Wall fixings?

Question

I have moved to a new build house where the walls seem to be made of a kind of soft plasterboard. I want to hang a coat rack and some mirrors. What kind of fixings would it be safe to use and how do i make sure i dont put them through pipes or wires?

Answer 1

Go to a reputable DIY retailer and ask for plasterboard/cavity fixings.

Answer 2

Rawplugs for the fixings

Use a detector, available from most hardware shops like B+Q, to make sure you don't go through wires or pipes.

Answer 3

I have had problems with hollow walls and bought those Hercules Hooks that can hold up to 50lbs.  They work well and are not strong enough to go through any type of piping, but you can hang heavy things using them.  They only make a tiny hole in the wall too.

Answer 4

old know all is right!

Answer 5

For the mirrors, you can use plasterboard fixings.  You drill a hole and push in the fixing.  When you put a s***w in, it buckles up behind the plasterboard and grips it.

For a coat rack, you need something more robust.  There should be timber uprights every 2 feet (600mm) along the wall.  You can locate these by tapping on the wall.  Fix your coat rack so that at least 2 screws go through the plasterboard into the timber.

If it's a new house, there shouldn't be any horizontal wiring in the wall.  The wiring to points should come straight up from the floor and to light switches straight down from the ceiling.  So as long as you don't want to put screws in there, you should be OK.  If it's soft board, you can poke through it with a small screwdriver before you drill your hole.  If there's a cable or pipe there, you'll feel it before you damage it.