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Nails and screws are not designed to install securely into drywall and other wall types, such as tile. Instead, use drywall anchors to hang your mirrors, shelves, decorations, artwork, and more. There are a variety of drywall anchor types from which to choose, and the best ones for you will depend on the items you plan to hang. To help you narrow down your options and find the right product, we compiled this guide of some of the best drywall anchors online. Here are our top choices.
Courtesy Amazon
TOGGLER SNAPTOGGLE BA Toggle Anchor
Prices taken at time of publishing.
These sturdy toggle drywall anchors are ideal for hanging large, heavy items. They work on materials up to 3 5/8 inches thick, including drywall, gypsum board, and concrete. One thing we particularly like about these drywall anchors is that the channels stay in place when installing bolts, whether by hand or with a screw gun. These anchors also come with plastic tabs that make them easy to align.
Pros
Cons
Good for: Those seeking a sturdy set of anchors that can hang large, heavy items.
We find that customers who like this product are pleased with their durability and high weight capacity. Others feel these anchors are difficult to insert, and some users are disappointed they do not come with screws.
Courtesy Amazon
Swpeet Assorted 24 Pcs Toggle Bolt
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This set of toggle bolts includes three sizes: 1/4 inch, 3/16 inch, and 1/8 inch. The bolts have a durable and corrosion-resistant zinc coating and feature a wing-nut design that presses against the wall to keep items in place. The set comes with both screws and toggle bolts.
Pros
Cons
Good for: Those seeking a drywall anchor set with multiple bolt sizes that can hang a variety of light-to-medium-weight items.
Our team finds that customers impressed by these drywall anchors say they&#;re sturdy and easy to install. Others are pleased there are multiple sizes in the same pack. However, some customers feel as though these anchors break easily, and some claim that they&#;re too big to use in small holes.
Courtesy Amazon
ITW Brands Drywall Anchor
Prices taken at time of publishing.
These anchors can hold up to 75 pounds, making them a good choice for hanging light fixtures, towel bars and other bathroom accessories, or small mirrors. Our team likes the twist-and-lock mechanism that keeps them in place. The set includes 50 total anchors.
Pros
Cons
Good for: Consumers who want high-quality anchors that can hold items between 50 and 75 pounds.
We find that customers that are pleased with these drywall anchors like that they&#;re easy to set up and have a secure base. Several customers like how useful they are for setting up curtain rods in particular. However, some reviewers feel these anchors strip easily, and others say they hold less weight than advertised.
Courtesy Amazon
Qualihome Plastic Drywall Anchor Kit
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This pack of 100 plastic drywall anchors is great for projects that involve hanging several small items, such as a gallery wall. The anchors split and expand inside the wall for maximum support. They also include a ribbed shank that prevents them from turning inside the hole during installation. These anchors are reusable, helping you save money.
Pros
Cons
Good for: Customers seeking a durable set of plastic anchors that can hang small items, such as photographs and decorative materials.
Our team finds that those who like this product say the anchors are highly versatile and sturdily designed. Several others are happy they come with a drill bit. However, some customers feel these anchors are hard to get into the wall, and several others find that the drill bit is too large for the anchors.
Courtesy Amazon
Ansoon Zinc Self-Drilling Drywall Anchors
Prices taken at time of publishing.
These durable drywall anchors are made with heavy-duty zinc for extra durability. Each anchor holds up to 50 pounds and works in drywall up to 5/8 inch thick. Additionally, these anchors don&#;t require predrilling and feature a deep-thread design that provides strong engagement.
Pros
KSQ Technology contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.
Cons
Good for: DIYers looking for a well-built set of reusable drywall anchors that can hold medium-sized items.
We find that customers who leave positive reviews like that the anchors are well-built and durable. Others like that they&#;re versatile and hold a large amount of weight. Those who leave negative reviews claim these anchors are difficult to insert and require predrilling. Others say they have issues with the anchors being too fragile despite being made of metal.
When purchasing drywall anchors, consider factors such as weight limit, screw size, and material to ensure you buy the best product for your needs. Read our guide below to learn more about the most important considerations.
A drywall anchor&#;s weight limit determines how heavy of an item you can hang from it. If you&#;re hanging a small photograph or towel holder, the weight limit will matter less than if you&#;re hanging a shelving unit or large mirror. Ensure you know the weight of the item you&#;d like to hang before purchasing anchors. It&#;s particularly important to be aware of your item&#;s weight if it&#;s fragile, as using too small of an anchor could cause it to fall and break.
Many drywall anchors come in kits that include the necessary screws. If you buy a drywall anchor set that does not come with screws, carefully check that you have the right size screws for the anchors, and purchase them if you don&#;t. The correct screw size is often listed on the package.
Drywall anchors are typically either metal or plastic. Metal anchors are stronger, more durable, and better for holding large items. Plastic anchors are less expensive and often come in larger packs. They are better suited for hanging small items, such as small artwork and pictures.
There are several different types of drywall anchors, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are the main drywall anchor types you will encounter and what their common functions are.
Toggle bolt anchors, also called industrial bolt anchors, are ideal for heavy-duty use. They are available in both plastic and metal and have a butterfly-like shape with wings that lock against drywall. While durable and designed for large items, they can sometimes be challenging to install because they require drilling a large hole.
These anchors expand to create a tight bond with drywall when installed. They are usually made of plastic and are best suited for lightweight items.
Self-drilling anchors, also called threaded anchors, can easily cut through walls and require only a screwdriver for installation. They&#;re typically made from hard nylon or metal and are designed to hold heavy items.
Molly bolts, also called &#;mollies,&#; are screws encased with metal that expand inside predrilled holes. They are best suited for medium-sized items and are removable if necessary, which is a rarity among drywall anchors.
Steel-hollow anchors are sturdy and can typically hold at least 40 to 50 pounds per anchor. They feature metal casing with a screw and a load-distribution washer. When inserted, they expand and tightly hold onto drywall for extra stability.
There are certain items you simply can&#;t hang from a nail or screw, especially on drywall ceilings and walls. With drywall anchors, you can securely hang heavy objects and ensure they stay in place. Here are some things you can hang with drywall anchors:
If you can locate a wall stud using a stud finder, you won&#;t need to use a drywall anchor, as nails driven into studs can hold a large amount of weight.
The weight drywall anchors can hold varies significantly based on the type of anchor and the specific model. Typically, smaller drywall anchors can hold anywhere from 10 to 50 pounds, while more heavy-duty models can hold up to 200 pounds.
You can install self-drilling anchors without using a power drill by screwing them into drywall with a screwdriver. For most drywall anchors, however, you should drill a pilot hole in the wall using a drill bit that&#;s smaller than the anchor&#;s width. Then, place the anchor in the pilot hole and lightly tap it with a rubber mallet until it is fully inserted. Avoid hammering in drywall anchors, as it could break the drywall and create too large of a hole.
Some drywall anchors are designed to be reused, but it&#;s important to check the individual product description first if you plan on using an anchor more than once. Most toggle bolts, for example, are not reusable. Reusable metal or plastic anchors still need to be carefully removed. If the anchor is broken once you remove it from the wall, it can&#;t be reused.
Drywall anchors are useful tools for any homeowner looking to hang items from their walls. But finding the best drywall anchors for your needs is challenging if you don&#;t know what to look for. We created this guide by researching the best drywall anchors and considering various models and sizes, including toggle anchors, self-drilling anchors, hooks, plastic anchors, and more.
To provide our readers with the best recommendations possible, we rely on several key sources of information to help guide our selection process.
Initial Research: Our research process began by generating a list of drywall anchors with a significant number of verified-buyer reviews and an average customer review rating of 4&#;5 stars. We looked at positive and negative reviews alike, focusing on information from both satisfied and critical buyers.
Expert Insights: Through our years of experience, we&#;ve learned that listening to what others have to say is key to building accurate, well-rounded articles. To complement our in-house expertise, our team looked at reviews and videos from trusted publications and independent testers, spoke with subject matter experts, and drew insights from reader contributions.
Final Product Selection: We then began fine-tuning our list by replacing older models with the latest versions and eliminating any discontinued models. From there, we pared the list down further by comparing each model&#;s feature set and selecting the best-in-class options for various buyers, budgets, and scenarios.
This Old House has empowered homeowners and DIY-ers for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement advice in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content.
Our team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content. To date, we&#;ve published over 1,600 reviews on products in the home space, from doorbell cameras and backyard fencing to pool vacuums and snow blowers.
Once we conclude our research, we craft a comprehensive, user-friendly article of recommended products and additional information to help our readers make the right purchase.
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Drywall anchors allow you to hang items safely and securely without having to locate studs.
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Drywall revolutionized residential home building in the s and 50s. Gypsum panels provided simple, affordable wall coverings that went up far faster than traditional lath and plaster. This reduced labor and material costs, which led to lower home prices. Millions of post-war home buyers loved the solid, durable surface drywall provided.
But there&#;s one area where drywall does not excel: Fastener retention.
Dry, crumbly gypsum doesn&#;t provide enough stable material for a fastener to latch on to. If you put a nail or screw in drywall. it won&#;t support more than a few pounds of weight, and it&#;s simple to pull it straight out.
A lone fastener might be secure enough to hold a wall calendar. But what if you want to hang something heavier, or something valuable? You can nail through the drywall and into a wall stud. But if your family heirloom doesn&#;t line up conveniently with a stud, you need a better answer.
Enter the drywall anchor.
What are Drywall Anchors?Any time you set a fastener like a nail or screw into a material that doesn&#;t hold tight, you use an anchor to hold it in place. That&#;s why materials such as drywall, brick and concrete need anchors.
Drywall anchors (sometimes simply called wall anchors) come in many designs that all work on the same principle: They hold the fastener steady, then distribute pressure to the back and sides of the drywall, spreading its weight-load across a wider area. The same concept applies to laying down on thin ice. Distributing the weight over a wider area makes it less likely to break through.
German inventor Artur Fischer patented the drywall anchor as we know it in . Fischer&#;s expanding nylon plug was the first of many designs that allow DIYers to hang almost anything from their walls.
Types of Drywall AnchorsMany types of drywall anchors are available for home use, each with different weight ratings.
Expansion anchorsvia lowes.com
This is what most homeowners think of when they picture a drywall anchor, the kind that ships free with most towel rods and toilet paper hangers.
Essentially thin plastic sleeves, these anchors sit in the drywall hole and expand slightly when you drive a screw into them, adding pressure against the side of the hole and holding firm. Extremely affordable, they also have a lower holding weight than other anchors.
Toggle-boltsvia lowes.com
These anchors come as long bolts driven through a threaded toggle. The toggle folds in half, then uses a spring to pop open after being inserted into the wall, distributing its weight behind the drywall.
Toggle-bolts require a larger hole than most anchors due to the size of the spring-loaded section. Removing the bolt means the toggle is lost behind the wall.
A good example is this set from Blue Hawk, which requires a three-quarter inch hole drilled in the drywall. It&#;s rated for 70 lb. hanging capacity.
Pull-toggle anchorsvia homedepot.com
A relatively new entry in the drywall anchor market, these combine toggle-bolts and plastic anchors. The metal toggle is inserted into the wall just like a toggle-bolt. But instead of the metal bolt securing it in place, a plastic strap (similar to a zip-tie) pulls the toggle tight to the wall, connecting it to a threaded plastic retainer.
This installation method allows a single-piece toggle, giving a stronger hold and requiring a smaller entry hole. That provides the strength of a toggle bolt with the reusability of a plastic anchor.
This Hillman pull-toggle only requires a one-half inch entry, and can hold 120 lbs.
Metal anchors (Molly bolts)via lowes.com
Molly bolts have been around for almost a century. They resemble metal versions of expansion anchors. But instead of pressing against the sides of the entry hole, they actually flare the anchor barrel, creating a wider hold pattern behind the wall.
&#;Molly Bolt&#; was originally a brand name, but it now commonly refers to any metal drywall anchors of this style, such as these anchors from Blue Hawk. These are light-duty anchors designed to hold about 20 lbs. Larger, more robust Molly bolts can hold heavier loads.
Self-drilling anchorsvia lowes.com
Self-drilling anchors are just like they sound: An anchor with a drill tip, designed to be installed with a simple screwdriver. Behind the drill tip, these anchors have wide screw fins to get a good grip on the drywall.
They&#;re available in plastic or metal. Plastic is less expensive, while steel or zinc anchors can sit tight in a stud as well as a hollow wall. Both types are extremely easy to install and remove. They do make a bigger hole than slim expansion anchors, and don&#;t have the holding power of toggle bolts.
A good example is this 50-pack from E-Z Anchor, with a three-eighths inch diameter and a 40 lb. holding capacity.
Read the PackagingThe weight restrictions listed on drywall anchor packaging will be based on a certain wall thickness. If you&#;re not sure, assume your walls are one-half-inch thick. Most importantly, do not use any drywall anchor in a ceiling unless it&#;s specifically rated for that application.
Anchors mounted into a wall can use the bottom lip of the hole for support, while ceiling mounts rely solely on their distributed weight. So expansion anchors have almost no holding power in a ceiling.
Pull-toggles are often rated for ceiling applications, but read the packaging carefully. While most walls are covered with one-half-inch drywall, many residential ceilings use one-quarter-inch drywall, which has a lower load tolerance. Be sure to err on the side of caution when hanging anything from the ceiling.
How To Use Drywall AnchorsInstalling a drywall anchor is relatively easy.
Drywall anchors are available from many retailers. Costs vary. Here are some of the most common places to find them.
For more information, please visit Self-Drilling Anchor System.