Fixings to building boards
With these Sormat hollow wall and hollow fixings, you can make smooth and reliable fixings to all building boards used in construction. For additional installation tips, see the Quick fixing course. To find out the wall material, you can get help here.
WHAT ARE BUILDING BOARDS?
Thin-walled building boards are extremely common in all construction, usually as the surface material of structures. Gypsum board is also often used as the material of suspended ceilings and in fire protection of load-bearing or compartmentation structures. Building boards include gypsum boards and fibre reinforced gypsum panels, wood fibre boards, plywood boards, particle boards and various decorative panels. The strength and properties of the boards vary greatly. The strength of the board surface and installation point of the fixing are also influenced by the timber or metal structures behind the board surface, such as battens.
Remember that gypsum board fixings usually only take as much as the gypsum board can take!The endurance of gypsum board is affected by moisture in transport, storage and the point of use, among other factors. Also, there are differences between the durability of different manufacturers’ products.
Do not believe the marketing speech about manufacturers’ gypsum board fixings if only the maximum load-carrying ability is used as the sales argument. Cheap plugs bought from discount shops are made of cheap plastic. They fatigue due to the effects of conditions and strain and eventually yield! Also, do not rely on plastic plugs stored for long periods because they become fragile in storage; therefore, do not think about using plastic fixings from your grandparents’ era.
When fixing to building boards, you should always aim to utilise timber or metal battens behind the board wall. Battens are usually placed with a spacing of 600 mm. There are special structure indicators in the market for identifying the locations of battens, and they also often indicate the locations of electric wires. If the batten is in the right place, you can use ordinary screws for fixing.
Future wall installations can be made easier already when building the partition walls by strengthening the hanging points of heavier home electronics with two gypsum board layers or horizontal battens and/or plywood behind the gypsum board.
WITH THESE WALL PLUGS, YOU CAN MAKE FIXINGS TO ALL WALL MATERIALS
The GRIPPERTM wall plug is suited for all common wall fixings in construction, renovation and interior decoration. You can now forget about hesitation between different types of plugs, because GRIPPERTM works in all wall materials and structures! Thanks to its DuPontTM Hytrel® material, GRIPPERTM endures long-term load, shocks, wear and tear, moisture, chemicals, temperature fluctuations and storage better than ordinary plugs. GripperTM also works in solid walls.Learn about the use of the Gripper wall plug in fixings to tile walls in sanitary facilities here.
The YLT universal plug is a “knot plug”; when tightened, it turns into a lasting knot either against the rear of the building board or against the walls of the drill hole in solid building materials. This means it remains in place thanks to friction, locking or both. YLT is an affordable plug type that works in all wall structures and materials.
THE ARMS OF WALL ANCHORS SPREAD AND LOCK IN PLACE BEHIND THE BOARD
The OLA hollow wall anchor is a ONE-FOR-ALL fixing that should be included in every toolbox. Thanks to its ingenious patented structure, OLA is suited for all building boards with a thickness of 12 mm or more. OLA even works in solid materials similar to a through bolt against the walls of the hole. Thanks to its material, OLA also endures long-term load, shocks and strain better than ordinary anchors.
MOLA is a high-quality full metal molly-type anchor that can be tightened with a screw driver or assembly pliers. MOLA’s structure allows removing and re-fixing the object several times. Zinc electroplated MOLA is intended for use in dry indoor conditions. 13 mm for single and 26 mm for double gypsum plasterboard. Between battens, the anchor spacing should be a minimum of 200 mm.
TOLA is a toggle bolt-type board anchor with an M6 machine screw for diverse cavity fixings in boards with a thickness of 10–90 mm. TOLA is suitable for fixing heavy equipment, flat screen TV mounts, basins, radiators, etc., within the durability of the board materials. This anchor is also the best solution when making fixings to suspended ceilings made of building board or ceilings above which there is a cavity for, for example, insulation and cabling. Zinc electroplated TOLA is intended for use in dry indoor conditions.
For heavier fixings requiring fire endurance, full metal MOLA or TOLA anchors should always be used. Read here how to fix a flat screen TV wall mount using MOLA or TOLA anchors.
SELF-DRILLING GYPSUM PLASTERBOARD ANCHORS FOR LIGHT QUICK FIXINGS
The most convenient solution for fixing light objects into gypsum plasterboard (max. load 8 kg) is the KLA and KLA METAL gypsum plasterboard anchors. You can install them without pre-drilling using a Philips screwdriver. KLA METAL is also suited for lined gypsum plasterboard and installations requiring fire endurance. KLA MP is pre-equipped with a long screw for fixing thicker objects.
It is largely a matter of taste whether to use an expanding plug, YLT-type knot plug or OLA-type anchor. The most common fixings will certainly succeed with all of these fixing types. If your fixing problem is not resolved by these instructions, you can always contact Sormat’s fixing experts using the inquiry form. The solution for fixing problems is sormat.com!
