Put up a peg rail on a metal stud wall

Mount a peg rail on any wall by finding fixing points, checking for hidden cables and pipes, then fixing it securely and level.

AB-01Plan the rail height and positionDecide how high you want the peg rail - about 1400mm from the floor works well for coats and bags. Hold the rail in place and check it clears door swings, light switches and radiators. Mark a level line for the top edge with a pencil and spirit level.

1 each · Peg rail

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1 each · Pencil

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AB-02Work out what your wall is made ofRun a magnet or stud detector along the wall - regular clicks or magnet pulls in a line usually mean a timber or metal stud wall. Tap the wall: solid brick or block sounds dull and solid all over, while a stud wall sounds hollow between the uprights. Drill a small 2mm pilot hole in an inconspicuous spot - pale timber dust means a wood stud, fine grey metal swarf means a metal stud, and solid resistance with brick dust means masonry. Flats and anything built or refitted since the 1990s often have metal studs, not timber.

1 each · Stud detector

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AB-03Mark and level the fixing pointsHold the peg rail against your level line and mark through its pre-drilled holes, or mark evenly spaced points every 400-600mm along its length. Where you've found studs, nudge marks slightly so at least two or three land on the centre of a stud. Double-check every mark is level before you pick up a drill.

AB-04Check for cables and pipes before you drillRun a detector over every mark, but don't trust it completely - detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed plasterboard, or outside the normal safe zones, and a metal stud frame can confuse a cheap detector even further. Before you drill anything, 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 have any doubt at all, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and turn the water off at the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry water.

AB-05Fix into a timber stud wallDrill a 3mm pilot hole into the centre of the stud at each marked point. Drive a 60mm wood screw straight in, checking it feels solid and doesn't spin freely. Repeat at every stud along the rail.

6 each · Wood screws 60mm

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AB-06Fix into a metal stud wallAt every mark that lands on a metal stud, use a self-drilling metal-stud screw (usually 38-42mm, wafer head) driven straight in with a screwdriver bit - no pilot hole needed. Never use a plain wall plug or ordinary wood screw here, as both strip straight through 0.5mm steel. Where a mark falls on plasterboard between studs, fit a metal toggle or hollow-wall anchor rated for at least the full weight of the rail plus whatever you'll hang on it. A metal stud frame won't hold anything genuinely heavy or anything that pulls away from the wall in use - if you're hanging a lot of weight, fit a timber noggin between the studs first, or fix through to the masonry behind if there is any.

6 each · Self-drilling metal stud screws

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2 each · Metal plasterboard toggles

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AB-07Fix into solid brick or blockDrill with a 6mm masonry bit to a depth of 40mm at each mark, using a hammer action if your drill has one. Push in a matching wall plug, then drive a 50mm screw in firmly. Wipe away brick dust as you go so you can still see your level line.

1 each · Masonry drill bit 6mm

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6 each · Wall plugs

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6 each · Screws 50mm

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AB-08Fix into dot-and-dab plasterboardDot-and-dab plasterboard sits on blobs of adhesive with an air gap behind, so a short fixing only grips the board, not the wall. Drill through slowly until you feel the drill break through the plasterboard, then carry on into the solid masonry behind - this is usually 40-70mm back from the face. Use a long fixing, typically 75-90mm, with a plug rated for dot-and-dab, so the screw passes through the board and grips the masonry properly.

6 each · Dot-and-dab wall plugs

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6 each · Screws 75mm

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AB-09Fix into a lath and plaster wallLath and plaster is old and brittle, so drill pilot holes gently in short bursts to avoid cracking the plaster around the hole. Aim for a timber lath or an upright behind it, and use a 40mm screw once you feel solid wood. If a mark lands between laths with nothing solid behind, move it slightly rather than relying on the crumbly plaster alone.

6 each · Screws 40mm

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AB-10Hang the rail and check itLift the peg rail onto the fixings and drive the screws home, tightening evenly along the length rather than working from one end. Recheck with a spirit level and adjust if one end has dropped slightly. Give the rail a firm tug to test it holds before hanging anything heavy on it.

AB-11Tidy upVacuum up any dust or debris straight away, especially brick or plaster dust. Fill any misplaced or leftover holes with a dab of filler and touch up with paint once dry. Put drill bits and fixings away so they're ready for next time.

1 each · Filler

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