Kitchen storage without drilling

A rented kitchen is often short of storage, and the tiled splashback is the last place you want to drill. Utensil rails, kitchen roll holders, knife racks and even drawers go up without a drill, though: glued to the tiles, held by magnets on the fridge or fixed inside a cupboard. This guide explains how to choose by surface and weight, then how to fit and remove them. Every product mentioned is in our selection of storage without drilling, where you can filter by type, fixing and weight.

Four ways to hold without drilling

tesa Power.Kit glue

The tesa KITCHEN accessories are glued with an adapter and the Power.Kit glue supplied: the tesa KITCHEN rail kitchen organiser, combi sets S, M, L, XL, up to 10 kg on the rail, or single pieces of 5 kg each such as the tesa KITCHEN magnetic knife holder, the tesa KITCHEN kitchen roll holder and the tesa KITCHEN sink organiser. They go on tiles, glass or metal, not on wallpaper, plaster or PP, PE and PTFE plastics. The glue must harden for 12 hours, and tesa’s sheet states residue-free removal and reuse.

Adhesive hooks

The Yamazaki tower Film Hook accessories stick to tiles with two adhesive hooks: the Yamazaki tower Film Hook adhesive tea towel bar and the Yamazaki tower Film Hook adhesive cutting board holder carry up to 2 kg, the Yamazaki tower Film Hook adhesive 6-hook rail 500 g per hook. Yamazaki does not say they come off without marks.

Magnets

On a metal surface, such as the side of the fridge, magnetic storage glues nothing. The Yamazaki tower magnetic rack with kitchen roll holder carries up to 4 kg, and the Wenko Magna magnetic kitchen rack 2.5 to 5 kg depending on the level. The manufacturer does not say they leave no marks, but nothing is stuck on.

Inside a cupboard

The tesa telescopic drawers add a drawer to an existing cupboard, fixed with Powerstrips on metal or varnished wood: the tesa telescopic bottom pull-out for kitchen cupboards on the cupboard floor, the tesa telescopic side pull-out for kitchen units on its side wall, up to 10 kg each. tesa’s sheet gives a fitting temperature of 15 to 35 °C and one hour of hardening.

Choosing by weight

Weigh what you plan to store and pick a fixing whose maximum load is higher, with room to spare. The loads in our selection, as stated by the manufacturers, run from 500 g per hook to 10 kg for a drawer or the tesa rail. A full utensil pot or a row of spices weighs more than you would think.

A clothes rail without drilling

For clothes, a telescopic clothes rail is wedged between floor and ceiling, without tools or drilling. The Wenko Herkules Basic floor-to-ceiling clothes rack fits a height of 165 to 300 cm, with two bars of 20 kg each; the Wenko Herkules Duo clothes rack, 3 bars and 2 baskets has three bars and two 15 kg baskets. Measure the ceiling height before you buy.

Fitting, step by step

1. Choose the spot, checking in the instructions that the surface suits the product.
2. Clean and dry the surface as the instructions say: grease and damp stop the adhesive from taking.
3. Fit it as the manufacturer says, then wait for it to set before loading it: 12 hours for Power.Kit glue, one hour for the tesa drawers.
4. Load it gradually, starting with something light.

For a hook or a shelf in the bathroom, see the bathroom guide.

Taking storage down when you move out

Follow the removal method in the manufacturer’s instructions. For a product whose manufacturer does not state mark-free removal, try a hidden spot first. Before the check-out inspection, make sure the splashback and cupboards are clean, with no trace of glue.