Swapped duct tape for zip ties on a shelf repair and it backfired bad

I had to fix a sagging bookshelf in my garage last weekend. My first pick was always duct tape because it's what my dad used for everything. But I watched this video from a guy in Ohio who said zip ties are stronger for load bearing stuff like shelves. So I tried it, wrapped zip ties around the wood joints. It held for about 2 hours then snapped clean off and all my old bike manuals crashed to the floor. I went back to duct tape, layered it about 6 times around each joint, and it's been solid for 3 days now. The duct tape bends and flexes with the weight while the zip ties just gave up. Has anyone else found duct tape beats other fixes for weird shelf problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah32011d ago

And that's exactly what I've noticed too, duct tape has this way of kind of molding itself to the shape of the wood and the pressure points, which is why it holds up better over time. The zip ties are just too rigid and once they hit their breaking point they fail all at once instead of slowly loosening like tape does. It's basically like the tape is working with the shelf while the zip ties are fighting against it, so you gotta go with the flexible option every time.

bennett.harper10d ago

Get deep into it and yeah @hannah320 you're totally right, it's that give and take. It's the same reason why old rope swings hold up better than chains, the rope stretches and bends with the tree branch while chains just rust and snap. Same with how a wooden fence will creak and flex in the wind for years while a concrete wall will crack the first big storm. Everything needs a little wiggle room to last, and duct tape just gets that.

aaron74011d ago

Duct tape is legit for shelves, I used it on a wobbly nightstand last year and it's still holding.