How to Install 50 Pound Wall Anchors

A shelf can hold a great deal of weight with a proper bracket. Any wall from concrete to drywall can hold weight up to 150 lbs. if the right screws and brackets are used. Putting up shelving is a homeowner project that appears simple, but if the owner puts a shelf up incorrectly, the project can go bad rather quickly.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rotary hammer drill
• Drill bits, 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch
• Shovel
• 2 wrenches 7/8 inches
• Channel locks
• Vice grips
• Reciprocating saw
• Metal saw blades
• Auger

1. Check the building plans or an electrician to find out where the wiring is in the walls. You will also want to know the location of water and furnace pipes and if there are any gas lines in the wall.

2. Measure the job out. Make marks 4 ½ feet to 5 feet in from the corner of the wall on each side. This is where you will place the anchor.

3. Dig a hole 2 to 3 feet long by 15 inches wide and 2 to 3 feet deep. This hole is for an outside anchor placement.

4. Drill into the concrete wall. Put a 7-foot interior steel plate on the wall. Put a mark where you want to drill the hole—mark a spot 1 1/2 inches from the top of the slot on the plate.

5. Push a rod through the hole you just drilled. Use a hammer to pound the rod out the other side. Use a coupler on the end of the rod so the pounding does not destroy the rod end. You may have to dig a bit more in the hole to find the rod.

6. Pull the plate through to the end of the rod and tighten with a nut. Do the same for the same for the front anchor. Use a washer and a wing nut to fasten the anchors to the wall.

7. Fill the hole with dirt. Pound the dirt into the hole with a shovel and stomp on it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you run into rocks when digging, use a chipping hammer. A reciprocating saw will help to cut tree roots.
• A typical 30-foot long wall will need a minimum of five anchors.