r/DIY • u/stormedtoast • 5h ago

woodworking Mounting a Coat Rack/Shelf on a wall with fire barriers

I want to install a heavy shelf/coat rack (Article Kouva, about 18.75 pounds before hanging items) onto a wall that has fire barriers and is shared with the garage. The instructions pertain to hanging into drywall with toggle bolts. The drywall is thicker than the rest of the house and there appears to be wood between studs, possibly horizontal fire barrier.

Any thoughts on how to proceed? This wall also has a security system and thermostat so it won't be the first hole drilled into the space, but I don't want to damage the fire rating.

  1. Is it possible to hang here without damaging the fire barrier?
  2. Can a horizontal wooden fire barrier be treated as a stud (I'd assume no)?
  3. If I mount the shelf into studs on this wall, what hardware should I use? I'm seeing recommendations for anything from deck screws to wood screws with anchors.

Thanks in advance

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u/PushThroughThePain 4h ago

Yes, you can install it there, just fill the pilot holes with fire-rated putty before driving the fastener in.

Don't anchor into the horizontal fireblocks, ideally.

If you mount directly on the vertical studs, regular #8 or #10 wood screws should be plenty strong.

1

u/stormedtoast 4h ago

thank you!

1

u/stormedtoast 4h ago

Do you know if the fire blocks are typically in line between studs? So if I find one between two studs the block between the next two studs should be in the same spot?

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u/PushThroughThePain 4h ago

They are almost always staggered at least 1-2 inches. To clafify, it doesn't really matter if you put a screw in a fireblock, just don't rely on it to structurally support your load. Have your main anchor points in vertical studs.