Put up a spice rack on a timber stud wall

Mount a spice rack safely and level, checking your wall type first so you use the right fixing.

SR-01Clear the space and gather your toolsMove anything breakable off the worktop below where you'll be drilling. Lay a dust sheet down to catch drilling dust and offcuts. Get your drill, screwdriver, pencil, tape measure, spirit level and detector ready before you start, along with the spice rack itself.

1 each · Dust sheet

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SR-02Find your stopcock and check it turnsBefore you drill anywhere near a wall, find your stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink — and check it turns freely. If you hit a water pipe while drilling, you need to shut the water off in seconds, not while searching for a stiff valve. This takes two minutes and is worth doing every time.

SR-03Work out what your wall is made ofRun a stud detector or magnet along the wall where you plan to fix the rack. A line of screw heads roughly 400mm or 600mm apart means plasterboard on studs. Tap the wall: a hollow sound between the marks with a dull thud on the marks themselves confirms studs behind plasterboard, while a solid knock everywhere means brick or block. Drill a small 2mm pilot hole at a fixing point — fine pale dust means timber stud, grey powder with no dust behind it may mean dot-and-dab over masonry, and bright metallic swarf means a metal stud.

SR-04Mark and level the fixing pointsHold the rack against the wall at the height you want and mark through its fixing holes with a pencil. Use a spirit level to check the marks are level before you drill anything. Double-check the marks line up with a stud centre if you found one, since off-centre marks are easy to miss on a curved rack.

SR-05Check for cables and pipes before you drillSweep the marked spots with a detector, but don't trust it completely — detectors miss cables that are deep, run in metal conduit, sit behind metal-backed plasterboard, or lie outside the usual safe zones, and a metal stud frame can confuse a cheap detector further. Drill slowly and stop the moment you feel resistance change or see anything unusual come out of the hole. If you have any doubt at all, switch off the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and don't cut into anything that could carry water without turning the stopcock off first.

SR-06Drill and fix into a timber studThis is the standard method for a spice rack on a timber stud wall. Drill a 2mm pilot hole about 5mm deep into the centre of the stud to stop the screw splitting the wood. Drive a 4mm x 40mm wood screw through the rack's fixing hole straight into the pilot hole, leaving it snug but not overtightened. A light spice rack only needs two screws into two different studs if the rack spans that far.

4 each · Wood screws 4mm x 40mm

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SR-07If your wall is a different type, use the right fixingMetal stud (common in flats and modern builds — swarf from your pilot hole confirms it): never use a plain plastic plug or an ordinary wood screw, they strip straight through 0.5mm steel. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor rated for the weight instead. Plasterboard between studs with no stud behind your mark: use a spring toggle or hollow-wall anchor rated to at least double the rack's loaded weight, in a 6mm hole. Dot-and-dab plasterboard over masonry (a hollow sound then a solid stop as the pilot hole goes deeper): use a fixing long enough to pass through the board and adhesive dabs and grip the masonry behind, typically 75-90mm. Solid brick or block: drill a 6mm hole 35mm deep with a masonry bit, insert a 6mm x 30mm wall plug, then drive a 4mm x 40mm screw. Lath and plaster (older houses): the plaster is brittle and can crack, so drill a small 3mm pilot first and use a spring toggle sized for the load rather than forcing a screw straight into old lath.

4 each · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings

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4 each · Spring toggle / hollow-wall anchor

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4 each · Wall plugs 6mm x 30mm

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4 each · Long fixings for dot-and-dab (75-90mm)

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SR-08Mount the rack and check it's levelLift the rack onto the fixings and push it fully home. Check it with a spirit level again once it's up, since a slightly loose fixing can let one side dip. Give the rack a firm tug by hand to check it holds before loading it with jars.

SR-09Tidy upVacuum up drilling dust from the worktop and floor, and fold the dust sheet in on itself to trap any debris. If a pilot hole missed its mark, dab a little filler into it and leave it to dry before touching in with paint. Pack fixings you didn't use back into their box for next time.

1 tube · Multi-purpose filler

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