Hanging pictures, art work and decorations on walls always seems to be problematic. The fasteners that are typically used are screws, nails and adhesives that don’t hold the weight of the object and fall off the wall. Unfortunately the items wind up getting broken when they fall off the wall. The only way to absolutely secure wall mounted items is with wall anchors.

A wall anchor is a fastener that can attach one object to another in situations where other types of fasteners are either impractical or ineffective. The common surfaces where anchors are useful are on hard surfaces such as concrete and on hollow surfaces such as doors, walls and ceilings. They are particularly useful where there is no convenient wood stud or beam behind the surface.

There are many different styles of anchors with each one having different strengths and weaknesses. Anchors that are strong when installed in a drywall surface may not be strong enough for concrete walls and visa versa.

Household accessories such as towel bars, small cabinets and other items often come with anchors that are not strong enough for the job and the homeowner has to find an alternative anchor. This is not always as easy as it would seem because the manufacturers of anchors often do not include how much weight there anchors will hold or just where to use them.

Types of anchors and their uses:

There are two basic types of anchors, expansion anchors and hollow wall anchors. Expansion anchors are used in very thick solid material such as concrete, brick, mortar, metals or wood. They work by expanding when a screw or bolt is threaded into them. But all expansion anchors are only as strong as the material they are installed in. They don’t work well on drywall.

Hollow wall anchors will not work in solid materials. They are designed to be used in thin materials or on hollow walls. Each hollow wall anchor has a unique way of spreading within the hollow wall. Once they spread inside the wall they cannot be pulled back through the smaller installation hole. There strength is proportional to the size of the spread.

Both of these anchors can be made of plastic or metal. They are the most common wall anchor and are available in many different sizes and designs. When a screw is installed into a plastic anchor the anchor expands, exerting force against the material on the inside of the wall. All expansion anchors are strongest when used in a solid material such as concrete.

Installing wall anchors:

Installing the anchor involves making a hole for the anchor in the wall surface. Then the anchor is pressed into the hole until it is flush with the surface. When a screw is installed in the anchor the taps on the back side spread out on the inside of the wall which is what gives it its strength. They come in various strengths to hold weight up to 30 to 40 pounds providing the wall material can support the weight. To remove these anchors they must be punched through the wall which will leave you a drywall hole to repair.

Toggle bolt type anchors work well in hollow walls. They consist of two parts; the toggle itself (which looks like a pair of spring loaded metal wings) and an accompanying machine bolt. Toggles are very strong and can hold up to 100 pounds. Toggles are used to hang heavy objects on walls and ceilings. The down side of toggle anchors is they usually require a large hole to insert the spring loaded wings.

To install a toggle anchor the machine screw is first screwed into the toggle (spring loaded wings) and then pushed through into the hole. The wings spread out behind the wall. However, to tighten it you must pull pressure against the toggle as you tighten the machine screw. This will draw the toggle up tight against the back side of the wall. To remove the toggles just remove the bolt and the toggle wings will drop into the wall. Again you will have to repair the hole.

This is how to use wall anchors to hang items on walls. Each type of anchor has its own application. Keep in mind that the strength of any wall anchor depends on the material the wall is made of.

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