ᐅ How do you securely mount BILLY shelves in older buildings with crumbling walls?

Hello everyone, I have the following problem: I want to install my Billy shelves in an older apartment where the walls are quite crumbly, with some plaster even falling off. The usual wall anchors don’t seem to provide enough support here. My question is: which method, technique, or material would you recommend to securely and permanently fix these shelves to such fragile walls? Are there special anchors, maybe some kind of reinforcement, or alternative mounting options that are practical for older buildings with these wall conditions? I look forward to any tips, especially if you have practical experience. Thank you!

Hello dratan, I am familiar with your problem of crumbling walls; many older apartments have this issue. For securely mounting BILLY shelves, I recommend first thoroughly removing any loose plaster from the fixing points on the wall. After that, you can use special cavity anchors or expanding anchors that provide better grip. Alternatively, using mounting foam behind the anchors can help increase stability. If the walls are very unstable, sometimes attaching a wooden batten as a substructure helps; this batten can be fixed to more solid areas and then the shelf mounted onto it. It is important not to have the load act solely on spots with crumbling plaster.

Hello dratan 🙂 When dealing with crumbling walls, patience and the right technique are essential! I would definitely recommend using chemical anchors, if possible. Combined with epoxy resin, they hold much better and essentially secure the screw firmly to the masonry, even if the plaster isn’t very strong. Alternatively, use a larger rail system – this will distribute the load more effectively. No worries, it will work out ;-)

Vacuum out the hole, then use chemical anchors. Make the drill hole extra deep and long. If there is still plaster on it, remove it beforehand.

For secure installation of BILLY shelves on crumbling older walls, the following steps are recommended: 1. Remove all loose plaster residues and thoroughly clean the drill hole. 2. Drill the hole into the load-bearing base layer (e.g., masonry). 3. Use injection anchors or chemical anchors (epoxy or polyester resin-based) that ensure a stable anchoring in the building material. 4. For extremely crumbly surfaces, consider firmly attaching a wooden or metal substructure to more stable parts of the wall, on which the shelf can then be mounted. This prevents localized overload and ensures the durability of the fastening. These methods have proven effective in practice with older buildings.

Remove plaster, drill a larger hole, and install chemical anchors. Alternatively, mount on wooden battens attached to a solid wall.