UKC

Hi There,

I want to get a fingerboard to train at home, but most of the walls at home are plasterboard. Is there a type of screw that could hold the fingerboad in place? I'm just afraid it will pop out as plasterboard is not that strong.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Ramon

In reply to ramon marin martinez: it will pop, try above a door frame, usually solid there.

In reply to ramon marin martinez:

I think you're on to a looser there, even if you could get bolts to hold it in place you risk pulling the wall down when you do your first pull up.

In reply to ramon marin martinez:

Not advised.

There must be a wall that's partially solid, maybe a lintel over a door frame

In reply to fxceltic:

But even above a the door frame the wall is plasterboard. Do you guys mean that if fingerboard is resting on the door frame will reduce some of the forces created on the wall itself (and the bolts)

thxs

In reply to ramon marin martinez:

The only way you may be able to do it, is if you can locate the wooden battens that form the frame behind the plasterboard, then screw directly into them. They *should* be reasonably solid. Unfortunately, not easy to locate. The only way I know is to use a needle to poke tiny holes through the platerboard, and literally feel your way around. Then fill the pinholes with filler when you've finished.

Any qualified carpenters out there, feel free to shoot my ideas down in flames

In reply to El Cap:

well, that's something at least. See if there are any better solutions out there.
Thanks anyways

In reply to ramon marin martinez:
If the wall is plaster board over timber uprights (studs) you will be fine if you can fix to the studs. Finding them can be a little tricky. You can chain drill with a fine drill at 1" intervals till you hit the studs. Holes should be covered by finger board ultimately. Studs I think should be at 600mm centres (ish), I would want to hit more than 1.
If your board is less than 600 mm wide you can mount the board on another wider panel then mount the panel to the studs.
If your walls are plaster board over an older masonry wall than you just need to use longer fixings and don't over tighten.

In reply to ramon marin martinez:
Plasterboard is no good, but there'll be wooden studs (ie: vertical 2x3" timbers) about 18" apart that'll be ok.

What I'd suggest is that you put a wooden board between your fingerboard and the wall. The board needs to be wide enough to match the width of your fingerboard, and long enough to reach between studs either side of it. (And if there's one in the middle, thats a bonus.)

First you need to find the studs. A stud detector is the easiest way, they cost about a tenner to buy if you can't borrow one. You can find the studs without but its tricky - a mixture of educated guesswork, tapping the wall and listening for changes in the sound and trial/error.

Once you found them, mark out where the board is going on the wall, and where your fingerboard is going on the wooden board. Its probably neatest (and strongest) to drill the board and use t-nuts & suitable screws (bolts) for your fingerboard.

Screw the board directly to the wall studs (with wood screws, something like 2.5" number 10s) - you'll need to drill pilot holes to avoid splitting the board. If the board spans 3 studs, you can leave off your fingerboard until its fixed to the wall, and then bolt it on.

hth
Sean
x

In reply to deepsoup:

i don't think this is always the case. don't they use a metal frame on more modern builds?

In reply to Bret (rock god):
That's true some modern unitary stud systems do use pressed steel uprights. I don't think they are very common in mass market housing yet.
Think I'd still have a go though, but by drilling and self tapping.

In reply to ramon marin martinez: Mine's above a door frame. I like to think I've screwed it into wooden battens above the door (should get denser sound at points above each side of frame and in middle of door frame), and backed it up with long screws into the plasterboard at other points. You could mount the backing board by screwing the bottom of it to the wood of the door frame itself, then putting some rawlplugged holes to hold the top of the mounting board.

Alternatively you could put hooks on the back of the mounting board and suspend it from two Argos pull-up bars in the door-way.

In reply to Bret (rock god):
Oh, dunno! I'm not a builder, so only have experience of houses I (& my mates) have lived in, none of them new enough for that. You might be right, sounds rubbish.

In reply to deepsoup:

That is great, thanks a lot for it. Although as Bret has a very good point, the studs might be metal, instead of wooden, as the building is about 2 years old.

But I might try my luck anyways.

Thxs

Ramon

In reply to ramon marin martinez:
Not something I'd heard of before, so I defer to Bret & Karl on that one. Like Karl says, self-tapping screws may be the way forward if its steel, or maybe something like spring toggles?

You'll know when you find the stud & drill into it anyway, by whether you get sawdust or swarf coming out of the hole!

Best of luck

In reply to deepsoup:

Yeah, that'll give the veredict! Thanks for all the advice guys

Ramon