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I have a one-arm Delta toilet paper holder that I want to mount to the side of our daughter's bathroom vanity which is made of MDF.

The vanity side is 3/4 inch thick. I am not sure if MDF is sturdy enough for the holder, and if I need to add an extra support (small block of wood) OR use anchors.

Peter Mortensen
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Susan
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    How old is your daughter? Is she likely to use the holder as a handle? – the gods from engineering Sep 14 '17 at 16:48
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    Don't use anchors. Screws that penetrate most of the thickness of the panel are unlikely to come loose, especially if they're properly piloted. MDF is actually quite strong. Jamming them in with no pilot hole might mash things up and bulge the panel. – isherwood Sep 14 '17 at 17:36
  • We had one that had no problems. Of course MDF falls apart due to moisture when you sneeze at it, so having children with an MDF vanity did not work. We finally threw ours out after a sewage backup and replaced it with a pedestal sink. Best decision ever. – Wayne Werner Sep 14 '17 at 20:31
  • Yeah, don't use regular anchors. You could use "Molly" bolts or toggle bolts, but plain wood screws should work. (You should prefer the "sheet metal" style that have no taper.) If you can get behind, though, the block of wood or simply nuts on machine screws would be the best "belt-and-suspenders" approach. – Hot Licks Sep 15 '17 at 03:46

2 Answers2

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It shouldn't be a problem. MDF doesn't have the best screw-holding strength, but TP holders are very light so it shouldn't be an issue. If you are concerned, you could put longer (1") bolts - not screws - through the MDF and put nuts on the back, so you're not relying on the pull-out strength of the MDF to hold the screws.

mmathis
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I had the same type of roll holder and vanity at one point. It did eventually become loose and twist a bit, but did not come off. I think your idea of a block of wood inside the vanity is a good one.

M. Montgomery
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