How to mount mount stuff on metal studs and concrete block?

[CHuDWah]

My attached garage is concrete block walls on three sides and drywall on metal studs for the wall in common with the house. I want to hang pegboard backed with 1 x 2 furring strips on the common wall and cabinets (upper and lower) on one of the block walls. Course both will have to support the weight of whatever is stored on/in it. I've hung stuff on drywall with wood studs but never on metal studs or block. What's the best way to mount everything so it stays up?

 

[CHuDWah]

What, NOBODY knows?!

 

[The Cobbler]

Fine thread drywall screws or regular wood screws on the steel stud. just don't over tighten & strip them out . I would double the screws you would normally use.
tapcons ( concrete screws) into the block .

 

[Red 17]

On concrete use lead or plastic anchors, depending on how many you use and what your total weight will be. Hammer drill is your friend.

 

[MushCreek]

Metal studs aren't designed to hang heavy loads on them. When you build with them, you plan ahead so you can double them up with 2X's in them to handle loads such as kitchen wall cabinets and TV mounts. I *think* it's mostly an issue of fasteners pulling out, so use plenty of fine-thread screws. Another option would be to drill bigger holes into them and use toggle bolts. I think for pegboard you'll be fine. It gets dicey when you start hanging shelves and other cantilevered loads. I built my entire house with metal studs for interior walls. I just hung a shelf in our mudroom. With 6 trim screws in it, I hung from it (170 lbs.) and it felt solid. Overkill, because it's just designed to hold hats!

 

[CHuDWah]

Thanks, guys!

I'm not the original owner of the house so I don't know a lot of the construction details. I do know the studs are metal but I doubt they're wood reinforced. The pegboard will be used for shop and garden hand tools. I have a pretty good selection of the basic stuff but I don't collect a lot of esoteric tools. I plan to use two full sheets of pegboard (just because I can ). It'll cover an 8 x 8 area but I doubt it will be completely filled, so I can spread the load over a larger area.

The cabinets are being salvaged from our kitchen remodel. Most of them will be floor-standing so there won't be much load on the wall. I will use the countertop as a workbench but I won't be doing anything very heavy on it. I'll anchor the cabinets mostly just to stabilize them. But there will be a couple of wall cabinets. Guess I'll just have to be careful not to load them down too much.

 

[Bert_]

For the steel studs use a toggle bolt. Tapcons work pretty good for this sort of thing in concrete walls.

 

[signcrafter]

Toggles work good in steel studs. Not the old school metal wings but the newer ones that basically put a nut in the wall. Much better and stronger. I've hung many TVs from steel studs and no problem. Even the big 65 inches on extendable swivel mounts. You just drill a 1/2" hole threw the drywall and stud. Insert toggle and pull tight. Then use whatever length screw you need to thread into the anchor. They are rated for something like 150 pounds each in 5/8 drywall depending on which brand you get.

For block you can use a variety of anchors and depending on things some will work better then others. Lag shields work pretty good or if you get in the hollow parts toggles can work here also.

Lots of options out there, you just have to see what works best in each situation. I have a huge variety of anchors and use them all at different times depending on the situation.

 

[paredown]

I'm a fan of lead anchors in concrete and block. Plastic, not so much.

 

[vtcat]

Start with thick plywood?

 

[Rick B.]

Expanding anchors or tapcons for the block walls and sheet metal screws for the metal studs. The coarser the screw the tighter the grip.

 

[CHuDWah]

Toggles work good in steel studs. Not the old school metal wings but the newer ones that basically put a nut in the wall. Much better and stronger. I've hung many TVs from steel studs and no problem. Even the big 65 inches on extendable swivel mounts. You just drill a 1/2" hole threw the drywall and stud. Insert toggle and pull tight. Then use whatever length screw you need to thread into the anchor. They are rated for something like 150 pounds each in 5/8 drywall depending on which brand you get.

For block you can use a variety of anchors and depending on things some will work better then others. Lag shields work pretty good or if you get in the hollow parts toggles can work here also.

Lots of options out there, you just have to see what works best in each situation. I have a huge variety of anchors and use them all at different times depending on the situation.

Just to clarify, is this the toggle you mean?

 

[bigmaq]

Steel studs are great. We use them all the time in NY for both remodel and new construction. Nice and straight. Wish more people would use them; fire resistant, mildew resistant, termite resistant, already has holes for copper pipe and electrical. My entire building is built with brick/block and steel studs. We hang kitchen cabinets from them all the time. You can use self-tapping fine-threaded screws meant specifically for steel studs. HD and other big-box stores carry them (at least in the northeast). Dont' be fooled by the thin gauge. When the drywall is screwed to the steel stud it stiffens the studs right away and makes it very strong and can carry a LOT of weight. BTW, do you have 1/2' or 5/8" drywall? If you have 1/2" I'd double it with another layer. If you're attaching to the studs you're fine with the screws. You can supplement with the toggle bolts if drilling through just drywall.

 

[SALIV8]

Id use toggle bolts for both the common wall and the block wall. Tapcons dont have great pull out resistance in my experience and are very picky about the hole theyre going into.

If the block isn't hollow then I'd use wedge anchors.

 

[CHuDWah]

Just a follow-up...

Figured out a way to install cabinets without attaching them to the concrete block wall, so that's a non-problem. Was going to use a furring strip frame to hang pegboard on drywall, but I found these gizmos - think I'll give them a try:

http://www.toggler.com/products/pegboard/overview.php

 

[PugetDude]

My house is all steel framing, it was built by a commercial contractor.
Everything is hung with TEKS self-drilling construction screws. HD carries them.