Plasterboard Anchors

I've seen a few of the regular posters in here recommending Rawlplug Uno but are any of the plugs designed specifically for plasterboard any better and are the more complex things worth it for heavier items - I imagine that plasterboard itself isn't very strong so a stronger fixing can only help a little though I suppose the spring toggles spread the load a bit but even so...

These things also seem to be classified as light, medium and heavy with little indication of what is considered light, medium or heavy which doesn't seem very helpful.

Any advice greatly appreciated, e.g. would you trust a couple of Rawlplug Unos to keep a bathroom cabinet on a plasterboard wall?

Thanks,

Gareth

[NT]

I wouldnt trust 2 of anything to keep a cabinet up. Plasterboard isnt that strong. Some people here have far more faith in it than I though. Fixings not designed for plasterboard are unusable on PB. Your best bet is locate the vertical stud and screw into that.

NT

[Gareth]

My last house was all brick and since moving into this house (all brick downstairs, plasterboard upstairs) I have actually found PB to be stronger than I expected, but then I haven't put anything heavy on any of the PB walls yet.

Of course that's the answer I didn't want :(

Thanks for your reply.

[Dave Liquorice]

Seem to work, not used them myself but have found a few here. Alright for light loads like a picture...

The toggle falls down the void should you ever have to remove the screw...

I like these when set they spread the load of over a reasonable area of plaster board. The stay in the board when you remove the screw. Take good loads.

Depends on the direction of the load. It's pretty good in compression but weak in tension. So things that are pulling will make it bend and over time deform permanently(*). If you can arrange the fixings so the load is down the PB, ie it's trying to shear the fixing rather than pull/push it through the PB it's surprisingly strong.

Rawplug give a maximum load on the packaging as well as light medium, heavy.

Donno not used 'em I have a stock of yellow, red and brown plugs and metal wall anchors for use in PB. I'd use the metal wall anchors simply 'cause I have 'em and know how they behave.

(*) 9.5mm plaster board used with normal ceiling joist spacing will sag under it's own weight between the joists.

[Newshound]

You mentioned ceilings, the "coarse screw" type are fine for smoke detectors or a small surface mount or pendant light as long as the shade isn't too heavy. The metal ones screw in a bit more reliably but you need exactly the right sized screw, whereas the plastic ones are more tolerant. Quicker and less fiddly than toggles, and re-useable.

[brass monkey]

I've held one up with 4 of these -

{9372015}/categories%3C{9372044}/categories%3C{9372213}/specificationsProductType=specialist_screws/specificationsSpecificProductType=self_drilling_screwsit's still up.

[NT]

PB seems reasonably strong at first, the trouble is over time there is a tendency for the edge in contact with the fixing to slowly disintegrate. And it can distort under load. To fix a bathroom cab, personally I'd use a fair few fixings, with 6 you should be ok long term.

NT

[Lobster]

I've put one up in the past successfully by positioning the cabinet so that just one (vertical) pair of screws went into a stud; these were backed up with plasterboard fixings in the corners, but the weight of the cabinet was borne by the solid fixings into the stud.

That method at least gives you are reasonable position range along the wall to place the cabinet; the usual problem being that the studs are never located where you (or more likely, SWMBO :( ) would like them to be.

David

[Roger Mills]

This is what you need for a bathroom cabinet:

to fit if you also buy the setting tool, but can be done without.

Use two of these in the top corners and use two more to hold a batten on the wall for the bottom of the cabinet to sit on. The weight will be taken by the bottom fixings - in shear - in the top fixings (in tension) only have to prevent it from tilting forwards.

[fred]

Contrary to most views expressed her plasterboard is quite strong as long as the load is mainained in the vertical so any fixings used must ne kept tight to the surface. Once the load varies from the vertical towards the horizontal they will fail.

We have used both the metal and nylon coarse screw type fixings (Fischer type GK) to hold up a variety of cupboards with success. However our referred fitting now is the Fischer HM type set with their proprietory tool.

$MA=RT-HK-$MKAT-HK-$MPG-G7&ekat=3D$EKAT-HK-EN&path=3D$MART-HK-$MKAT-HKIf you google around you will find Fischer load tables for their various types of fixings.

As I say as long as you keep the loading vertical you will have little to fear.

Paul Mc Cann

[Gareth]

Thanks for all the replies.

Gareth.