Fit a kitchen fire blanket to a dot-and-dab plasterboard wall

Mount a fire blanket bracket near your hob so it's ready to grab fast, using the fixing that suits your wall.

FB-01Choose a spot and gather your toolsPick a wall near the cooker but not right beside it — most manufacturers suggest around 1 to 1.5m away, on the route you'd use to grab it without reaching over flames. Lay out the bracket kit, a pencil, tape measure and spirit level. Check what fixings came in the box — you may need different ones once you know what your wall is made of.

1 each · Kitchen fire blanket with wall bracket

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1 each · Tape measure

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1 each · Spirit level

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FB-02Work out what your wall is made ofTap the wall where you want the bracket: solid brick or block sounds dull and dead, a stud wall sounds hollow. Run a stud detector or a small magnet across the spot, looking for a line of screw or staple heads that marks a stud. Drill one small 2mm pilot hole to check — timber dust means a timber stud, fine grey swarf means a metal stud, and if the drill feels hollow then suddenly hits something solid a centimetre or two in, that's dot-and-dab plasterboard over masonry.

1 each · Stud detector

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1 each · Small magnet

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FB-03Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the usual zones near sockets, and a metal stud frame will confuse a cheap detector even more. Sweep the area with your detector, but still treat the wall as if something's there until proven otherwise. Find your stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink — and check it turns freely, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you're at all unsure what's behind the wall, isolate the nearby circuit at the consumer unit before you drill.

FB-04Drill and fix — solid brick or block wallMark your fixing holes through the bracket, then drill with a 6mm masonry bit to a depth of about 40mm, pulling out every few seconds to clear dust. Push in a 6mm wall plug until it sits flush, then drive in the screws until snug — don't overtighten or the plug will spin. This fixing easily takes the light weight of a fire blanket bracket.

1 each · 6mm masonry drill bit

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2 each · Red wall plugs (6mm)

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2 each · Screws 4mm x 40mm

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FB-05Drill and fix — plasterboard on timber studsLine the bracket up over the centre of the stud you found earlier, not the edge, so the screw bites into solid timber. Drill a 2mm pilot hole through the plasterboard and into the stud, then drive in a 4mm x 40mm wood screw directly — no plug needed. A single screw into solid timber easily holds the weight of a fire blanket bracket.

2 each · Wood screw 4mm x 40mm

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1 each · 2mm pilot drill bit

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FB-06Drill and fix — plasterboard on metal studsNever use a wood screw or a plain plastic plug on a metal stud — they strip straight through 0.5mm steel. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing driven straight into the metal channel, or a small plasterboard toggle fixing rated for at least 5kg if you're landing between studs on bare board. A metal stud alone won't hold anything heavy or anything that pulls away from the wall, but a fire blanket bracket is light enough for either fixing.

2 each · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings

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2 each · Plasterboard toggle fixings

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FB-07Drill and fix — dot-and-dab plasterboardDot-and-dab has a gap of 15–50mm between the plasterboard and the masonry behind, so a short fixing only grips the board and can pull straight out. Drill through with a masonry bit sized to your plug and use a fixing long enough to pass through the board and dabs and go at least 25mm into the solid wall — usually 60–75mm total. Push the plug in and drive the screw home; if the drill feels loose partway through, that's the dab cavity, and it's normal.

2 each · Long masonry screw fixing (60-75mm)

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2 each · Matching wall plug

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1 each · Masonry drill bit (matched to plug)

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FB-08Drill and fix — lath and plaster wallLath and plaster is thin timber strips under a hard plaster coat, and it cracks easily if you rush it. Use your pilot-hole test to find a lath close to the surface, then drill slowly with a sharp bit to avoid shattering the plaster around the hole. Screw into the lath itself if you can centre on it, or use a fine masonry plug in solid plaster between laths, going gently and not overtightening.

2 each · Fine masonry plug

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2 each · Screw 4mm x 40mm

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FB-09Hang the blanket and test itSlide the fire blanket into its bracket, or check the pouch is properly clipped shut and holding its full weight without flexing. Give the bracket a firm tug to make sure the fixing is solid. Make sure the pull-tab is easy to reach and nothing is blocking it.

FB-10Clear up and note your fixingSweep up dust and any masonry chips, then vacuum around the skirting. Wipe down the wall and bracket. It's worth jotting down which wall type and fixing you used, in case you ever need to remove or replace the bracket.

1 each · Dust sheet

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