You can tell from the title of this post that I’m no builder!
I want to hang various things (bookshelves, a pot rack, etc.) from my apartment’s walls, which are made of drywall over steel studs. I finally got myself a decent stud finder. To my surprise, the stud finder says that the steel studs are about 6″ wide! (I get this from running the finder from either direction and marking where it starts flashing each time.) Does 6″ sound right?
It could be that the finder is ultra-sensitive (even though I’ve calibrated is exactly as the instructions say), so that it starts detecting the stud a few inches before actually reaching the edge of the stud. But I thought I’d run it by you folks.
Also, which bear more load, self-tapping metal screws (#12 x 2″) screwed into the steel studs, or heavy-duty drywall toggle bolts screwed into the drywall? (One of the applications I have in mind is a set of bookshelves, which can get pretty heavy.) The toggle bolts have a 90 lb rating, but there’s no rating for the metal screws.
TIA!
jill
Edited 1/19/2004 9:16:41 AM ET by jill
Replies
Jill,
Measure to the center of the two marks from your stud finder, and that should be the center of the stud. You can check for sure by poking a finish nail, small drill bit or something like that to see where the edges of the stud are.
Most steel studs like you describe would be 1-1/4" wide. I think your best bet for hanging your shelves and other heavy items would be to use a toggle bolt that would fit in the center of your steel studs. They would bear on the stud as well as the sheet rock.
Good luck!
Jon Blakemore
Jon is right, the studs are 1 1/4" thick, but I don't think your sensor is picking up a stud. It sounds more like the metal backer plate we put in the walls for hanging light cabinetry. The plate is 20 ga. x 6" wide metal that we screw onto the faces of the metal studs. It is almost always installed horizontally.
Normally, if we are going to hang something really heavy on the walls, we put in wood blocking. The metal backer works pretty well, but I doubt I would hang a pot rack with cast iron pots on the stuff. #12 self tappers are a good choice. use the right size drill for your pilot hole. that would be way better than togglers.
carpenter in transition
Thanks!
jill