I'm looking to install some small shelves on a concrete wall to display my vinyl records. Each shelf only needs to support about a pound, but I want them to be safe and sturdy enough for my more valuable records. The tricky part is that my wall has only half an inch of drywall before hitting a solid concrete slab, which makes me hesitant to rent a hammer drill and buy a bunch of concrete anchors for a relatively simple project. Any suggestions on how to securely put these up without too much hassle?
3 Answers
If you're just framing an album, command strips could work, but for your shelves, anchoring is a must. If you only have half an inch of drywall right on the concrete, that's a bit off design-wise. Usually, there are wooden furring strips that should be there, which would let you use butterfly toggles or at least give you some wood to drill into.
Forget worrying about conventional anchors, just grab a tapcon set. They come with everything you need: screws, a masonry drill bit, and a matched socket for the hex heads. Just remember, you’ll still need a hammer drill for the concrete part.
Honestly, you’ll need a hammer drill and concrete anchors to do this safely. It’s really the only way to ensure those shelves hold up without a problem. You don't necessarily need a big rotary hammer; a combination hammer drill will work just fine.
From what I can see, it's truly just half an inch of drywall on the concrete. No extra space.