Anchoring into metal studs
 

What is the best hardware for anchoring something heavy into metal studs?

And what are the studs shaped like? Are they mini I-beams, or rectangular tubes?
Something else?

TIA

Similar to rectangular tubes open on one side. Use self tapping screws/bolts.

Depends on what you are hanging. Something light maybe self tapping screws. Something heavier, then I'd choose Togglers

Choose 3/16 or 1/4" size.

Toggler on You Tube

Aha!! thanks!

I didn't realize they were open on one side. That explains a lot of the mystery.

I used the togglers.

I will offer a tip, take a very small drill and drill several holes to determine the exact location of the metal stud, then use these to drill the hole in the center of the stud, the toggle type can fail to seat correctly if not located close to the center of the stud.

Search pin probe stud finder Works great

As other have posted, Togglers are the best bet and can be used on tv wall mounts. I’ve mounted a 90” using them. Avoid the metal studs completely.

I hung my TV bracket with Togglers. They work great!

They’re great for sure. I’ve easily used a few hundreds of them and quickly learned to start the threads by hand before torquing them down (as opposed to starting them with a screw gun) :)

If you use a Walabot, you can easily see exactly where the stud is without drilling. The Walabot uses advanced wall imaging and can show you wires, pipes, steel and wood studs. Different materials show up in different colors. It's like a super stud finder and works great!

sheet metal screws
 

Metal studs are thin sheet metal. Sheet metal screws are made for this purpose. They are self-tapping.
Use a stud finder that works for metal and wood, mark both edges, drill in the middle.
Your drill (drill bit) needs to be smaller than the threads - preferably about the same diameter as the solid part of the screw (can be eyeballed).
Don't over tighten, just snug - you can yank a hole in the sheet metal or break the screw from you know where.

You can start by drilling a smaller hole, then the final one. Makes drilling easier.

10 or 12 gauge screws will easily handle 10 or so pounds each. 8 gauge a little less.

TVs? Plug type will handle more weight, but you need good drills to make a clean hole that large.
(don't use the expanding rubber type. they're not made to go thru sheet rock and metal, just metal, nor really heavy loads. they'll oooze outa the hole over time.)

My house was built two years ago. Are all the interior studs metal?

Lowes sells a magnetic stud finder (very cheap) and it works great for finding the metal studs. I used it when I was redoing our closets. Great product.

i have used French cleats from Lowes on a few items. They have different sizes for different weights. Hillman 100lb 12-in Picture Hanging Cleat

About Togglers
 

If you use the Toggler be sure the "toggle" which goes into the wall is vertical when you tighten the screw. This will ensure a flat surface-to-surface bond. Others have used them through drywall alone and they seem to work but I preferred to use the stud because it made sense to me to have multiple layers behind the mount.

At $8.50 versus $3.30 per 8 foot stud (metal versus wood), why would anyone choose to use metal? I get that metal will last seemingly forever, but there are homes still in great shape that were built with wooden studs well before any of us were ever born. Is it a Florida thing because of termites?

Depending on how heavy the thing you're hanging is they make a special drywall anchor. they are called "toggler." They sell them at Lowe's. They come in different sizes and each size has a different weight capacity. I used them to hang a 55 inch TV on the wall and they work great. check the required drillbit size before you leave the store. Mine required a half inch drillbit. Oh, and make sure you read the directions carefully. There's a very specific way to install them and you don't want to have to throw any away because they're expensive.

BTW, sorry for posting twice but I can't figure out how to delete a post on this site. I selected the edit/delete button but there is no delete button anywhere that I can see

I use these two and they work great. I also put them on the studs. Just be sure to read the directions and follow them carefully because there's a specific way to install them and they're kind of expensive if you mess one up. Finally, make sure you check the drillbit size on the box before you leave the store. The ones I used required a half inch drillbit which I didn't have so I had to make another trip.

I use mine to hang a 55 inch TV

I have been wondering the same thing.
Maybe I'll get used to hanging stuff on these walls, but so far my experience has been that it is much more difficult and tricky than working with wood studs.

I did a Google search on pros and cons of metal studs and one article said that metal was cheaper. When I searched the Home Depot site, metal was about 3 times the cost.

Use a Molly bolt, it doesn’t matter what kind of wall it is

I have found a mixture of wood and metal studs. The metal ones are typically on outside walls, and tall walls, since these are straighter than wood studs. You will typically fine wood studs in the kitchen area to support the cabinetry.
I still use the small drill to get the exact center of the stud and also to confirm if it is metal or wood, the drill will stop for metal and continue in if it is wood.

Before I realized they were metal studs I was popping through the "skin" of the metal and it felt like I had missed the stud altogether.

I identified the stud by finding the nails with a row of magnets, and test drilled, but kept popping through. I was totally mystified. Then when I realized there were metal studs in the wall, I didn't realize the studs were open on one side. I wanted to rip the entire wall of sheet rock off so I could see what the heck was going on. Fortunately I just put my toys down and walked away and let my cooler head take over.

Now, as for the outside walls (from the inside), in a block and stucco construction, my understanding is there might not be any studs. Is that possible?

Our house a 2013 vintage Designer has studs on the outside walls, but I have heard of other options. NOTE there needs to be sufficient clearance for wiring , electrical outlets, etc., as these are typically not installed inside the block walls.

If your house is less than 10 years old you may still be able to get the original house plans from Sumter County building department, these are very handy.

ours was built in 2006.

Might be just thick furring strips, instead of full 2x3, especially on an addition or enclosed lanai.

Block walls will have furring strips. You can run conduit through them, it’s just more of a challenge but a fish tape can help. If you’re using a PowerBridge kit to hide tv power wires, HDMI, etc, they make a shallow wall box just for this situation.

You can’t delete post only edit and erase and put in at least 3 characters after you erase. example /// !!! PPP.

Probably don’t get contractors discount or bulk ordering?

Are the new houses being built with wood or metal studs?

I'm getting ready to hang our TV's, but I stumbled on this thread and it made me wonder what I'm up against.

I ran my stud finder across a couple of the walls, and it wasn't giving me the results I was expecting (greater than 16" centers).

My next step was to get a new battery for the stud finder today.

If this is a new house, you should be able to get a copy of YOUR house plans from the county building department, these will have lots of details about how the house is built. It appears the metal studs are used on tall or large interior walls so you get a very flat wall. load bearing wall, and wall that have cabinets are typically wood studs. Studs may also be on 2 foot centers. I understand some of the newer studs finders will indicate wood or metal, mine does not, so I use a small drill bit and drill test holes, if the drill stops, it is a metal stud, if it continues it is wood. I also use this method to get the exact center of the stud. If you go the big box stores, you will find hangers specifically for metal studs, use these for TVs and other heavy loads. Light weight loads can hung with a hood and sheet metal screws.