Need to hang heavy objects from drywall...

[dbhost]

I just need to double check myself here, and I know this isn't a wood project, but it involves wood, and working with tools...

I am moving the home office / studio to a different room in the house. I need to do a full remodel, flooring, paint, etc... in this room, and among other things, I need to add 2 guitar hangers to hold up my basses off the floor. The space to hang them are beween doors and a corner in the wall, so I am literally going between studs.

I was thinking I could cut access holes in the drywall, and add a 2x4 stretcher between door framing studs, and corner studs, right up against the drywall, then put the drywall back, patch, texture and paint. I was just wondering if there was a better way.

I am using a guitar hook on a walnut block as a hanger. And these are 2 Ibanez Soundgear active basses. (1 4 string SR480, 1 custom 4 string SR500 with EMG pickups and GHS Bass Boomers strings...) FWIW, the SR500 I own is similar in name and neck design only to the current SR500. My SR480 is closer to the current SR500 except that the pickups are Ibanez specific P / J config instead of the dual J config of the new model. I would guess that they weigh in around 20 lbs each. There is a LOT of walnut and maple in them...

[Condoman44]

Togglers

I have used them for years putting up grab bars and heavy shelving in other peoples homes, never an issue.

[atgcpaul]

I have used them for years putting up grab bars and heavy shelving in other peoples homes, never an issue.

Agree about the Togglers. I used them in the past to hang open kitchen shelving that held our dishware and cast iron pots--definitely a lot more than 20lbs on there. There was always at least one side that was supported by just 2 Togglers. No problems for the 3+ years we used them.

I'd say the downsides to Togglers are that you need to drill a larger starter hole and that once installed, you can't remove it and use them somewhere else.

[dbhost]

Togglers?

Do you mean toggle bolts? (The things that have the wings that open up when you insert through the hole).

I am using these guitar hangers from Amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was concerned that any sort of drywall anchor would be likely to pull through... Might be worth a shot though... I am very sold on the specific location, just no clue on the mounting method.

FWIW, I don't have photos of my actual basses online, but here are pics of the...

SR480.


And this is the best photo I could find of a 1990s SR500... Will have to post mine. I do need to strip it and refinish it though... The clearcoat is bad...

[atgcpaul]

Togglers?

Do you mean toggle bolts? (The things that have the wings that open up when you insert through the hole).

Kind of. These are ones I'm talking about. They're made by Hilti and sold at HD.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hilti-1-4...7983/202290031

[phrog]

When they installed the x-ray machine in my office, they cut a large hole in the drywall. They then installed two 2x4's about a foot or so apart between two studs. They then doubled up about a foot square of 3/4" plywood anchored to the 2x4's. The drywall was replaced on top of the plywood and cosmetics was done to look like the rest of the wall. The plywood was the base for the x-ray machine.

[sailor55330]

I have used these for years with great success and they can be removed very easy.

http://www.homedepot.com/s/wall%2520anchors?NCNI-5

They are the twist & lock anchors. You can get them in various sizes, up to a 75lb capacity. They are basically a giant screw that bites into the dryway and then you put your mounting screw into them like a regular moly or wall anchor. Installs with just a screw driver and from my experience, strong as heck.

PS--I'm a musician as well and wouldn't hesitate to use one to hang my Fender Jazz from it.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Dave,
I believe the strength of drywall for your application is dependent on its thickness and how you displace the weight on it. So assuming its 1/2in thick or better, toggle bolts should work fine, however, for peace of mind and space allowing, I would mount your hangers on a larger sub-base first, maybe 6wx8h, and secure that to drywall using two top-mounted toggle bolts.

I've the 50" flat screen in my bedroom hanging from its bracket mounted with toggle bolts into drywall only for over two years now, and its still there.

[tfischer]

Togglers are awesome, but I wouldn't trust them in drywall to something expensive.

It's not the Toggler's fault... they're engineered perfectly. I use one of their products to hang my 46" TV into brick masonry joints over our fireplaces and it's going strong for over 7 years.

But drywall isn't designed to hold weight, and you never know if you got them installed properly. When we tore out our kitchen last year, the one wall backs up to the bathroom I renovated 2 years prior. There were two togglers that didn't quite "grab" the drywall which had just chipped away. It was ok for what we were using them for, but...

If it were me, I'd just make a nice 16" hardwood board that spans the studs. Screw that into the stud, then screw your hanger into that board. Stain the board to match first. Simple, strong, relatively quick, and doesn't involve drywall work which I avoid with a passion.

[gerti]

I am with Tim, I would not trust my nice basses to a piece of drywall. It'll likely hold, but it may not. Maybe the backplate of those hangers can be replaced with something that can span the studs.

[LCHIEN]

I'd use these:



Toggles can get lost behind the wall if you take out the bolt.
With these you drill a hole in the wall, pound these into the wall, the spikes dig in to keep it from rotating. Drive the screw and it opens up like the one on the right. Then back the screw out and put the screw through whatever it is that you want to hang... like your neck fork thingies. Looks like they take two screws.

Since the barbs under the head hold in to the front and the spread wings in the back hold in the back its is securely held.

THe force is not really pulling the fasteners out of the wall, the force is trying to shear the screws or split the drywall. Nails are worst since they have a small cross section and act like a knife through the sheet rock in shear.

With these fasteners the load on the sheetrock is spread on the round part that's through the sheetrock. You can get different sizes, they have standard screw threads (the screw is pointed to help drive it into the sheetrock without drilling but I prefer to drill to keep from blowing out the back. Size the screw for the holes in your neck hanging forks.

[dbhost]

Hopefully the attached image can give you a better idea of what I am trying to do. It's the smallest room in the house at 10x11 not counting the closet, and I am trying to maximize space utilization as a home office and studio / music room.

The SR500 was honestly, a cheapie from a former coworker in exchange for an Ibanez 5 string I got cheap on Ebay, I was just happy to be rid of it. He was a slap player and had literally worn the original pickups out by repeatedly driving the strings into them. All the wood is in great shape, although the finish on the body like I mentioned, the clearcoat is coming off. I swapped out the OE pickups for a set of EMG P/J-X that I got from Guitar Center on clearance years ago. (Usually $180.00 / set I got them for $75.00), and I threw a new set of tuning machines, and strings at it. I figure with the cost of the 5 stringer, new pickups, tuning machines, and GHS Bass Boomers, I have maybe $250.00 into it, more importantly than budget though, I had to clearance the pickup bores a hair as the EMG pickups are somewhat larger than the Ibanez OEM pickups were. So ugly as it is, my attachment to that bass is more sentimental / pride of accomplishment in getting an effectively dead instrument and bringing it back to life.

And the SR480 aside from the GHS strings is rock stock. I bought it when Danny D's Guitars moved from Webster Texas to League City Texas to become Danny D's Guitar Hacienda. Again on clearance, and it was a model closeout before the brought the new model (current model still, even over a decade later!) SR500 out. Prices seem to have come down somewhat. When I bought my SR480, I got it on deep discount, but they were commonly selling for $699.00 and even some places were getting $799.00 for them. The SR500 is going for $599.00 these days, and features the dual Bartolini soap bar style pickups instead of the P/J arrangement. So long winded story short, I prefer the P/J pickup arrangement, so I would MUCH rather keep my existing basses than replace them with the new models...

[sailor55330]

I'm not trying to stir up the subject here, but guys, we are talking about a bass guitar here, which probably weighs 15lbs at most, not a flat screen tv that double or triple that. Additionally, we are looking at that weight suspended by 2 anchor points as per the picture of the hanger (which I like BTW). I have no affiliation with the product, I just think it's the simplest, easiest, least damaging product that actually works that I have ever seen.

A classic case of over-engineering.

The Twist & Lock products are rated at up to 75lbs each. I've used them to hang closet organizers which end up with significantly more weight than a bass guitar.

Here's a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nF_nZRlONA

[atgcpaul]

A classic case of over-engineering.

The Twist & Lock products are rated at up to 75lbs each. I've used them to hang closet organizers which end up with significantly more weight than a bass guitar.

Completely agree. I'd trust those Twist and Locks (I use them a ton in places I know my wife will want to reorganize later) as well as the Togglers for your application. The previous owners of our house used the Twist and Locks to install wire shelving in a closet. My wife has those shelves LOADED with filled scrapbooks, etc.

The other thing going for you is that your guitars will be sitting pretty close to the wall. Almost all of the force will be downward and there is little risk of them getting pulled out of the wall.

[Condoman44]

Post #5 Shows Togglers

The reason I use these is that I can use a 1/4-20 round head or flat head screw and that is likely what a grab bar needs. I carry Togglers and stainless steel screws of both types when mounting grab bars.

Yes, you have to drill a 1/2 inch screw but, the Toggler stays put when the screw is removed.

I am not a fan of molly bolts because these off shore items are poorly made and often fall apart before being set. I am not saying this always happens, just that it happens enough that I don't like them. When I get them from Fastenal or Grainger the quality is better.

Nothing is as much fun as being at a customer location using a molly bolt that breaks on installation and leaves a hole in drywall that is not easy to fix. Been there done that.