Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Drywall Anchors

Note

Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.

What Are Drywall Anchors?

A drywall anchor kit with different sizes of white self-drilling wall anchors and matching screws.

Drywall anchors provide support for hanging or installing items on a wall when a stud isn't available. Different types and sizes of wall anchors support different weights, and some anchors are designed for different locations, such as walls or ceilings, or different materials, including drywall or masonry. Here are the most common types of drywall anchors:

Shop Drywall Anchors Shop Drill/Drivers Shop Levels

Tip

Installing an item in a stud behind drywall is the best option for strong support, so try to find studs first. Use anchors if studs aren't available.

Expansion Anchors

A silver screw expanding a blue plastic expansion anchor.

Plastic expansion anchors often have a conical shape and raised rings or barbs along their body to improve grip. They're often included with items intended for installation on a wall or ceiling. As you drive a screw into the anchor, the shank of the anchor splits and expands into flanges or wings that grip the interior of the drywall, helping secure the anchor and preventing it from pulling out easily. Expansion anchors require a pilot hole for installation.

Self-Drilling Anchors

A white self-drilling anchor beside a matching silver screw.

These anchors also have a conical shape but have threads similar to those on a screw to allow them to function as screw-in anchors. You can install them in the wall without drilling a pilot hole. Like expansion anchors, driving a screw into the anchor splits the body of the anchor to hold it against the drywall. The threads on the anchor give additional holding power. You'll see metal versions of self-drilling anchors designed to provide extra support in wall studs.

Hollow-Wall Anchors

A silver metal hollow-wall anchor with a red plastic band and a silver screw installed.

Sometimes known as molly bolts, hollow-wall anchors include a screw and a pointed metal body with a spiked collar. Like an expansion anchor, they require a pilot hole. Once inserted, spikes on the collar hold the anchor in place while you turn the screw. The screw contracts the anchor body behind the wall, extending flanges that secure it against the back of the wallboard. You can also find plastic anchors that operate with the same principle.

Toggle Bolt or Toggle Anchors

A toggle bolt with white plastic straps and a screw-type toggle bolt with a spring-loaded toggle.

There are a couple of variations for toggle-style anchors — strap and screw. The principle is similar for both types. An anchoring element (the toggle) inserts in a pilot hole and cinches up against the back of the wallboard to provide support. Screw-style toggles have a spring-loaded toggle that provides strong support, but most require a larger pilot hole. You can also find self-drilling anchors that function similar to toggle bolts.

Tip

Metal anchors tend to be stronger than plastic anchors.

Choosing the Right Wall Anchors

Some items come with plastic expansion anchors, but if the item you're installing doesn't include anchors, or if you want to use a different type, choose your anchors based on the weight of the item you're hanging or installing. Select drywall anchors rated for more than the actual weight of the item. Use several anchors if necessary. If you're installing something like shelves or closet components, account for the additional weight of the items they'll hold.

Tip

Do you need to remove or replace wall anchors? See our step-by-step instructions for removing drywall anchors.

How to Install Drywall Anchors

Once you have the right anchors, installation is simple.

Instructions

All of the anchor types above, with the exception of self-drilling anchors, require pilot holes. If you're using a self-drilling anchor, skip to Step 3.

Check the anchor packaging to determine the bit size you need to drill the pilot hole. If you have a drywall anchor kit, it may include a bit. Drill the pilot hole through the drywall.

Caution

Depending on your installation location, there may be plumbing or wiring behind the wall. See What's Inside My Wall? for information on what to avoid when drilling into a wall.

Wall anchor installation varies by the type of anchor you're using.

Expansion Anchor and Hollow-Wall Anchor

Use a hammer to carefully tap the anchor into the hole until the collar of the anchor is flush with the wall surface. Don't drive the collar beneath the surface of the wall. For some types you may need to fold down the flanges to install the anchor.

Toggle Bolt

For a strap-type toggle anchor, insert the toggle through the pilot hole. Pull the straps toward you to set the toggle against the back of the wall and then slide the anchor collar along the straps and against the wall surface. When the collar is against the wall surface and the toggle is against the back of the wall, snap off and discard the plastic straps.

For a screw-type toggle bolt, remove the spring-loaded toggle from the screw and insert the screw through the mounting hole of the item you're installing. Spin the toggle back onto the screw, making sure it's oriented to fold down toward the screw head. It should also be secure on the screw. If it's at the screw tip, it may fall behind the wall. Insert the toggle portion of the anchor into the pilot hole and behind the wallboard.

Self-Drilling Anchor

Insert a driver bit into the anchor and press the anchor point against the wall. Drive the anchor into the wall, maintaining pressure to make sure the threads engage.

Securing an item to the wall is similar for most anchor types but is a bit different if you're using a screw-type toggle bolt.

Expansion Anchor, Hollow-Wall Anchor, Self-Drilling Anchor and Strap-Style Toggle

Insert the screw through the mounting hole of the item you're installing and drive it into the anchor. The screw will cause the anchor to expand and secure itself against the back of the wallboard.

Screw-Type Toggle Bolt

Drive the screw, pulling back on it just enough to engage the toggle against the back of the wall, until the toggle is tight against the back of the wall.