What You Should Know About Wall Plugs
Wall Plugs and Wall Anchors are essential when hanging or mounting anything onto any type of wall material, but which one is the correct choice?
17/09/2021
I have hosted enough DIY Divas workshops to know that there are still people out there that do not know what wall plugs and wall anchors are and what they are used for, and why they are essential when mounting or hanging anything onto any type of wall material, whether it is drywall, concrete, brick or stone wall.
There are all different types and varieties of wall plugs and wall anchors and, while fischer used to be guaranteed due to its nylon rather than plastic properties, there are now plastic wall plugs that are just as good as nylon, thanks to modern technology providing more solutions with plastics.
What is a Wall Plug or Wall Anchor?
Primarily of either plastic or nylon design, wall plugs or wall anchors are available in different sizes, different designs and different brands. However, they all ultimately serve the same purpose - to ensure the safe anchoring or mounting onto a wall material, no matter the type of material. The purpose of a wall plug is to provide a sleeve that, when driving in a screw, pops open to fill the drilled hole and anchor the screw in place.
The same purpose and method of use applies to nail-in wall plugs and anchors, but rather than driving in a screw, you use a hammer to tap the screw into the wall plug.
What is an Expansion Bolt, Rawlbolt or Anchor?
Sometimes confused with wall plugs or wall anchors, expansion bolts provide a similar function as these, but are more heavy-duty for industrial applications. There are times when a homeowner, DIY enthusiast or contractor will choose to use expansion bolts over wall plugs, and this is generally when mounting or hanging or mounting heavy items to walls or floors.
While expansion bolts provide a similar service as wall plugs, expansion bolts are metal and designed more for heavy-duty or industrial applications.
If you're still not sure about how and when to use Expansion Bolts, or Rawlbolts as they are also known, click on this link to view an informative video that explains it all.
When Should you Use a Wall Plug?
Wall plugs should be used to support anything you hang onto a wall, with the exception of light picture frames, clocks, etc. For lighter items, you can use picture hangers that are hammered into the wall. That means, curtain rails, rods and poles or curtain tracks, heavy items such as headboards, bookshelves, wall shelves to support heavy items; from a safety point of view, always use wall plugs when drilling into any type of wall to mount or hang anything.
It is also important that you use the correct wall plug for the material you are drilling into, particularly when it comes to drywall partitioning or hollow-core doors. These require specialist drywall plugs, as these pop open in a different way than other wall plugs and will hold the item being mounted firmly in position.
The size of the wall plug indicates whether it is suitable for hanging a lightweight, mediumweight or heavyweight object.
