How to Install a Wall-Mounted Folding Table Into Studs, Step by Step

What you are aiming for

A finished fold-down table has every bracket screwed into a wood stud, into a ledger board screwed across studs, or into solid brick or concrete with the anchors the maker supplies for that wall. The top is level at the height you marked, and the latches lock every time you raise it. The order makes the job safe: wall first, height second, drill last.

Costway puts assembly of its drop-leaf table at about half an hour; the manuals of VIVO and Mount-It! give no time. What usually adds effort is a bracket that misses a stud, because then a ledger board comes first.

Tools and material

• Drill with the bit sizes from your manual (VIVO names 1/8 inch for wood studs and 5/16 inch for brick or concrete)
• Stud finder, pencil, tape measure
• Level, at least 24 inches long if you mark a ledger board
• Phillips screwdriver or driver bit
• The screws and anchors from the box – but only for the wall type the manual names
• For a ledger board: a straight board long enough to span at least two studs, plus screws long enough to reach well into each stud

Step by step

1. Read the manual and check the wall

   Before you buy screws or drill a hole, find out what the wall is made of and which options your manual offers. VIVO and Mount-It! each describe two options: wood studs, or brick and concrete. Costway's instructions for its drop-leaf table use six anchors and only warn that each anchor must fit securely in the wall – they do not mention studs, so on drywall you choose the fixing yourself.

2. Find and mark the studs

   Run a stud finder along the wall, mark both edges of each stud and the center between them. Then measure from center to center. In wood-frame houses that distance is 16 or 24 inches, depending on stud size and what the wall carries (IRC Table R602.3(5)). Do not assume 16 inches – measure.

3. Mark the top edge and the bracket line

   Draw a level line where the finished top edge should be. For meals and seated work, about 29 to 30 inches above the floor is the usual height, inside the 28 to 34 inches the 2010 ADA Standards set for dining and work surfaces. Subtract the thickness of the top to get the line for the top of the bracket arms; the VIVO top, for example, is 1 inch thick. The guide to mounting height covers bar, desk and laundry heights.

4. Check that both brackets land on studs

   This is the step that decides whether the table holds. VIVO tells you to align three vertical holes on each bracket with the center of a stud and leave the other three unused. Mount-It! tells you to place its folding arms under the top so that the distance between them equals the distance between two stud centers. If a bracket cannot reach a stud, stop and mount a ledger board across at least two studs first (see below).

5. Drill pilot holes as the manual specifies

   Hold the brackets or the assembled top in place, mark through the holes and drill. VIVO specifies 3-inch-deep holes with a 1/8-inch bit in wood studs. For brick or concrete, VIVO uses a 5/16-inch bit, also 3 inches deep, and presses its anchors in. Mount-It! uses a 5/16-inch bit to 3.3 inches in concrete and warns not to drill into the mortar between bricks or stones.

6. Screw the brackets to the wall

   Drive the screws the manual names – VIVO supplies M5x80 screws, Mount-It! lag screws, three per arm into studs. Check the brackets with the level as you go and tighten until secure; Mount-It! adds "do not over tighten" for its concrete anchors.

7. Attach the top and check the fold

   Fix the top to the brackets as described. VIVO asks for a gap of at least 3/8 inch (10 mm) between the back of the top and the wall, so the top can fold. Fold it down and raise it until the latches engage, two or three times, before you put anything on it.

When the brackets miss the studs: a ledger board

A ledger is a horizontal board screwed across several studs; the brackets are then screwed to the board instead of directly into the wall. It is the usual fix when the bracket spacing of your table does not match your studs, or when the table is so narrow that it reaches only one stud. With studs at 24 inches on center, a 24-inch-wide top may cover only one stud.

The check below shows how many studs a top of your width covers and whether both brackets can sit on studs at all.

If the answer is no, the ledger has to be long enough to cross at least two studs and has to be screwed into every stud it crosses. The bracket screws then go into the ledger, so the ledger must be thick enough for the full length of the bracket screws the manual specifies. Neither VIVO nor Mount-It! describes a ledger in their manuals, so this is your own construction: if you are not sure about screws and board size, ask a carpenter. The question can you mount a folding table on drywall without studs goes through ledger boards and toggle bolts in more detail.

Typical mistakes

• Trusting the box anchors on drywall. VIVO states that its anchors are only for brick or concrete.
• Guessing the stud spacing. It can be 16 or 24 inches on center. Measure before you order a table whose bracket spacing is fixed.
• Reading the load rating without the wall. VIVO's 110 lb assumes wood studs, brick or concrete; Costway's 66 lb names no wall at all. Toggle bolts are rated far below their headline figure: TOGGLER's sheet notes that industry standards recommend one quarter of the ultimate test load. The page on weight capacity explains why the fixing, not the table, usually sets the limit.

A table that is designed for studs

For a kitchen or a dining spot, the COSTWAY drop-leaf table^* is our pick, but plan your own fasteners for studs, because its instructions only show generic anchors. A long, light top such as the Mount-It! 45 x 15 table^* comes with a wood-stud option in its manual. All models with their load ratings and stated mounting are side by side in the comparison of the best wall-mounted folding tables, and the home page has a short overview by room.

Safety

A falling top can injure. Use only the mounting options your manual describes, do not exceed the stated load, and keep children from hanging on an open top. Walls can hide electrical cables and pipes; if you are not sure what is behind the spot you want to drill, check with a detector or ask an electrician first. If you rent, ask your landlord for written permission before you drill – adhesive strips and tension rods are no alternative, because every table we compared mounts with screws.