Hey all,
I'm building the frame for my built-in bench seating in my dinette. I'm using 3/8" x 2.5" lag screws to attach 2×4's to the studs in the wall. There are some electrical wires running through the studs so I wanted to minimize the chance of me piercing one, hence the 2.5" length.
I've never used lag screws or attached 2×4s to my wall before, so I don't know the cause of my trouble.
I am using a forstner bit to sink the lag screws into the 2×4, and the lag screws clearly enter the stud in the wall. But I can't pull the board tight to the wall. They stick out about 1/4". The screws are tight and one board actually split when I tried to keep tightening. The boards feel very sturdy, but I'm puzzled/concerned why they don't get sucked to the wall. I estimate they are probably about .75" into the studs (2.5" length, about 1" in 2×4 after sinking .5", .25" between 2×4 and wall since they aren't pulled flush, and .5" in drywall). That's probably not as much as they should be, so maybe I need to buy longer lag screws. But it's really frustrating that they won't pull the boards tight. Am I misunderstanding something? Shouldn't they pull flush to the wall?
Any ideas?
Here are several pictures to illustrate:
One wall:
The other wall:
Smaller gap:
The worst gap:
The board split when tightening:
I'm building the frame for my built-in bench seating in my dinette. I'm using 3/8" x 2.5" lag screws to attach 2×4's to the studs in the wall. There are some electrical wires running through the studs so I wanted to minimize the chance of me piercing one, hence the 2.5" length.
I've never used lag screws or attached 2×4s to my wall before, so I don't know the cause of my trouble.
I am using a forstner bit to sink the lag screws into the 2×4, and the lag screws clearly enter the stud in the wall. But I can't pull the board tight to the wall. They stick out about 1/4". The screws are tight and one board actually split when I tried to keep tightening. The boards feel very sturdy, but I'm puzzled/concerned why they don't get sucked to the wall. I estimate they are probably about .75" into the studs (2.5" length, about 1" in 2×4 after sinking .5", .25" between 2×4 and wall since they aren't pulled flush, and .5" in drywall). That's probably not as much as they should be, so maybe I need to buy longer lag screws. But it's really frustrating that they won't pull the boards tight. Am I misunderstanding something? Shouldn't they pull flush to the wall?
Any ideas?
Here are several pictures to illustrate:
One wall:
The other wall:
Smaller gap:
The worst gap:
The board split when tightening: