Secure Fixing to the Walls: The vertical wall stripping should be screw-fixed to rigid solid walls or wall studs. The wall strips should not be fixed to the plaster sheeting of plaster walls using wallmates or similar devices – fix to the timber or steel studs that support the plaster sheets. The Wall Stripping has 5mm fixing holes every 250mm. The Wall Stripping should be screw fixed through every hole to maximise the weight carrying capacity of the shelving.

Ensure that the Wall Stripping is installed to a level horizontal line: Use a laser level, large spirit level or water-filled tubing to make sure the wall stripping is installed level. Many floors are undulating or sloping. Installing the wall stripping off floor level may result in an unlevelled installation with sloping or undulating shelves.    

Horizontal Spacings: We recommend that wall stripping supporting timber shelves should be attached at 600mm centres wherever possible. Timber studs in older buildings are typically 450mm apart, while steel and timber framing in more modern buildings is often 600mm apart. Use a Studfinder to locate the position of the studs. The horizontal spacing of the wall stripping installed on concrete or brick walls is often determined by aesthetics with the wall strips installed with equal spacing to fill the wall length exactly, but every effort should be taken to achieve 600mm centres for the wall strips. Heavy applications may require the Wall Stripping to be installed every 450mm. Wall stripping supporting steel shelves can be attached up to 1200mm centres but the weight loading of the 1200mm long or smaller shelf must be no more than 50 kg U.D.L. and will depend on the wall construction and composition.

Fixings: For most applications screws 40mm or longer are used.8 gauge, self tapping, zinc plated, Phillips slot (or Pozidrive), dome head screws are typically used for steel framing or hard timber studs. More aggressive wood screws are recommended for softer timber studs like pine. Plastic plugs and compatible screws are recommended for most brick or concrete walls. Special fixings may be required for soft sandstone or brick walls – ask you hardware store or specialist fastenings supplier for advice.

Weight Loading: The weight loading of the shelf will depend on the type of fixings used and the nature of the wall to which the wall stripping is fixed. The weakest point will not be the shelf, brackets or wall strip, but how the wall stripping is attached to the wall. The weight carrying capacity of the shelf will decrease as the depth of the shelf increases and the number of shelf levels on the stripping. Shelves deeper than 500mm are generally not suitable for wall strip shelving.