So you have some items to hang, but you don’t want them to end up falling off the wall and shattering into a million pieces?Some type of drywall anchor could be your best friend.Typically, you have plastic sleeve anchors, self-drilling threaded anchors, Morley bolts, and toggle bolt anchors.They all accomplish the same general task by expanding, biting into, or grabbing onto drywall.If you’re wondering how to use or install drywall anchors, we’ve got you covered.
Typically, your drywall anchor selection will revolve around the weight of the item you wish to hang.While there are actually many types of drywall anchors available, some are more common than others.For brevity, we’ll stick to some of the more common types.
There are some drywall anchors that are rated at 100 pounds or more.Use them sparingly and test expensive items before hanging them.
For Molly Bolts or “Hollow Wall Anchors” you generally have two options: pointed and non-pointed.Blunt tipless anchors require you to drill a pilot hole in the drywall.The pointed style doesn’t require pilot holes; you can hammer them into place.You may also find Molly bolts with barbed heads.These barbs grip the surface of the drywall and prevent the anchors from rotating in their holes.
Toggle bolt anchors can save the day when you have heavier items to hang but can’t find wall studs to hang.Of course, there are a few things to be aware of before getting started.For one thing, you have to drill a hole to allow the toggle through.This would require a hole that is more than the width of the screw head, so toggle bolts can really only be used in conjunction with brackets that cover the hole.Also, while these drywall anchors can support a fair amount of weight, your soft drywall will fail if you put too much weight on them.
Even better than Molly bolts or toggle bolts, we love Snaptoggles.The reason is simple – you can remove the bolts and reinsert them as needed.This is a huge advantage over traditional toggle bolts.In our opinion, they are also easier to install than Molly bolts, although they have a few steps:
Sometimes you accidentally overdrill drywall anchor holes.When this happens, you have several options:
Of course, you can avoid most of these problems by making sure to follow the recommended bits of instructions.We also recommend drilling as straight as possible rather than “reaming” while drilling.This keeps everything at the expected size.If you drill a hole that is too large, you may have the drywall anchor spinning when you insert the screw.
The great thing about drywall anchors is that they tell you almost exactly what size hole to drill.For our recommended Snaptoggle and FlipToggle anchors, a 1/2″ drill bit is required.For self-tapping drywall anchors, you can ditch the drill entirely.
Pay attention to the back of the package, and when you get your drywall anchors, pick up the best bits in the store.
There are really only a few things you need to worry about when dealing with any drywall anchor that requires pre-drilled holes.First, are you close to the studs or just drilling into the drywall cavity?Second, are you drilling into the exterior block wall or are there other potential obstructions?
Usually, you just need to cut through the drywall – which makes for a very easy and quick process.However, if you have to deal with studs, you may want to choose an anchor that can also be drilled into the wood as needed.You’ll want to make sure your hole depth matches the drywall anchor, adding at least an extra 1/8″ to account for the screw sticking out of the back.
When dealing with exterior block walls, we recommend that you try to use trim strips on at least one side.We’ve found that 3″ long Tapcon screws work well to secure block walls, provided you follow the instructions for proper installation.
If you have any tips, tricks and questions on how to use drywall anchors, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
When he doesn’t have his own tools, Chris is usually the guy behind the camera, making the rest of the team look good.In his free time, you might find Chris’s nose blocked by a book, or ripping off the rest of his hair while watching Liverpool FC.He loves his faith, family, friends and the Oxford comma.
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I’ve researched quite extensively and can’t find an answer to the screw specifications for plastic drywall anchors.I have a variety of anchors and usually the screws are included in the anchors.I want to buy extra screws for the anchors, but the packaging usually just says “#6 or #8 screws”.Drywall, wood, sheet metal?Does the thread matter when inserting a plastic anchor?Also, what is the length of the screw compared to the anchor length?thank you very much!
First make sure you don’t have any studs where you plan to install the drywall anchors.Invest in a good stud finder.I recently had a wall with 12″ double studs and I found it hard!
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Post time: Jul-12-2022
