An Overview of Drywall Anchors – ISPUZZLE

When it comes to fastening into drywall, two questions arise more than any other:

What are the benefits of drywall anchors?

What are the different types of drywall anchors?

Advantages of drywall anchors

There are three main potential benefits to using drywall anchors.

play yourself

Heavy-duty drywall anchors are self-tapping, which means you can easily screw them into a wall. Self-tapping speeds up drywall installation and also helps prevent cracks and wrinkles in wall surfaces, which can be a real problem with brittle drywall.

easy to hide

Since you can drive heavy drywall anchors into the surface of a wall, you can cover the anchor with caulk and a few paint applications. Poor quality drywall anchors can be difficult to hide and therefore diminish aesthetic appeal. However, this is not a problem if the anchor can be easily hidden, for example with a picture or a shelf.

Ideal for rack mounts

A heavy-duty drywall anchor is the most efficient way to install shelving. The flat surface of an L-bracket is especially useful during shelving projects. Simply attach the locking blade to the back of the drywall anchor.

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Types of drywall anchors

There are several types of drywall anchors to choose from. The key to choosing the right drywall anchor is to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each type. You must use the correct drywall anchor for the correct anchor application or the consequences can be frustrating, to say the least.

Main Type #1: Solid Drywall Expansion Anchor

Drywall expansion anchors work best when screwed into thick materials, such as brick, mortar, metal, or mortar. The anchor expands when you drive a bolt or screw through a drywall expansion anchor. Expansion anchors fall into the category of high strength drywall anchors.

Main Type #2: Hollow Drywall Anchor

Hollow drywall anchors are the easiest anchor to install. However, due to ease of installation, hollow drywall anchors also produce the weakest joints. You can only use hollow anchors in drywall and blueboard. Drill a hole and insert the hollow dowels into the hole. The anchor extends into the hollow section of a drywall and is therefore “anchored” in the drywall.

Writing inside primary types

There are also several subtypes of drywall anchors that fall into the two main categories. This is where you will notice a difference in the quality of the anchor.

Plastic anchors for drywall

Considered one of the most common drywall anchors, plastic expansion anchors offer the weakest connection for the hollow drywall anchor category. The heavily ribbed anchor has excellent gripping ability, making it a good solution for installation in solid materials. Anchors weigh 14 kilograms for concrete, but only 4 kilograms for drywall, so they should be limited to lightweight objects like pictures and clocks in cavity walls.

Winged plastic anchors

This type of hollow drywall anchor is designed for use in hollow walls. Although cheaper to manufacture than the cost of metal drywall anchors, plastic hollow anchors offer more than twice the strength of plastic expansion anchors. Hollow drywall anchors are rated up to 16 kilograms.

threaded anchors

This anchor looks like a large threaded nut that has a pointed shape at the end. The large heads hold securely to drywall and also work well with #6 and #8 sheet metal screws. You can find both metal and nylon threaded drywall anchors. Threaded anchors can hold between 14 and 40 kilograms, depending on design and application.

rock the bolts

Toggle bolts have the highest strength of all cavity wall anchors. A strong drywall anchor consists of two parts: the wing arms and the carriage bolt. The metal wing arms interlock so that the tension bolt fits snugly into a hole drilled in a wall. Depending on the size, tension bolts can easily hold between 22 and 45 kilograms. Spring-loaded wing arms make toggle bolts perfect for mounting heavy objects like shelves or mirrors.

How to install rocker arms

Since toggle bolts suspend heavy objects, let’s spend some time looking at how to install them. First, use a pencil to mark the suspension point. Then drill a hole with a bit the size of the end of the lever. Push the bolt through the hole in the item you want to use as a support (usually a bracket). Tighten the lever making sure the tips are pointing towards the screw head. Close the lever and slam the bolt-like end into the wall. Finally, tighten the bolt by pulling on the threads until the end of the lever is secured to the wall.

If you have basic DIY skills, driving drywall anchors into walls shouldn’t be a problem. The most important thing to remember is to use the right anchors for the right job. Otherwise, you can expect a wall to succumb to improperly installed anchors and begin to crack. If you’re unsure of your DIY skills, hire a contractor to make sure you hang what you want, where you want.

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