plaster walls with no studs. pyrobar

13 years ago

i want to put up a big shelf that will hold some heavy items. the problem is my walls are made of plaster blocks called pyrobar. they blocks are stacked one on the other and held together with mortar. any ideas how i can anchor the shelf?

i found this picture online of what prybar looks like for those unfamiliar. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_62NH2bo0YhQ/SgDhaAdO7wI/AAAAAAAAALQ/zpoEBb3foKE/s1600-h/S6304484.JPG

and you can see a cross section on this page http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/303024/articles/fire-engineering/construction-concerns/2007/08/construction-concerns-pyrobarreg.html

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Comments (4)

brickeyee
13 years ago
How heavy?

Molly bolts should work fine if you stay within their weight ratings for 1/2 inch drywall.
palmers
Original Author
13 years ago
not sure exactly how much weight is gonna be on the shelf. it's a few solid metal sculptures. i would guess 50-80lbs. my concern with molly bolts or any expanding type anchor would be that it just crumble the plaster as it expanded vs gripping it.
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brickeyee
13 years ago
"my concern with molly bolts or any expanding type anchor would be that it just crumble the plaster as it expanded vs gripping it."

Molly bolts are rated around 50 pounds each in 1/2 inch drywall.

Unless you use the wrong length so they expand inside the wall material the expansion is in the cavity, spreading the load over a larger area.
RKD Grn
4 years ago
Hi. Did you ever figure out what anchors to use in your gypsum block wall?