Attach french cleats to block wall directly or use stud/ply?

[sjalloq]

Hi there,

my 'workshop' is an unused room in my house that has plastered block walls. I want to put up a load of storage but am confused about the best way to put up the french cleats. Do I...

1. Just screw them directly into the wall?
2. Put a sheet of ply on the wall first so there are less fixings into the block wall? Would 3/4" construction ply be good enough and provide enough thickness to screw the cleats into?
3. Put up some sort of stud wall first and then ply on top of that?

The main issue I have with any of this is that the two walls I want to clad have radiators on that I don't really want to move.

Thoughts?

 

[Shultzy]

Attach the cleats directly to the wall using heavy duty bolts (depending on the loads). Depending on how flat the wall is you may have to pack the walls.

 

[sjalloq]

Thanks. By heavy duty you mean a frame fixing rather than a standard rawlplug/screw?

 

[MMUK]

I'd use a direct fix masonry bolt like those used by window fitters. They have a T30 head and need a 6mm-6.5mm hole, depending on substrate. With Thermalite blocks I tend not to pre-drill.

 

[sjalloq]

The room is an 80's extension so one wall is the old exterior wall so I'm probably drilling through plaster onto brick and the other is likely a standard cavity wall.

Would masonry bolts work on both walls? What depth do I need to drill to?

 

[sjalloq]

Hmm, just reading about masonry bolts/screws and they look good. Seem to handle all types of solid structures.

If I think I find mortar when drilling should I try to move up/down to try to avoid a row?

 

[tomf]

I'd just drill plug and screw, 5x70/80 and use quite a few, you're not trying to hold up an elephant are you?
I would think your french cleat would fail before the fixings.

 

[sjalloq]

Had a fast and useful reply from Fischer tech support. They suggested using the SXR-Z 10x100mm fixings which are good for 180Kg each into brick and 70Kg into blockwork. These are available from Toolstation for £16 for 50.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p43808

Thanks for the help.

 

[MMUK]

Had a fast and useful reply from Fischer tech support. They suggested using the SXR-Z 10x100mm fixings which are good for 180Kg each into brick and 70Kg into blockwork. These are available from Toolstation for £16 for 50.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p43808

Thanks for the help.

From experience I can tell you they are rubbish. More often than not they end up spinning the plug.

Screwfix item number 98755 is a much better option.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I can't comment on the particular fixing, but going straight into blockwork is fine, just do it. My previous workshop was like that and it held up with no problems for the best part of 20 years. The only cabinet that fell off was a cabinet full of nuts and bolts (so a few cubic feet of steel) and that was because the cabinet failed, not the French cleat.

(And no, it was not a cabinet I had made, it was a tangerine kitchen cabinet that we ripped out from the 1970s kitchen we inherited).

 

[woodpig]

I'll probably use 5 x 50 wood screws when I do mine but then I'm not planning oh hanging an anvil or cement mixer on the wall... :roll:

 

[sjalloq]

OK, thanks all. I might give both types a go and do a few tests. I'd be interested in seeing how they perform and have a few blocks lying round to experiment on.