DIY Duo: How's It Hangin'?

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SOMETIMES A HAMMER and nail just won't cut it when you need to hang something heavy. Depending on the type of wall you're drilling into, various anchors can bear the burden of those hefty mirrors, full medicine cabinets or oversize traffic signs. This week, we'll run through some of the basic wall anchors and what they're good for.

» BASIC CONCEPT: A nail will slide out; a mere screw will destroy the wall around it. To hang something heavy, you need something that expands within the wall. Enter ...

» EXPANSION ANCHORS: These plastic buggers look like hollow plastic cones. When you twist a screw into them, they expand. Folks call 'em anchors for a reason: In theory, once the thing's expanded, even the force of a heavy object can't pull the wider plastic through the screw-size hole.

There are two main types of expansion anchors: threaded, which sports spiraling ridges like a screw, and plugs. Screw-ins are designed for drywall; ribbed plugs work in drywall, cinderblock, brick or concrete. We've never had great luck with the threaded types, which we've seen fall out and leave ugly holes. Tom prefers the stronger plugs on just about everything.

Both varieties employ the same principle. Drill a hole that's slightly smaller than your anchor. Use a screwdriver or screw gun to secure the screw-in anchors; for a plug, use light taps with a hammer. Then, drive screws into the anchors, which will produce the desired expansion effect.

Of course, an anchor is only as strong as the wall to which it's attached. The packaging will say about how many pounds it can hold, but if your drywall's old and brittle, you can throw those estimates out the window. (Our rule of thumb: Assume the anchor will hold half of what the packaging states.) Older drywall will crumble with the force of the drill or the weight of the object.

We wish we could tell you when drywall is most likely to fall apart, but, alas, it's trial and error. The packaging will also tell you the anchors will work on the ceiling, but don't try it. They just can't take the force.

» TOGGLE BOLT: These metal contraptions are way tougher than their plastic kin. These work on drywall, cinder block, plaster and ceilings. They look a bit like wings and fold in and out like a bird's beak.

First, drill a hole larger than the closed anchor. If the wall is cinderblock or drywall, go straight through the outer layer into the void within. Twist the toggle — that's the part that looks like two wings — onto the bolt. Pinch the wings together and push them through the drill hole. The wings should spring open behind the wall; now, just finish screwing in the bolt. Note that if you mess up and unscrew the bolt, the toggle will be lost in the wall. You'll have to find a new toggle to reuse in the same hole.

We haven't found a brand of toggle bolt that spins our screws, but a friend swears by Buildex's E-Z Toggle Self-Drilling Drywall Bolt. No drills are required to screw these into the wall, so they're less likely to demolish older drywall.

Anchors will handle most heavy stuff, but they won't do everything. When we mounted our flat-screen TV, the drywall wasn't strong enough to hold it. Tom had to install wood blocking between studs. That complex approach required drywall patching and finishing, and unless you're willing to risk that new flat screen, we don't recommend taking it on until you have a few more wall hangings under your tool belt.

Julia Beizer and her fiance, Tom, guide newbies through basic home-improvement tasks in our pages a few times per month.

Photo by Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images