Have you ever struggled attaching a heavy object to a wall or a ceiling? You may use a stud finder, hunting and hoping that studs are exactly where you need them to be. Some count on hollow wall anchors to do the job. You don’t ever have to use those when building a new home or doing remodeling.
Flat-screen TVs, along with wall-mounting brackets, keep getting larger and heavier. You don’t want to hope they never fall to the ground. Kitchen wall cabinets, heavy mirrors and paintings are just a few other things that must stay put.
Talk to any seasoned finish carpenter, and they will tell you blocking is your best bet if you never want to rely on hollow wall anchors. Blocking is strategically placed wood, 3/4 of an inch or thicker, that gets covered by the finished wall covering. This wood is secured between vertical wall studs, ceiling joists or trusses in locations where you know you’ll be driving mounting screws or lag bolts.
Last year, while working on my son’s large basement remodeling project, we installed all sorts of blocking. In one instance, he wasn’t sure early in the job what height the shelves would be in two alcoves on either side of his TV. We solved this problem by installing 4-foot-tall pieces of CDX 3/4-inch-thick plywood.
This plywood was screwed to 2-by-2 pieces of lumber. The face of the plywood ended up flush with the face of the vertical 2-by-4s that created the alcoves. Months from now when the shelves are installed, he can install nails or screws anywhere on the sides of the alcoves knowing he’ll hit solid wood.
We also installed critical blocking behind all of the electric wall heaters. These heaters each weigh about 50 pounds. They’re expensive, and you never want them to fall to the ground. Horizontal 2-by-4s were nailed in between the vertical 2-by-4s. We referred to the heater installation instructions for guidance as to the recommended height above the finished floor for the blocking.
Not only did I take photos of the finished blocking with the centerline height above the floor marked on the flat 2-by-4s, but I also wrote this same information on the concrete slab with a Sharpie permanent marker. It was then easy to locate the center of the blocking once it was hidden from view by the drywall.
We used the 3/4-inch plywood trick in a closet under the stairs on the first floor. My son wanted all of the internet electronics, including the router, modem and Ethernet switch, mounted to the wall. We laid all the components on the floor in a logical arrangement so the cables would work and be manageable. This allowed us to place the pieces of plywood exactly where they needed to be.
Our blocking mission didn’t end there. We had to install two rows of flat 2-by-4 blocking for a towel warmer in the bathroom. Once again, we didn’t want to guess the correct location. The instructions gave a recommended height off the finished floor for the fixture.
Wall cabinets will be installed on a wall in his small speak-easy. Once again, we installed flat 2-by-4s at the correct height to match up with the inside rail at the top of the cabinets.
Blocking requires you (or your builder) to think ahead. This is a small price to pay in the planning phase. It eliminates frustration when it comes time to install things on walls and ceilings.
Here’s what many don’t realize about drywall. Most drywall specifications call for screw spacing to be 16 inches on center for walls. Ceiling drywall fasteners should be 12 inches on center.
Have you looked at how small the bugle head of a drywall screw is? Do you want to count on that to hold the drywall to the wall when you install a hollow-wall anchor? Yes, there are four screws on each wall stud. But what happens if the drywall hanger overdrives the screws and tears the facing paper? What happens if there’s a leak, the drywall gets wet, and the gypsum core turns to mush at the anchor location?
Don’t forget to take the requisite photographs or videos of the blocking before it gets covered up. Write the centerline heights of the blocking on the face of the wood with a permanent marker.
Tim Carter has worked as a home improvement professional for more than 30 years. To submit a question or to learn more, visit AsktheBuilder.com.
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