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Installing a shelf in a metal wall?
Okay, so my stud finder was proving pretty much useless against my office wall. I measured out a spot far away from any electrical wires, etc. and started to drill. I got about an inch in, and I just can't get any farther. It SOUNDS a little bit like this might be a metal plate, but I am now running into it everywhere. (I'm in an apartment building.) Now I've set the stud finder to "metal", and it seems to be working better.
Is there any way I can install a shelf into such a shallow hole, or punch through it without something like a hammer drill and some heavy construction I'll get evicted for? The shelves are the wife's IKEA "Lack" shelves: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/6010375... so they're going to need some serious support.
Am I, pardon the pun, screwed?
3 Answers
- robnrobn2000Lv 61 decade agoFavorite Answer
You paid $30 for a board? You already got screwed. You just need to get the proper bit and drill till you get thru your wall. You can always go to one of the neighbors and ask them.
- 1 decade ago
the problem here is 2 things you say you live in an apartment the surface you are probably hitting is either a block wall they put in between these apartments for a fire wall and the other is if it is metal you are hitting. Are the protection plates the Elecs. and plumbers put on the studs to keep any body from doing what you are trying to do. Drilling thru a pipe or wire. If it is block then you can drill into the pockets of the block get some of them anchors that open up after you install them thru the hole. They will hold the shelf.
- 5 years ago
Get a nail about the same diameter as the screws. Nail them partway into the wall right where you want the screws to be. Remove the nails. Pound or screw the plastic 'screws' into the wall. Insert the metal screws right dead center of the plastic screws. Attach the shelf as directed. The plastic-y 'screws' are in fact expansion hangers or sometimes called molly bolts. They are for use in hollow walls, like sheetrock or particle board or paneling. Do not use them if the shelf is going on a brick or concrete or other 'solid' wall.
