I live in rented accomodation and want to fix the above to my wall.
If i have a drill, some rawlplugs and virtually no experience of DIY, can I screw this up easily? I believe that 3 or 4 holes would need to be drilled.
Then when i leave the apartment and fill it with that white goo stuff (you can judge my level of expertise from the way i talk), is that also easy and will it look terrible after i do it? I have a white wall with those kind of little dimples all over it, as if its white wallpaper laid over lots of little bugs caught suddenly unawares underneath.
Alternatively, if i wanted to pay someone to fit it properly, does anyone have any suggestions about who would do it, and how much it would cost.
The piece of equipment is to put a film projector onto, it hangs underneath.
Yes, this is part of my daily living experience in switzerland!
How heavy is projector ? Is it an external wall ? Do-able on a solid wall. I probably wouldnt attempt it on an internal dividing wall. Oh, and if you fixing heavy brackets, make sure you get a mans hammer drill; none of the girls rechargeable things. Masonary drill will help, and remember that the hole you drill will be the clearance size for the rawl plug, which should be larger and deeper than the screw dimensions. Oh and your rawl plugs will be very difficult to remove at a later date, but cross that bridge later. Go for it.
Exactly the reasons why my projector currently sits on a rather ugly shelf thing. I can only imagine myself gouging massive chunks of plaster out of the wall by mistake, followed by a sizeable panic attack.
How about the getting someone to fit it part... any ideas on that anyone?
as Dave said, make sure you use a percussion drill, otherwise you won't get far.
Also be aware the some landlords require damages to the wall to be fixed by a pro once you leave your appartment, so that could cost you a bit more than doing it yourself.
Wear glasses, and try to avoid being in the house on your own.
Switch off sockets fusebreakers and lighting if possible.
Check electric cable runs using a cable detector if you have you have one.
Get decent stepladder or something safe to stand on.
Mark out where you want to drill the holes.
Work out the depth of the hole at set the depth stops on the drill if it has them.
Use a small 4mm drill as the pilot drill and set the drill to high speed.
Drill the pilot hole using a firm but not excessive pressure, you will hear the change in the drill pitch if you push too hard.
Mind that you are drilling straight into the wall.
Increase the drill bit size until the correct hole size achieved. Note that larger drill bits normally require a slower rotation speed though this is not crucial if you are primarily drilling through plaster..
Make sure rawl plug is flush or even slightly below mounting surface.
Repeat other holes.
Screw the sucker to wall.
Stand back.
Admire.
Invite friends round to admire.
Open Beers
Mount projector.
Dispatch beer , 1 off, c/o DaveA English Forum Xmas Party.
I am experienced with drilling and fixing things to walls.
But once when I got one new appartment in Geneva, I wanted to fix some bookholders to the wall... so I drilled, set up the shelves, put on the books...
I was happy with the results... then suddenly KABOOOM, the shelves falled down.... leaving 3 big holes at the wall...
Yes, there was a big plaster area there, The wall looked solid, but the plaster was too thick, so the screws didn't reached the bricks.... and when falling broke big holes ( 15 to 20 cm wide ) in the wall.... That I had to repair afterwards...
the funny thing is, as i first read salsa lovers post, i was thinking "Great!! I know salsa lover personally because we play five a side football together... here is someone who sounds very experienced, maybe he can help me out in fitting the thing!!!"
As i read further, well, what can i say!
thanks salsa lover you did cheer up my miserable working afternoon!
This is very good advise, but you probably don't have a cable detector. Instead, you can infer whether there are any cables to worry about with a reasonably high level of confidence by using the rule of thumb that cables generally run in a straight vertical line from the ceiling down to any sockets or switches in the wall. Therefore, if there is not a socket or switch below where you are planning to drill then you are probably OK. Unfortunately, this rule isn't perfect and it's certainly possible to find a cable anywhere in the wall, but so far I've been lucky.
For mounting a projector in this manner, I feel certain that the kit will come with (or need) 8-10cm screws. I would be careful into what you're drilling and also remember that many apartments have armoured concrete walls - so hammer drill with good quality bits are a must. Also if the bit starts to smoke, take a break otherwise ..... it'll be busted before you know it.
x2 ways of working this out option 1 is probably easiest.
You should see a change in the colour of the dust when drilling between the brick + plaster. I suggest more brick colour than plaster.
Tapping the wall gives a good indication of how solid it is. Obvious but there you go. Partition walls sound hollow and echo where as a solid wall will not. They need different types of rawl plug, hollow plasterboard type thingees have wings on them that open behind the board when inserted. Brick ones tend to have small teeth down the side.
I put a picture up in the Channel Islands with a rawl plug, 5 melted drill bits later and a lot of granite dust I got the damn thing up. I guess you could call that a solid wall.
SDS hammer drill should do the job but be v careful they can "blow" the back out of weak walls!!
Im sure you are very good, i was just poking a little fun thats all. Dont be surprised if you receive an invitation to come over to my place soon, i feel we dont know each other well enough : )
I'd be glad to help you, but as maybe you know I am leaving for hollidays this saturday, will be back on 2nd January.... if for that date you still need the help, feel free to ask.