Drywall anchors can be really helpful for hanging relatively heavy objects like shelves, heavy frames, and so on. In some cases, it\u2019s an absolute necessity. After all, drywall isn\u2019t the strongest material out there, and heavy objects hung with run-of-the-mill nails will eventually pull away the drywall. But what do you do when a drywall anchor won\u2019t go into the wall? That\u2019s its job!<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the problem? Well, it\u2019s possible you aren\u2019t installing the drywall anchor correctly. It\u2019s also just as likely there\u2019s another layer behind the drywall that\u2019s preventing the anchor from going in all the way.<\/p>\n
There are very few reasons why your drywall anchor isn\u2019t working. It\u2019s either the environment it\u2019s subjected to or you\u2019re installing it improperly. First, let\u2019s start with the proper environment.<\/p>\n
Not all walls are made equally. One house might have a drywall that leads to the skeleton of the house. Other houses have paneling with drywall behind it. Unless you had the house built yourself or tear a wall down, you won\u2019t know for sure what\u2019s behind it.<\/p>\n
Drywall anchors are\u2014if it wasn\u2019t obvious\u2014supposed to work with drywall. They\u2019re designed to bite into the surrounding material and add considerable strength to the walls, giving drywall the ability to hold heavy objects that it otherwise would not have by itself. Then there\u2019s plaster and lathe.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible a plaster and lathe wall lies behind your drywall. And if that\u2019s the case, it can make inserting a drywall anchor that much harder. It\u2019s incredibly annoying to deal with, preventing anchors from going in all the way. What\u2019s happening is your anchor is going in and then finding resistance against the plaster between the lathe (which is wood).<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s just one of several possibilities. There could be a concrete foundation behind the wall. Plywood, studs, plumbing, even load bearing columns.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t easy to admit you made a mistake. Everyone has been there at one point or another, sometimes more than people care to express. But it does happen, and it\u2019s best to at least humor the possibility.<\/p>\n
Drywall anchors are easy to install, but also really easy to screw up. The goal is to first create a hole for the anchor. It can\u2019t be too big. If it\u2019s too big, the anchor is pretty much useless. On the other hand, if it\u2019s too little, the drywall anchor won\u2019t have enough space to fit. On that same note, you should never<\/em> create a hole that\u2019s the same size as the anchor.<\/p>\n The hole for the anchor can\u2019t be too big, and it can\u2019t be too small. There needs to be enough drywall for the anchor to bite into the nearby material. That\u2019s what helps give it its strength.<\/p>\n If there’s a wood stud above the drywall that you’re trying to install the anchor into, this can prevent the installation from going smoothly. If this is the case, you need to screw into the same spot but without the anchor. Since it’s wood, you don’t need an anchor for the screw to be sturdy as it’ll remain sturdy in wood. Whereas drywall needs an anchor in order for the screw to be sturdy. A wall stud is a vertical repetitive framing member in a building’s wall. It is a fundamental element in frame building and it might be located in a place where you think drywall is located.<\/p>\n If the area of the wall that you’re trying to put the drywall anchor into is extremely weak, then it won’t be able to go into the wall without it feeling loose. Sometimes in drywall, there can be areas that can be weak and contain holes which makes installing things like a drywall anchor harder. To remedy this, you just need to move the location a few inches to the right or left to avoid that part of the drywall that isn’t as strong as the rest.<\/p>\n If the hole that you’re trying to screw the drywall anchor into is too small, the drywall isn’t going to be able to go in and you’ll need to expand the hole. You can use the drill machine in such a way that the drill bit is pressing on the sides of the hole. You can use a bigger drill bit if the hole isn’t large enough. If you have a round file, you can use it to remove extra material to make the hole wider. Once the hole is slightly larger, then you can try to screw in the drywall anchor.<\/p>\n If you’ve over-drilled, you might find that the drywall hole is slightly large. If you find that the drywall anchor easily falls out, then you can pick up a larger drywall anchor (view on Amazon)<\/a>. If you’re using a standard toggle bolt, then you should proceed with a washer. If the bolt or screw seems too small and you’re using a threaded anchor, grab a larger one and see if you can get a snug fit.<\/p>\n You should make sure to avoid reaming out the hole when you drill. Drilling as straight as possible will ensure that the whole isn’t larger than it needs to be. If you have made the hole larger than needed then you’ll risk the drywall anchor spinning when you insert the screw and drill it.<\/p>\n If the hole is too big, using a toothpick, you can wedge a few into the anchor towards the sides. Make sure not to use substances like glue to fill up a hole thats too big – it can end up sticking to the soft plastic in the anchors. Once the toothpicks are in place, drive the screw in and you’ll notice that the toothpicks are pushed outwards.<\/p>\n If the area of the wall that you’re trying to put the drywall anchor into has a plumping pipe behind it, it’ll feel like it’s impossible to install the anchor. The plumbing pipe connects all of the various elements to complete a system within a commercial or residential property and your drywall has to be built around these pipes. So if you’ve come around a section of your home that you want to install the drywall anchor into and you’re struggling to even make a hole, there’s a small chance that it’s a plumbing pipe. To remedy this, you just need to move the location a few inches to the right or left to avoid the plumbing pipe.<\/p>\n If you’ve mistaken the area of the wall that you’re trying to put the drywall anchor into for concrete, it’ll feel like it’s impossible to install the anchor. Some homes have both drywall and concrete walls and concrete is a lot stronger than drywall. If you’ve come around a section of your home that you want to install the drywall anchor into and you’re struggling to even make a hole, there’s a small chance that it’s actually a concrete wall. To remedy this, you just need to move to a location of the wall that’s drywall and not concrete. One simple test to determine if the wall is concrete or drywall is to attempt to press a simple push pin into your wall. Drywall is relatively soft, and a push pin can usually be pressed into the wall with thumb pressure.<\/p>\n If the area of the wall that you’re trying to put the drywall anchor into has a load-bearing column behind it, it’ll feel like it’s impossible to install the anchor. A load-bearing structure has the components of a building that carries and transfers the load to the ground safely. So if you’ve come around a section of your home that you want to install the drywall anchor into and you’re struggling to even make a hole, there’s a small chance that it’s a load-bearing column. To remedy this, you just need to move the location a few inches to the right or left to avoid the load-bearing column.<\/p>\n If you’ve mistaken the area of the wall that you’re trying to put the drywall anchor into for lath and plaster, it’ll feel like it’s impossible to install the anchor. Some homes have both drywall and lath and plaster walls – lath and plaster are a lot stronger than drywall. If you’ve come around a section of your home that you want to install the drywall anchor into and you’re struggling to even make a hole, there’s a small chance that it’s actually a lath and plaster wall. To remedy this, you just need to move to a location of the wall that’s drywall and not concrete. One simple test to determine if the wall is concrete or drywall is to attempt to press a simple push pin into your wall. Drywall is relatively soft, and a push pin can usually be pressed into the wall with thumb pressure.<\/p>\n There are all kinds of anchors available and each one is installed in the same general way, though each does have its own unique use. Let\u2019s take a look at how to install the most common anchors.<\/p>\n Regardless of what anchor you have, you\u2019ll need a few important tools:<\/p>\n Typically plastic and not exactly strong, but do serve their purpose for small shelves with a few knick-knacks.<\/p>\n If you look at a threaded anchor, you\u2019ll notice that it\u2019s basically a screw, but plastic.<\/p>\n Molly bolts (view on Amazon)<\/a> look like the first two inches of a pencil tip, but metal. Molly bolts are the kind of anchors you use if you want to install really heavy objects.<\/p>\n Rather than using a drywall anchor, you can install a toggle bolt (view on Amazon)<\/a>. With a toggle bolt, you can hang heavier items. There are a few things you need to know before you install a toggle bolt such as you need to drill a hole that allows the toggles to go through. The hole needs to be bigger than the screw head so that the toggle bolts can only be used in conjunction with a bracket that will cover the hole.<\/p>\n3. Wood Stud Behind<\/h4>\n
4. The Wall Is Too Weak<\/h4>\n
5. The Hole Is Too Small<\/h4>\n
6. The Whole Is Too Large<\/h4>\n
7. Plumbing Pipe Behind<\/h4>\n
8. Concrete Foundation Behind<\/h4>\n
9. Load-Bearing Column Behind<\/h4>\n
10. Plaster and Lath Instead Of Drywall<\/h4>\n
How to Install a Drywall Anchor<\/h3>\n
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Installing an Expansion Anchor<\/h4>\n
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Installing Threaded Anchors<\/h4>\n
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Installing a Molly Bolt<\/h4>\n
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Installing Toggle Bolts<\/h4>\n