Teach me all about hanging stuff - hooks, shelves, pictures
September 30, 2024 8:24 AM Subscribe
Ever since hanging a hook that came off immediately after I hung something on it, I've had an unreasonable fear of installing anything on my walls -- hanging hooks, pictures, let alone shelves
I'm finally ready to face my fear (and tired of hiring people to help me with something I should be able to handle) -- what are your best resources or tips on hanging things, finding studs, drywall screws, etc?
studs generally have nails in them, so you may be able to find them with a magnet [bungalow (the link also includes other methods, i like banging on the wall:)]
spackle [wiki] can be a good way to reduce stress: if you make a mistake, you can just fill the hole in the wall & try again
posted by HearHere at 8:38 AM on September 30
spackle [wiki] can be a good way to reduce stress: if you make a mistake, you can just fill the hole in the wall & try again
posted by HearHere at 8:38 AM on September 30
You can still find studs under plaster and lathe - the walls in my home are plaster and lathe and I use a magnet to find studs all the time, as HearHere just mentioned.
How to hang something really depends on how heavy the thing is and what your walls are made of. Really heavy things, like TVs, shelves, or large pictures, need to go into something structural, like studs (which can be wood or metal), cement, or brick. Lighter stuff, like smaller pictures or mirrors, can just go into the wall covering, usually either drywall or plaster and lathe.
I would get a sense of the weight of the thing you're hanging, then go to a hardware store and buy a hanger that's rated higher than the object's weight, and then follow the directions on the hanger's packaging on how to install it.
posted by Aizkolari at 8:43 AM on September 30 [2 favorites]
How to hang something really depends on how heavy the thing is and what your walls are made of. Really heavy things, like TVs, shelves, or large pictures, need to go into something structural, like studs (which can be wood or metal), cement, or brick. Lighter stuff, like smaller pictures or mirrors, can just go into the wall covering, usually either drywall or plaster and lathe.
I would get a sense of the weight of the thing you're hanging, then go to a hardware store and buy a hanger that's rated higher than the object's weight, and then follow the directions on the hanger's packaging on how to install it.
posted by Aizkolari at 8:43 AM on September 30 [2 favorites]
If you have drywall, you can skip all the details and just use these 3M claw hooks. The only thing they don’t work for is curtain rods- for those you need proper drywall anchors and screws.
I’ve used the claws for very heavy mirrors and framed art and they’ve worked wonderfully for several years at this point
posted by raccoon409 at 8:55 AM on September 30 [3 favorites]
I’ve used the claws for very heavy mirrors and framed art and they’ve worked wonderfully for several years at this point
posted by raccoon409 at 8:55 AM on September 30 [3 favorites]
I've been using Rawlplug's Uno plastic anchors for many years. Pretty much everything in my house, from TVs to radiators to pictures are mounted with them. They work in plasterboard, brick, concrete, wood etc, and they hold incredibly well. You do have to ensure that you pick the right plug for the job, then drill a correctly-sized hole and use the right size screw.
posted by pipeski at 8:57 AM on September 30
posted by pipeski at 8:57 AM on September 30
As a "fairly handy for the average citizen but non-construction-trained" person, I've had pretty good luck over the years (mostly with drywall) sticking with:
First things first, get a good lightweight cordless drill/driver that you can easiliy operate with one hand at awkward angles. This general idea.
- Screwing into a stud (with a drywall screw or wood screw) is always best if the stud is in the right place and you can find it. Usually it isn't though!
Assuming no stud:
- For really light things, like under 1 pound, not subject to any stresses, drywall screw, straight into the drywall. This would work, for example, for a "Canvas on Demand" style frameless photo print or a small cross stitch. Not suitable with plaster, which will chip and crack. Also, always drill a pilot hole! Slightly smaller than the width of the core of the screw (the center post, not the screw threads). Or even a brad delicately hammered straight in will hold small things if treated gently.
- For medium things, like a clothing hook, or a shelf with a few picture frames on it, plastic drywall anchors work pretty well, although you have to get the size and insertion technique right (practice in a closet or garage!). Get a kit with screws and matching anchors. My least favorite method, as it's kind of a pain and less success rate than the others.
- For heavy things, like a shelf for books, wall-hung cat bed, or mirror in a frame, toggle bolts are your friend. They require drilling a bigger hole so the bolt can get through. Very easy to use though.
posted by bluesky78987 at 9:41 AM on September 30
First things first, get a good lightweight cordless drill/driver that you can easiliy operate with one hand at awkward angles. This general idea.
- Screwing into a stud (with a drywall screw or wood screw) is always best if the stud is in the right place and you can find it. Usually it isn't though!
Assuming no stud:
- For really light things, like under 1 pound, not subject to any stresses, drywall screw, straight into the drywall. This would work, for example, for a "Canvas on Demand" style frameless photo print or a small cross stitch. Not suitable with plaster, which will chip and crack. Also, always drill a pilot hole! Slightly smaller than the width of the core of the screw (the center post, not the screw threads). Or even a brad delicately hammered straight in will hold small things if treated gently.
- For medium things, like a clothing hook, or a shelf with a few picture frames on it, plastic drywall anchors work pretty well, although you have to get the size and insertion technique right (practice in a closet or garage!). Get a kit with screws and matching anchors. My least favorite method, as it's kind of a pain and less success rate than the others.
- For heavy things, like a shelf for books, wall-hung cat bed, or mirror in a frame, toggle bolts are your friend. They require drilling a bigger hole so the bolt can get through. Very easy to use though.
posted by bluesky78987 at 9:41 AM on September 30
A stud detector / finder (available at any hardware store or amazon) , a decent drill (you can get away with harbor frieght /walmart/ikea stuff but its night and day difference using a contractor grade brand - ie the stuff thats usually locked up at home depot; a nice DeWalt set w two batteries is around a hundred on amazon right now), and some dry wall anchors and sufficiently long screws are the answer.
I'll try to come back here and share some youtube vids but basically if you search youtube for "how to use a stud detector" and "how do dry wall anchors work" you'll very quickly vusually understand why something would be sturdy and stay up guaranteed .. vs not.
If you're in a hurry you could also do a google image search for " cross section wall and dry wall anchors", or for similar image irl go to hardware store and look at drawing on back of dry wall anchor package.
If you have masonry (brick) or plaster on your walls, you'll need to make some adjustments as well. If you're getting corny youtube results you can try adding "pbs" or "this old house" for more reliable content. If you wanna just passively get a broad picture of how houses are constructed, watching reruns of the show "this old house" on yt etc is an easy way to get caught up.
Hope that helps! You got this ! Promise.
posted by elgee at 9:51 AM on September 30 [1 favorite]
I'll try to come back here and share some youtube vids but basically if you search youtube for "how to use a stud detector" and "how do dry wall anchors work" you'll very quickly vusually understand why something would be sturdy and stay up guaranteed .. vs not.
If you're in a hurry you could also do a google image search for " cross section wall and dry wall anchors", or for similar image irl go to hardware store and look at drawing on back of dry wall anchor package.
If you have masonry (brick) or plaster on your walls, you'll need to make some adjustments as well. If you're getting corny youtube results you can try adding "pbs" or "this old house" for more reliable content. If you wanna just passively get a broad picture of how houses are constructed, watching reruns of the show "this old house" on yt etc is an easy way to get caught up.
Hope that helps! You got this ! Promise.
posted by elgee at 9:51 AM on September 30 [1 favorite]
Gorilla hooks or monkey hooks are my solution to hanging things on drywall between the studs. They don't require any hardware since they have a pointy end that ends up inside the wall. The hole they leave behind is similar to a smaller nail hole. Each one will have a weight limit, but you can combine them to hold wider items.
posted by soelo at 11:13 AM on September 30 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 11:13 AM on September 30 [2 favorites]
Trans Handy Ma'am Mercury Stardust's book (Safe and Sound: Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair) is GREAT. She's got a very useful hanging tape hack (video).
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:06 AM on October 1
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:06 AM on October 1
Honestly for the vast majority of light frames, eg. a bunch of photos in a montage of small cheap frames on a wall, even relatively large prints/paintings weighing less than 7kg, I have found nothing better and more convenient than 3M command strips, which leave no marks on any wall and are a doddle to install. I installed all the paintings and prints in my house using these, and they've stayed up for years. No drilling needed, no need to find studs, no nails, no screws. I take them down and change them around whenever I feel like it, no problem.
posted by idlethink at 6:40 PM on October 1
posted by idlethink at 6:40 PM on October 1
I had a friend who was a professional art hanger for a gallery. We have lath and plaster walls, and when we are not able to hang something from the picture rail, he suggested these types of hangers that have a weight rating and nails that go in at an angle. The site says to drill pilot holes for plaster, but our plaster is in good shape and we've never drilled what would be a very small, angled pilot hole. Zero problems, and we've even hung a very heavy mirror using two of them.
For finding studs we use a magnet on a string. For shelves we've used either molly bolts or plastic anchors. In our bathroom where the previous owners annoyingly hung drywall that had gotten wet at some point in it's life, we've only been able to hang things that went directly in to a stud. I've thought about installing picture rail in there until we remodel the bathroom because doing anything with the wall just causes the drywall to crumble.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:39 PM on October 3
For finding studs we use a magnet on a string. For shelves we've used either molly bolts or plastic anchors. In our bathroom where the previous owners annoyingly hung drywall that had gotten wet at some point in it's life, we've only been able to hang things that went directly in to a stud. I've thought about installing picture rail in there until we remodel the bathroom because doing anything with the wall just causes the drywall to crumble.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:39 PM on October 3
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I've found a variety of things to work reliably; none of them are plastic anchors. Metal screw-in EZ anchors work very well in drywall and plaster, as long as the wall material is deep enough. Drywall screws work really well for drywall (into a stud), and can work pretty good on plaster, as long as you're not hanging a lot of weight (and as long as you have a good drill or impact driver). For anything truly weight-bearing, and if the wall is hollow, a snap toggle bolt is best.
Lastly, do a lot of googling. Figure out what your walls are made of, google for youtube videos or reddit threads about hanging what you want to hang, and then - trial and error time: it helps to get comfortable with the idea of drilling a hole, trying to hang something, having it fail (or having the anchor just gouge a hole in your plaster) - and realizing that you need to patch it with joint compound, sand it smooth, and paint it over again, and try again.
posted by entropone at 8:38 AM on September 30 [5 favorites]