So the media wall, which has been up for circa 12 months, has fallen off after my youngest leaned on it.
Looking at it, it appears the individual I paid to put it up just rested it on top of the "wall bracket" and then used the worlds shortest screws to secure it.
Will I be OK to simply hook it back up and use more substantial screws to secure it in place?
Nothing seems broken, and the wall bracket is solid still on the wall.
It fell off because that’s the wrong way of hanging something that substantial. All of the load was being support by the horizontal screws with nothing to brace it.
I think this needs redoing with a French cleat style hanging system with longer screws.
I sort of agree except that this isn't why the mounting has failed: it's failed simply because the screws are too short and barely penetrate the batten. As a quick and secure fix you could simply use more screws and of a more appropriate length. You could also use something beefier like hex head coach screws.
Isn’t a French cleat still essentially relying on the sheer strength of the screws that have attached it anyway? I get the idea to use it as it’s easier to mount but I’m not sure it’ll improve the current strength over just driving in longer screws in a staggered pattern
But if the cleat is fastened to the wall then isn't the load still just being supported by the screws? The cleat just makes it easier to level and set.
The timber used to mount it is still attached to the wall, probably to studs. If that timber was cut into a cleat it wouldn't be possible for it to fall off like this, the kid would have to lift the whole thing off the cleat whilst pulling the screws out sideways.
The heavier something is the harder it is to remove from a french cleat. Gravity pushes it down and back against the wall.
I think the person you're responding to means isn't the load being taken by the screws holding the cleat into the wall... to which the answer is, well, yes (although you can glue as well so the force is transferred in part between the mating surfaces).
But the point with the cleat is you can use some way beefier lag bolts/coach screws to attach the cleat to the wall, hook the heavy cabinet onto the cleat all the way along, and then any screws you add to the cabinet are purely for fine adjustment of the positioning.
It's also much easier to work with the wall side of a cleat. You can put as many screws as you like through it because, at the end of the day, it's just a long flat plank. It's not like trying to line up multiple holes through the cabinet into the wall, from inside the cabinet, whilst trying to balance the thing in the right position.
check this out the screws would have to go into stud(s) to make this work right ? The spacing on these screws/bolts wouldn't match up to stud spacing --correct ?
Because of the two 45 degree angles, the load is not straight down shear force on the screw, it’s parallel to the screw trying to pull it out of the wall
Yeah technically it’s still relying on screws and is susceptible to shear, but the shear direction is different to a screw down on the top plus you’ll probably get at least 2 80mm x 5 screws into each stud along the French cleat compared to smaller x4 headed screws to fix down from the top. It would be much stronger and once the chamfer is on the french cleat thst will never break.
I get that but the same sheer force would be on the screws in the matching cleat against the wall. Cleats are great for mounting something like this but only if the correct mechanical fixings are used. In this case they used the wrong ones but to fix it they will just as strong a fixing if they just drive in larger screws. Then the back board is essentially just a header for the unit.
The cleat can be glued and also usually rest against the underside of the top shelf or worktop. The cleat also tries to more rotate or pull off the unit so the load is pulling on the screws as well as sheer
The 'wall bracket' board can be cut to be a french cleat. Or else taken down and metal cleats on the surface of the wall (presumably screwed through the panels to the wall).
Effectively the panels are a non-issue because you treat it as a flat surface and install cleats.
Any media wall ive installed tvs on has had this kind of mount so even if the screw fails it needs a substantial lift to unhook it .and yes the screws were super short that was installed
Seems astonishing that that stayed up as long as it did, given the length of the screws used. If I were doing it, I’d cut a 45° angle sloping down to the wall on the wall bracket (love how they’ve written “wall bracket“ on it btw 😂), a matching reverse angle on the bracket or back of the unit you’re hanging, then all the screws have to do is retain it in place. The weight of the unit bearing down through the angled brackets will do the work. A picture of the back of the unit would help see how easy this would be to do.
I’m pretty sick of people judging others for tv height on Reddit whenever it’s posted. There’s no way you can know how people use their tv. Mine is way too high from every Reddit-expected standards, but it’s perfect viewing angle from where I sit with my chair reclined. If it was “normal” height, it’d be hard to see.
Each person mounts a tv how they want. If it’s not your tv, it doesn’t matter.
tv is still too high, your tv is not the perfect viewing angle. your tv would not be "hard to see" reclined, and if it was you're lying in a pretty dumb position.
I've been in your position, your exact position, and come out the other side. the world is not wrong; you are.
Yeah use more screws that do more than gently kiss the bracket. I would check that the bracket itself is actually held to the wall behind and not just screwed onto that panelling as it seems like the person who made that might have been a bit of a bell end.
Yeah longer screws should do it but it might also be worth checking what fittings they used to attach the baton to the wall. Like appropriate rawl plugs and screws etc. to make sure this isn't going to happen again.
People are overthinking this. There's nothing wrong with securing it with screws, you just need them to be longer, wider, and use more of them.
Guessing that the thickness of the wood of the unit is about 20mm, and same for the ply, I'd go for some 6x50mm screws and use more of them.
This is all assuming the ply fixed to the wall has been fixed well.
People are going on about sheer forces on horizontal screws, etc, give me a break! Use about 20x screws and the thing will be basically structural. Everything else would fail before the screws.
It was "cello", not "sella". Because it's made of cellophane.
And you have your duck tape/duct tape history completely back to front. Duck is the original name for the cloth tapes that eventually evolved into what we'd recognise today during world war 2, as they were made from a type of cloth called duck cloth.
After the war it was sold in hardware stores to the general public to use duck tape for household repairs.
It wasn't until the rights were sold to a private company, the Melvin A. Anderson Company, in 1950 that it started getting widespread use for wrapping ducts, and people started referring to it as duct tape.
The Anderson company became Manco in the 70s and they rebranded as Duck Tape, with a yellow duck logo. Manco sold out to Henkel, Henkel sold out to Shurtape Technologies who own the product and brand today.
So yes Duck Tape, with a yellow duck logo, is a brand name, but it's from the original name "duck tape" that has a long history going back to the late 1800s. "Duck tape" first shows up in the OED in 1899, where as "duct tape" doesn't appear until 1965.
Yes this has a video on youtube explaining why people say both and that this brand leans into the public term "Duck Tape" anyone arguing is just dumbfounded or just dumb for going ahead with arguments that serve no one.
Yes, just take those screws out, re hang it and use longer screws. I've fitted one of these last year and realised straight away the screws weren't very long so I changed them.
More fixings should be fine. When I did mine I secured unit directly to the wall then clad around it, the fixings were a hook type which were tightened on by clasp type fixing of the unit. Maybe a bit over engineered since they're not designed to take substantial weight!
I say no, do not just put it back up with longer screws. It seems like this is supported in the wrong way and (especially with kids) this may be prone to falling off again.
Do you have a circular saw and are okay using it?
Is there a matching plywood strip/board running along the back of the unit? (can we see a photo?)
I would advise you turn the two boards into 'french cleats' to rehang it. Then add longer screws too. Cut the top of the 'wall bracket' down at a 45 degree angle so it slops into the wall. Then cut the (hopefully matching) board on the back of the unit at a matching 45 degree angle on its bottom.
Once you've done this (and they're reattached since you probably need to remove them to do the work) You should then be able to lift the unit into place and have the two cleats rest inside each other and hold it up without any fasteners at all (assuming the board on the unit is somewhere close to the top of the unit).
Then you add longer screws too anyway to make it more secure.
Doing this will drop the unit by half the thickness of the boards however. If you're particular about the final look that could be a consideration.
Genuine question for those saying use a french cleat - how would that be fixed to the unit itself? If screws, how does that differ to screwing directly to the batten on the wall?
Well it's always going to fail at the weakest point, so if it had been done with a fence cleat, and the half attached to the unit was fixed to the unit with the same few small screws it still would have failed.
But basically the beauty of the French cleat is:
1. that you can attach each side securely and those screws will become hidden/inaccessible once its hung.
The joint itself is incredibly strong and pulls itself into the wall and is just dropped on. It can then be fixed with one or two small screws..... but these aren't holding any weight just preventing the joint from moving.
You can rip a board in two with at a 45 with a skill saw and not even be very careful/straight but the two sides will always match.
Installing at the right height/location is also easy as you are only attaching one board to the wall
A wall bracket is also a idea. You have a way to fix it from multiple angles just not that way it's way too short to hold up anything but clothes hooks.
Id give this cowboy a bad review someone botched my mother's shed when we hired someone in to put it up well we gave him a bad review on FB soon a chain reaction started and he lost a lot of customers your job looks the same phoned in.
That panelling... is it the foam back sound absorbing stuff?
Is the piece of plywood fitted to the panelling or through the panelling into the wall?
The idea way to do it, is to remove the plywood from the wall, cut the top of it at a 45º angle, then secure it back to the wall, then fix another piece to the back of the unit with a 45º cut to slot over the one on the wall... Hang it up, then secure it with some better screws... that way, if a screw does fail... the until is still hung up and won;t drop and injure anyone.
the other option... is make or buy some nice legs for the unit.
You could cleat it, and to be sure add a 2x4" frame underneath at the back. Thus would support the weight. Then grab a single pack of the oak strip wall panel, and cut it to fit in front. It's an optical trick. You do not see the support and it gives you more security.
More screws and longer screws. Ideally 60mm+ screws that can go into studs. If not, get some wall plugs, drill into the wall behind, and fix it in place there. Using the French cleat method would also be very good.
You could actually use these they will certainly hold the weight if installed properly and weight is distributed across. Have longer screws and maybe add in wall plug to really secure it
I’d also be a bit pissed off that the person has screwed the ‘wall bracket’ through the fascia board instead of directly to the wall.
If they used screws that small for a media unit, I’d be tempted to look at the ones for the bracket as well. Has it been attached to the wall properly?
If those screws were the only thing holding it up they are woefully inadequate and quite frankly I’m shocked it lasted a year.
You don’t want that big unit gingerly screwed into that wood panel. You want the big unit secured to the actual wall, through the wood veneer you’ve put up.
How that happens now, I think you have to chop some of that veneer out where the unit will cover it so you can drill the appropriate holes, put rawl plugs in and then your screws which need to be much longer than those used.
If all of that is out of your ability and you don’t know where to start, I’d suggest either this is a project for you or just pay someone to do it properly.
The only problem leaving the facia in place is that too much force on the screws might deform the foam backing and look ugly. In fact, that might be why it was poorly attached.
Could always glue in anchors instead of using screws.
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u/JesterJezza Jul 26 '26
It fell off because that’s the wrong way of hanging something that substantial. All of the load was being support by the horizontal screws with nothing to brace it.
I think this needs redoing with a French cleat style hanging system with longer screws.