Installing Laundry Room Shelf


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Old 10-08-22, 01:40 PM
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Installing Laundry Room Shelf

Hi-

I have three of these iron shelf supports that support 75 lbs each when attached to studs per manufacturer.

Now that I have everything marked out I'm not 100% sure where to place the supports. Right now I am thinking put one in the left corner because there seems to be a 2x4 there. And then just place one more on the far right, both spots marked in red. The blue horizontal tape represents what I am thinking in terms of the shelf height and location. So it will run from the left corner and then stop flush with the far edge of the gray vertical divider I have on the floor.

I'm terrified to drill through this tile. I guess in hind sight I could have drilled some test holes before tiling just to confirm. I did use a stud finder before the tile and marked those with tape on the crown molding. My magnetic stud finder did not work through the tile but my electronic stud finder, while not perfect, confirmed the marks above after checking 100 times. The pictures may look a little weird because of the wide lens.

Anyhow, does that make sense to just use two brackets as marked? Thx





Thx.




 
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Old 10-08-22, 02:04 PM
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Many times the stud locations can be confirmed from the other side.

Here's the problem with the corner.... yes.... there is stud in the corner but it's typically there as a nailer. There may not be a full studs width to mount to.
That means you may need to put the bracket tight to the corner and drill slightly on an angle towards the corner.

I would put my top holes in the tile joint. If a mistake is made it could be fixed.
Unfortunately you have three brackets where four would look more uniform.....
and they're black which makes them stand out.


Looking again.... I may lean towards putting the three brackets out on the wall and get something different for the wall end.
 
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Old 10-08-22, 02:29 PM
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Drill test holes at the bottom of the tile and transfer the dim to the top!

I would put up 4 brackets where you have the blue tape!

Mount in the grout if possible, that will be much easier to drill!
 
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Old 10-08-22, 03:32 PM
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You can only put one hole on the horizontal grout line.
The studs are not directly behind the vertical tile seams.
 
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Old 10-08-22, 04:35 PM
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Ug. I need to think about this more. Fortunately I can drill into the wall and transfer up to confirm which is good.

I hear you about maybe not having enough room in the corner. 4 brackets would look more symmetrical than 3 for sure. But if I’m doing 4 I can probably just do two to reduce the risk of messing on of them up. I guess I can drill a few very small feet holes near the corner behind the dryer to see how much room I have to work with. I’ve been dragging this remodel out for a good year now and hit a new snag every step I take.
 
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Old 10-09-22, 02:16 AM
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I usually install a 1x4 on the side walls instead of using a bracket, saving the brackets for the middle.
 
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Old 10-09-22, 05:43 AM
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You can only put one hole on the horizontal grout line.
Or are they?? Look pretty close!


​​​​​​​
 
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Old 10-09-22, 09:57 AM
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I didn’t think about using wood for the corner but I will consider it.

are we saying it’s ideal to drill through the grout when it’s an option as opposed to directly through the tile?
 
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Old 10-09-22, 10:04 AM
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You can drill through the tile using a glass bit, just be sure you are hitting your studs.
 
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Old 10-09-22, 11:46 AM
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Grout = easy.

Tile = tough.
 
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Old 10-09-22, 12:16 PM
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sayluv You can fasten your brackets wherever you like... but what you might not know is that subway tile stacks so tight that the rows practically touch each other. So its not easier to go into the grout lines at all. You still need to drill a hole if you intend to fasten into a grout line.

Subway tile before grout:

 
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Old 10-09-22, 01:35 PM
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that the rows practically touch each other.
Yea but there is still a gap and compared to drilling through a tile itself, it's still a better/easier option.

Drilling though the grout line allows the ability to patch, for what ever reason, not an option drilling throught he middle of a tile.

Much easier to crack a tile than a grout line!
 
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Old 10-11-22, 10:36 AM
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I still haven't done anything but I drilled a few test holes in the corner and with the width of this bracket it looks like I have just enough room to hit a stud/wood in the corner if I want to go that rout.
 
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Old 10-11-22, 11:43 PM
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So maybe an alternative mounting scheme could be considered.

Attach a horizontal board across the tile so that screws hit the various studs with bracket screws installed from the back side facing forward, That way you can install the brackets where you want them independent of the wall studs!

What is going on the shelf weight wise?
 
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Old 10-12-22, 01:36 PM
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That's a neat idea. I'm Sure my wife will put 50 lbs of detergent bottles on the shelf.
 
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Old 01-01-23, 04:27 PM
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Hi again-

I've been putting off drilling through this laundry room tile for way too long. I will need to drill one hole through the grout which will be my first hole, then I will drill through the tile for my second vertical hole once I know I hit the stud.

This is on our second floor and then there is an attic above. I have been in the attic before doing work to replace our bathroom fans. This was a few years ago but I'm pretty positive the outlets from the bathrooms etc are run up to the attic for some reason.

This is my concern when drilling here. Attached to the stud I need to drill into there is the dryer 220 volt way below. But on the other side of the wall is our son's bedroom and there is an outlet attached to that stud as well. I have used my stud sensor with electrical detection and it shows that there is power running up the wall into the attic.

My questions is, how are this wire(s) attached to the stud? I am assuming they use those giant staple things to attach them to the side and there are no safety mechanisms for me to avoid hitting them with the drill if I miss. I have used the stud detector 100 times and marked where I think the right and left edges are but I'm really stressing about drilling into this stud. I may just be overthinking it or maybe not. I really need to have one of the shelf brackets there or it's going to look dumb.

Anyhow, if I go through the grout and use a little bit and feel for the stud will this be safe to do? Thx





 
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Old 01-01-23, 04:48 PM
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Your stud will typically be either to the right or left of that 220 box. You could take the plate cover off and look which side it's on. Move over 3/4" and plumb up to your spot to drill. The wire could be stapled or not. Either way you control how deep you drill. Once your thru the tile and drywall you stop drilling. That's like 7/8" deep. And your fasteners should be no more than 2" long, to avoid hitting wires.
 
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Old 01-02-23, 06:01 AM
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Plumbing is usually in the middle of the bay, and electrical is generally attached to the sides of the stud, as long as your in the middle of the stud you could drill a 1" dia hole through it with no issue, but you have to know where that stud is!
 
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Old 01-02-23, 06:11 AM
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Tap a nail through the drywall below where you want to drill, but where your sink is going to cover. That should give you peace of mind.
 
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Old 01-02-23, 06:17 PM
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Ok, very helpful tips and make a lot of sense. I'm just spooked because I installed a new light above our bathroom sink once and had to drill a new hole. Of course I hit a drain pipe coming from upstairs because I'm dumb. It was an easy fix for the plumber thankfully though will minor wall damage.
 
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Old 01-04-23, 07:26 PM
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got the brackets installed without getting electrocuted! I just need to fab a shelf, get the tile floor installed, and paint the walls and this 1+ year rehab will be done!


 
 

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