Questions about shelving tracks in drywall

[leakyroof]

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]

Finally, I'd go along with the others and try to bring the loads back to the floor if possible. I could see a "bottom shelf" that functions as a shelf but is actually also the base which then spreads the load over a large area of the floor that it's resting on.

  yep, that was my first thought and question about this. It still seems the safest way to go... [smile]

 

[ear3]

Right.  I'm going over to the place in a few days to do a cut out on the wall and see what the stud situation is in terms of gauge and whether it's secured on both sides.  I'll make a determination from there whether it's worth it to move forward with the track shelving, or whether additional support will have to be added to the wall -- or whether at that point we just say screw it and do a built in!

That is what I would do.

Shame on me...my assumption was that Edward was going to tie back into the steel studs with the snap toggles. If so, the drywall would be adequately supported/compressed and restrained by the snap toggle system. However, if everything isn't tied back into the steel studs, the additional load will be transmittted to the drywall and 1/2" gypsum will not support the load.

I really think you would do well to have a conversation with a manufacturer of steel studs regarding recommendations.  Remember, you have a torsional bending (levering) component here with multiple shelves each carrying significant weight.  Steel studs are not meant for that kind of stresses.  Look at the stresses as having a zig-zag effect on the studs, and steel studs are spectacularly unsuited for that directional stress.

 

[Cheese]

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]
All is not lost if the steel studs prove to be smaller than usual or a thiner gauge than usual. The 2x4 wood in-fill thing is a viable option and I would entertain that option, the only downside is the extra work involved.

 

[bkharman]

If you are cutting into the wall, why not replace the drywall with ½" ply?  If you have that plus steel studs (with or without 2x4's in them) you will have an excellent backer for most shelving.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[ear3]

Right [member=44099]Cheese[/member] -- that was a potential option I floated, as well as the suggestion of [member=21412]bkharman[/member] of cladding the wall with plywood.  Though at this point, the job has become much more expensive/complicated than the person was anticipating.  Bottom line though is that I won't install anything the structural integrity of which I'm not confident in. 

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]
All is not lost if the steel studs prove to be smaller than usual or a thiner gauge than usual. The 2x4 wood in-fill thing is a viable option and I would entertain that option, the only downside is the extra work involved.

 

[ear3]

So I finished up the project today.  Went with a shelving system by Rakks -- Q style wall standard and heavy duty 2" brackets.  I was able to address the concerns about the weight by bringing the tall standards all the way down to rest on the baseboard.  With one exception, all the standards are also tied into the metal studs in the drywall, spaced at 16" intervals, so there should be plenty of support.  I was originally going to use the Snap toggles mentioned earlier in the thread, but unfortunately the standards are sized for smaller fasteners, and drilling them out for a 3/16" bolt (minimum size for snap toggle) would have chewed into the face of the standard.  So I just went with regular toggle bolts.

The shelves are Sapele veneered ply with a hardwood edge, finished with Osmo.

Installation took a long time.  This was partly because I had to slightly widen every hole to make sure the metal stud didn't impede the toggle.  But it was also because of the design of the system, which makes aligning all the brackets a tedious task.  More time was also spent carefully drilling two holes on the underside of each board at either end into which pins on the end brackets are inserted for extra shelf stability.

For anyone interested in the Rakks system, I just wanted to alert you to what seems like a major design flaw (at least for the heavy-duty Q standards -- can't speak for the others).  The brackets have no preset position.  Rather, you slide them up or down to the desired height, and then wedge them down into a 90 degree angle.  They are designed to fit so tight that the act of wedging them creates a small indentation in the standard, which thereafter acts almost like a positive stop on a miter gauge or saw scale.  If you try to reset it within an 1/8" of that indentation, the bracket pops back into the spot where you initially set it.  So you have to be really careful when doing small adjustments, otherwise you will have to completely reset that run of brackets at least 1/4" up or down from the original spot.  Problem is that because you slide the bracket up and down at an angle, it's difficult to tell exactly where the bracket will end up when you pop it into the final 90 degree position.  So be ready for a patience-testing afternoon.

 

 

[nako]

Edward, congratulations on that shelving install.  It has a very elegant and contemporary look to it. 

 

[mike_aa]

Edward, Nice job!  I know you spent a lot of time trying to work out the best way to proceed with this.  It's good to see you've resolved the issues and came up with a solution that is great looking and should be sturdy for the long term.

I bet you are relieved this is finally done!

Mike A.

 

[ear3]

Thanks [member=30413]mike_aa[/member]  Relieved indeed.  Though one thing is leading to another and now the fellow who commissioned the shelves wants me to build a custom shelving unit to set inside his gigantic metal framed bed.  So I will have a whole new set of problems and issues to pester the FOG with.

Edward, Nice job!  I know you spent a lot of time trying to work out the best way to proceed with this.  It's good to see you've resolved the issues and came up with a solution that is great looking and should be sturdy for the long term.

I bet you are relieved this is finally done!

Mike A.