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Appreciate the thorough response, ta.
The alternatives I mentioned are not bodges, they're legitimate and long lasting solutions to the problems of victorian walls. If you never need to employ one or 2 of them you must be working in very well built victorian properties or something much newer.
I'm not meaning the bodges are a bad thing, there's a thread celebrating them on here even. In the past I've packed extra bits of wall plug into slightly crumbly holes, but this would be for 1 of a number of fixing points, the others being solid enough not to cause worry. This time it seems to be all but one of them hence my nervousness.
I'll take a leap of faith and keep everything crossed.
rhb
Airhead
You are forgetting the mechanical properties that 2 screws on each side and 3 or 4 on the back have. They are never going to suddenly come loose unless you have a couple of builders standing on the shelf. They might work loose over a long period of time but it relies on the structure of the shelf collapsing too.
The alternatives I mentioned are not bodges, they're legitimate and long lasting solutions to the problems of victorian walls. If you never need to employ one or 2 of them you must be working in very well built victorian properties or something much newer. Hammering a chunk of wood with PVA on into the wall is way more solid and durable than you would imagine if you've never done it. Also gluing the batten as well as screwing to the wall is an option.
The best method for a professional carpenter dealing with shelves or cupboards is to build the largest square box that fits into the space, then make regular shelves and doors to fit and use trim pieces on either side to make the box fit the space. Trying to use the existing walls is folly and costs so much time cutting and trimming odd shaped shelves it's not worth it. Sometimes you have to and you'll need every trick in the book.
Hanging kitchen cupboards can be an issue but then you need to spread the weight by adding fixing points once the cupboards are level. I've only ever had to do this a few times.