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I have made a wooden magnetic knife holder which uses keyhole eyelets to enable mounting to a wall. In my previous house my kitchen backsplash was covered in tile so I drilled a hole and inserted a plastic anchor, inserted a screw and hung the holder.

My new kitchen has AirStone or something very similar, an artificial stone veneer. My understanding is that these veneers are not designed to support weight as they are purely decorative. Because the eyelets on the knife holder are 20 inches wide (my bad, should have made them 18) I cannot anchor into studs. What kind of anchor should I use to ensure it's deep enough to leverage the drywall behind the veneer? Or should I use some other mounting technique?

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    Hmm.. this is disturbing for a cooking area...Mandatory Warning: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer. This chemical, crystalline silica, is a component of cement. Cement is an ingredient of AirStone. Do not eat AirStone. When sawing AirStone, provide for adequate ventilation, dust suppression, or controls to keep airborne silica levels below the PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit). A NIOSH approved N-95 Series mask is recommended when cutting AirStone with a power saw.
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Mar 8, 2017 at 20:41
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    @Trevor - probably about as disturbing as a cast concrete countertop, or the grout between tiles, or... a million other things 'known to the State of California to cause cancer'...
    – brhans
    Commented Mar 8, 2017 at 20:46
  • yup @brhams you are right.. Still... a proper cleaning after installation would be prudent.
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Mar 8, 2017 at 20:48
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    I don't like eating anything that is produced as a result of drilling holes. I'll be sure to clean up!
    – Mark
    Commented Mar 8, 2017 at 20:51

3 Answers 3

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I prefer using Toggler toggle anchors.

toggler anchors

They can be adjusted up to over 3 inches for thick walls and are extremely strong. They are overkill for a magnetic knife bar but will work nicely.

The issue you will likely have is the size of the head of the machine screws that come with it will be too big for the keyholes you have used on your knife holder. You may have to find some with the same thread with smaller heads or file/grind them down or modify your holder with larger keyhole brackets.You will want to get a nut and washer to fit each screw since you want the head to be offset from the wall for your keyhole bracket. Thread the nut/washer all the way to the head of the screw , thread the screw into the anchor until you have the head offset to the distance you need for the keyhole and then tighten the nut/washer down to the wall there by pulling the toggle firm to the back of the wall. (might take a few try's)

They require a 1/2" drill bit to install. You drill the hole, adjust the anchor so you slide it through the hole and adjust it back to perpendicular and pull it tight to the back of the wall. While pulling on it holding it tight to the back of the wall you slide the tab tight to the front of the wall, i use the shaft of a screwdriver to force the tab to the wall while pulling on the plastic pieces. Once the tab on the front is holding the toggle tight to the back of the wall you snap off the extra plastic bits and you are ready to thread in your screw. Once you have them in your hands you will understand the mechanics of them.

The are available in two packs i believe.

Trevor's option will also work. You may need to bend the little spike thingy's back that are designed to punch into Sheetrock as they will not easily penetrate the airstone.

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  • This looks very promising. Definitely overkill, but will ensure it's not underwhelming
    – Mark
    Commented Mar 9, 2017 at 12:55
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You probably need to drill a hole big enough so you can push through a typical wall anchor. Then buy longer bolts the same thread size to attach the holder if the screws that come with the anchors are not long enough.

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The issue for me with wall anchors is the large, drilled hole. I prefer this product, WallClaw. I've had good luck with them and they can support up to 90lbs, while leaving a much smaller "footprint." I suggest using an awl or drilling a small pilot hole first for installation on the AirStone.

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  • While a valid option for sheet rock with nothing on it. Not sure they would be applicable in this situation. The point at which the tab flips up is predetermined, either 1/2" or 5/8" , so with they will not work properly where the thickness of the wall is greater than the wallclaws set break point. Looking at the air soft website "The depth of the stone averages about 1”
    – Alaska Man
    Commented Mar 9, 2017 at 3:34
  • @Alaska man Ahh...molly it is I guess. Oops, just saw your post about the toggler. Good choice! I'm still pretty old school and miss newer innovations. I can barely leave a hardware store as it is and not spend all my money.
    – M.Mat
    Commented Mar 9, 2017 at 7:32

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