How to anchor furniture to the wall to prevent tipping?

[damian22]

Hi all, I need to secure a large bookshelf to our living room wall - which is plasterboard - to prevent it tipping over if a child climbs on it. It's the Kallax 182x182cm bookshelf from Ikea which is quite heavy - about 80kg. Once you take our skirting boards into account, the back of the shelf sits 3cm from the wall.

I have a packet of these furniture straps: https://www.bunnings.com.au/dreambaby-child-safety-furniture-wall-safety-strap-2-pack_p4210842?regio...

But the screws supplied inside are 50mm - is this too long to go into plasterboard?

Also, what sort of anchor or wall plug would I need to use? Or if it’s going into the stud, are wall anchors not required? In store, I was recommended these: https://www.bunnings.com.au/ramset-6-x-38mm-universal-anchor-6-pack_p2260441

...but I was a little unsure. I'll end up with double the amount of screws I need and the screws in that pack are just as long, and quite a lot longer than the anchor - so are the screws designed to stick out from the wall? That's not what I want.

Alternatively - the Ikea kit did include two wall brackets, which could theoretically be placed in this sort of way:

But I'm unsure if this would be sufficient for the weight of the bookshelf - perhaps four would be needed? - or what kind of screw/wall anchor combo I'd need for this option.

Could anyone offer advice on the best solution?

Cheers

Damian

[EricL]

Hello @damian22 

Thanks for sharing your question about anchoring your furniture to the wall. If you have a stud finder this would be the best way to find out if the studs along your wall are in line with the cabinet. Ideally the wall brackets would line up with the stud which would allow you to use the long screws and not need any wall plugs. However, if there are no studs in the vicinity then you'll need to use the Ramset 8 x 50mm Universal Anchor - 4 Pack. 

In regards to the screws to be used on the cabinet, please make sure that they line up with the vertical panels of the cabinet. It appears that they are too long, and they will go right through the horizontal panels of the cabinet. As to the Dreambaby Child Safety Furniture Wall Safety Strap these too can be used, but they must anchor to the timber stud of the wall as the screw locations are too close to each other preventing you from using wall plugs.

If you are still after extra support, I suggest using Carinya 70 x 70 x 20 x 2mm White Round Angle Bracket and adding two more to the supports that are already at the top. I also suggest having a quick look at this discussion - How do I safely attach my bookcase to the wall? by @furomatcha.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:  

• How to hang just about anything by @Adam_W 
   
• How to choose the right screw for the job by @Adam_W 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric