Have you ever tried to hang stuff up on the walls only to walk away angry or worse — having damaged the walls? It happens to the best of us. Our home improvement expert, Dailyn Matthews, reveals some easy tips to help get the job done right.
"Hanging art or a photograph or even something heavy like a mirror or a bookshelf can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be," says Dailyn. "Not if you have the right tools, and know the hardware to use."
First you want to consider the surface you're going to be hanging something on. Is it drywall? Plaster? Or maybe something else like paneling? Next, consider the weight of the object.
The heavier the object, or the load it has to carry; the more heavy duty or robust fastener you'll need. It's always best to hang your object on a stud. You can use a stud finder to find one. They're usually 16 inches apart.
A hot tip is, if you have an electrical outlet on the wall, often times the electrical box is mounted to the side of a stud.
"You don't always have a stud where you need it," says Dailyn. "So that's when you have to turn to wall anchors. Some are for lightweight jobs, like a hollow wall anchor."
You drill a hole, tap it in with a hammer, and as you put the screw in, it expands and grabs a hold of the wall. This is an easy anchor this works in a similar fashion, except you don't have to drill a hole, it's self-tapping.
"Then there's the molly bolt," says Dailyn. "You drill a hole in the wall, tap it in, and as you back out the screw it pulls the material and expands, so the fastener can't be pulled out of the wall. It's great for heavier duty objects!"
Next is the toggle bolt, which works in a similar fashion as the molly bolt. You drill a hole, you push it through, and as it comes through, it pops open, and grabs a hold of the backside of the wall.
"If you're just hanging a photograph or a lightweight piece of art, all you need is a picture hanger. Very simple to use, all you need is a hammer," says Dailyn.
So you see, if you know the right hardware to use, you can hang just about anything in your home!
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