Moving to a new residential place or a home is an exciting experience. You expect your outdoor and indoor designs to be perfect, like a dream house. Everything should look perfect. To make your dean look perfect and trendy, you must use the walls of your house. Hence the walls are the only place where you can make the storage without eating the floor area. Then the first thing which you have to know is how much weight can drywall hold.
The weight-bearing capacity helps you determine the sleeves and the hook’s designs.
And your interior design plans are going to be more accurate and perfect.
Let’s jump into the solution for how much weight can drywall hold.
What Is A Dry Wall?
Drywalls are known for their cost-effectiveness and easy installation. However, today’s topic of concern is their load-bearing capabilities. But to truly understand that, you need to understand dry walls from the inside out.
A drywall is a pseudo wall meant to cover the actual wall. These walls are usually made out of Gypsum. Gypsum is an abundantly available resource. Gypsum is an eco-friendly material that leaves a very minimal carbon footprint.
Drywalls are made by creating a gypsum slurry and then sandwiching the slurry between two papers. Everything about the drywall is decided by the thickness of this sandwich and the kind of paper that has been used.
Drywalls are known for their several benefits, such as fire, sound, and mold resistance. Or their easy-to-install nature.
Drywall Thickness
Drywalls come in different variants with varied thicknesses. Each of these variants is used differently and has its own pitfalls. In fact, manufacturers use various methods to make walls with varied advantages. ForFor example, increasing the layers makes it fire-resistant.
The most common thickness variant of drywall is ½ inch. This is used most generously in commercial as well as construction projects. This drywall provides around 30 minutes of fire protection. Therefore, it can even save lives.
Common Drywall Variants
Drywall is an umbrella term. Which means there are several different sub-variants. In order to truly understand the load-bearing capabilities of drywall, you must understand the variants that are available.
This section will effectively educate you guys about different drywall variants. However, it would be best if you remembered that this is purely an informational section and not a ranking section.
With that note, let us dive right in.
Regular Drywall
The foremost variant of drywall is the regular drywall variant. This is the simplest and most commonly used drywall all across the globe. These walls are even called whiteboards due to their color pattern and paper texture.
These are mainly used to make false ceiling boards or conceal walls. These boards have moderate load-bearing capabilities.
Mold Resistant Drywall
Mold-resistant drywalls are usually made using thicker paper that is covered in wax. These drywalls come with the ability to block out moisture and deter mold growth. Some mold-resistant boards come with fiberglass mesh.
The fiberglass prevents the mold from growing. These boards come with slightly more load-bearing capabilities compared to other drywalls.
Plasterboard
Plasterboards or blue boards are generally used as a base for plaster construction. Plasterboards are much thinner than other variants and are usually used as a supporting material.
Plasterboards are softer compared to other boards. These boards have the lowest load-bearing capabilities.
Soundproof Drywall
Every drywall comes with some soundproofing qualities. However, Soundproof drywalls are specifically made to block out noise and other sounds. These walls use components like wood fiber, Gypsum, polymers, etc.
These walls are comparatively much thicker than other walls. These are mainly used on the outer walls of a house in order to block out unnecessary sounds. These walls come with the highest load-bearing capabilities compared to others.
How Much Weight Can Drywall Hold?
When you are having questions like how much weight can drywall hold. First, you have to know what types of hooks and the studs you want to hang. Every hook and the stud’s weight and functions are different. For example, you can hang up 99 pounds with the 2×4 woodblock studs.
This is the simple weight-bearing capacity of the drywall. But before measuring the weight-bearing potential of the drywall, you also have to analyze a few factors. Like
- Materials that are used to construct the wall
- The age of the wall
- The weight which you are hanging
- Drywall thickness
- The studs and hooks materials etc.
These all factors influence the weight-bearing capacity of the drywall. So when you are planning to hang something, you must first have to analyze all these factors.
How To Hold The Weights On The Drywall?
Now, you know what is the answer for how much weight can drywall hold. But what are the different types of anchors and studs you can put into your wall? And how to place anchors into drywall?
Here is the list of five different types of anchors which you can put into the wall.
1. Wall Studs
The wall studs are the most convenient way to hang the weights on your wall. If you want to hang anything on the wall, the studs are an easy and fast process. Use the stud finder and start to install the wall studs. The 16 to 24 inches wood blocks are used as the weight.
If you do not have the stud finder, you must find a place where you can not hear the sound of hollowness. Then put the stud in the wall. The minor wall knock is enough to put the wall studs. If you do not have any wall studs, you can use the specialized hanging hardware.
2. Wall Screws
Wall-mounted screws are another great piece of hardware to hang the weight from your wall. More than the single 4-inch screws, the wall studs can hold more than 100 pounds. In addition, you only have to go a single inch underneath the stud for better security.
The books and the crockery are the heaviest items. If you want to hang up these types of items, this hardware will be your best pick. Wall screws are available in different sizes and shapes. Based on your requirements, you have to pick your screws.
3. Anchor
Now you know 100 pounds is the answer to how much weight can drywall hold. The anchors provide extra support and help you hang any weight in drywall. The anchors are lying against the wall, and screws hold the anchor correctly.
5 to 10 pounds of weight can be used as the anchor. Over 20 pounds of weight can easily hang up with screws. But if you want to hang the extra weight on your drywall, you have to strengthen your anchor fittings.
4. Winged Plastic Screw
Wooden winged screws are effective, but if you want to make your screws stronger, then you must use winged plastic screws. This is because the winged shape plastic screws hold the whole structure in the right place. These winged-shaped plastic screws are inserted into the hole, and the screws go into the opening.
The screws are reinforced into the wall and then ripped out from the hole. This whole system is great for the long rod and the shelf holdings. For example, you can hang up the rods, curtain rods, and toilet paper holders. The plastic screws are pretty strong, and they are not decomposable.
5. Toggle Bolts
Toggle bolts are another excellent alternative for the weight hanging for the wall and ceilings. If you like to hang anything from your ceilings, then the toggle bolts are one of the best hardware. You can hold 25 to 50 pounds of weight from the ceilings through these toggle bolts. But these types of bolts are easy to install but difficult to remove from the place.
These bolts are heavy-duty. And if you want to put the Molly bolts. Then a single hammer takes very little time to put in the wall. For mirror or drop lights hanging, these bolts are the perfect pick. The flat anchors can take more than 40 pounds of weight. But as this type of bolt is difficult to remove, you have to put it in the right place.
How Much Does A Sheet Of Drywall Weigh?
If you want to install a solid hanging spot, you must select a ½’’ drywall frame. Now, you know how much weight can drywall hold, but for a strong build, you also have to know how much a sheet of drywall weighs.
The interior residential constructions are commonly weighed around 1.6 pounds. Therefore, the weight of the total sheet is 50.1 pounds. On the other hand, the ⅝” on the drywall sheet is weighed around 70 pounds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. How Much Weight Can You Hang Up On Drywall?
The drywall anchors can hold up the 20 pounds of weight. But for the best hold, check up your wall construction quality. And put on a proper nail that can hold up a more significant weight. Regular diploma frames and flat-mounted hooks can hold up to 50 pounds.
2. Can Drywall Hold 10 Pounds Weight?
A nail on the drywall is able to hold the 10 pounds of weight, for this is the ultimate measurement. The weight should not cross over 10 pounds. The nails can increase the weight capacity.
3. Can Drywall Hold More Than 5 Pounds?
If you want to have a solid anchor. Then first, you have to select the proper hardware and drywall plugs. These plugs can hold more than 5 to 20 pounds of weight. But these types of anchors are not suitable for the ceilings. The sleeve-type anchors and the molly bolts can hold about 50 pounds on the wall.
Conclusion:
You get all the answers for how much weight can drywall hold. For the best result, measure up the factors and use the exact hardware to install the anchors and bolts before every installation does check your wall quality and the drywall thickness. Because the more you want to know about the weight-bearing capacity of the wall construction mechanism is pretty essential.
Read Also:
