Screws

Dangee4050

Ive a timber frame house. I want to add heavy kitchen cabinets to the party wall.

which is made up of 12.5 plasterboard, 30mm service batten, pink board and sound block.

would the 30mm service battens be strong enough to hold the heavy cabinets?

I’ll use a 50mm screw so it penetrates 30mm into the batten.

10-10-20

How are the service-battons attached to the "pink board" and subsequent layers and are they always aligned with the vertical studs further in? I'm going to guess that the service-battons aren't going to be structural. I'd guess you need to go back as far as studs in the "inner leaf".

Dangee4050

Thank you for the reply.

The Battons are fixed by screws through the two sheets of plasterboard into the vertical studs I assume. Although I can’t be certain they line up with the vertical studs. I don’t like the idea of using 80mm screws through the wall.

would it have any negative affects screwing through the soundblock board and vcl?

ideally I’d like to just fix into the service battons less anxiety

Phil.x

Get 5 x 100mm screws and drill a small pilot hole through plasterboard and 30mm batton, say a 3mm drill bit.

Dangee4050

Thats two people telling me what I already know. Screw into the vertical stud.

im just freaked out a bit because sound proofing is already terrible and I’m anxious I’ll make it worse?

that’s why I was hoping fixing to the battons would do the job.

Lumen

Based on what you describe I'd screw into the battens as you suggest, as long as you're sure you can hit pretty much the centre of the batten.

I assume your concern is that the battens are insufficiently anchored and will pull away from the wall as you've noted your assumption that the battens are properly and consistently screwed into the structure behind. This assumption is doing a lot of heavy lifting, literally.

The only way to be sure is to make some test fixings and apply more than the intended load, but you risk cracking the plaster, but in your position I think that's what I'd do.

Alternatively, I suppose you could install some kind of foam backed steel reinforcing member running across the top of the cabinets, and screw that into the studs. That way the top of the battens will be held in compression against the levering force but there will be fewer screws to carry noise (if that's a thing). But unless you router the back of the cabinets that'll be visible.

Can you ask the builder how the battens are attached?

Dangee4050

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120106312#Comment_120106312

Thanks for the reply.

yes, I am concerned about how it’s attached to the vertical studs. If it weren’t attached to then studs and it were free standing would it still be strong enough?

the test idea is great I’ll do that and it will give me peace of mind.

no I’m not sure who built the house .

Lumen

If the question is "is a heavy attachment to battens safe if they're not strongly fixed to the studs" the answer is definitely "no".