Wall Anchors

Hanging Wall Ornaments

Introduction:

Use the right wall anchor and your ornaments won't fall off the wall. It is important to use a wall anchor that supports the weight of the item. Wall anchors do a great job, providing you use the right one. If you don’t, the objects you hang will most likely comes crashing down and damage the item you are trying to hang or something else.

There are many different types of wall anchors that are used for hanging just about anything different, from light weight pictures and paintings to heavy mirrors. Using the right wall anchor is essential to avoid damaging your walls and ornaments.

Wall anchors are fasteners that can be attached to the wall using screws, nails, adhesives or other fasteners. To be ineffective they must be strong enough to support the weight of the object that is hung on them.  Wall anchors are useful on extremely hard surfaces such as concrete or on hollow surfaces such as doors, walls and ceilings. Generally, there is no convenient wood stud or beam behind the surface where you need an anchor. There are many styles of anchors, each one having different strengths and weaknesses.  An anchor that is strong in drywall may not be as strong in concrete.  The problem with wall anchors are that most of them feel strong when first installed however, over time a mismatched anchor to the wall material will eventually loosen. Bathroom fixtures such as towel racks, small cabinets and other items throughout the house require anchors strong enough to carry the weight of the item. Usually the anchors that manufacturers provide are inexpensive and will not do the job. Before selecting an anchor you must determine how much weight it will hold.

All anchors can be divided into two basic types, expansion anchors and hollow wall anchors.   Expansion anchors are used in thick, solid materials such as concrete, brick, mortar, metals or even wood.  They work by expanding when a screw or bolt is threaded into them and they are as strong as the material they are installed in. If an expansion anchor is installed in a soft material such as drywall, the strength is minimal and it will eventually loosen or pull out.   

A hollow wall expansion anchor work fine in drywalls but will not work in solid materials.  They are designed to be used in thin materials or on hollow walls.  They each have a unique way of spreading within the hollow of the wall.  Once spread, the anchor cannot be pulled back through the smaller installation hole. 

Expansion plastic wall anchors are one of the most commonly used as drywall anchors.  Plastic drywall anchors are available in a number of sizes and designs from punch in to screw in types. Larger plastic anchors will accept larger screws and therefore have greater holding capacity.  The more heavily ribbed type anchors will give the greatest gripping strength, regardless of the wall material.  When a screw is installed into a plastic anchor it expands behind and within the wall material. Installing a plastic anchor is a matter of first making a hole for the anchor in the surface and press the anchor into the hole until it is flush with the surface.  Plastic expansion anchors are the weakest and will pull out at around 30 pounds in concrete and10 lbs in drywall.   

The best anchor for heavy objects hung on hollow walls is the toggle wall anchors.  They are the best heavy duty wall anchor. They consist of two parts, the toggle which looks like a pair of spring-loaded metal wings and the accompanying screw. The larger the screw diameter the stronger the toggle and the longer the screw the thicker the material that can be hung or the thicker the wall it can be used in. Toggles are massively strong.  They can safely hold 50 lbs to over 100 lbs, depending on their size. Toggle anchors are the anchor of choice for hanging most anything from ceilings such as heavy light fixtures.

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