If you're fixing anything to anything, you need to know what fixings to use. Here's the information to help find out.
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This is one of four posts:
One on which fixings / wall plugs to use (this one)
One on checking what's hidden in your wall before you drill through it
It's sadly not as simple as "one size fits all"
Let's start with getting the disappointment out of the way, if you're hoping for a simple answer like "yellow, red or brown" which relates to sizing in some ranges of wall plugs, I'm sorry but there's more to it than that. In the picture you can see my basic fixings box. I have another 10 or 12 types outside of these! On the plus side I'm hoping to give you some information that might stop your TV from falling off the wall!! And you don’t need all those that I have.
Basic wall plugs
You drill a hole, you push the plug into the hole, you screw a screw into the plug and it expands the plug and it wedges into the hole. Something like these or thousands or others like them
That’s assuming you have the right size hole, right size plug and right size screw. So if you’re buying wall plugs, try not to throw the packaging away because it often tells you what drill and screw size to use.
By the way, if you do have one where the hole is too big or the plug has come loose you could try some of these, a lot of people rate them highly.
You wet them, wrap them around the plug and push them back in the hole and they set.
Your item came with fixings supplied
“Ah but Paul, everything I buy always has the wall plugs and screws with it, so I don’t need to worry”
I admire your confidence in this but sadly I can’t agree. If every wall in your house is brick or block with plaster (not plasterboard) then yes you’re probably ok but if you take a wander through my post on different wall types and find out your walls AREN’T brick or block with plaster on we need to talk a little more. Don't get me wrong, some items like basins DO come with heavy duty fixings but you still need to be sure the fixing and the wall type match.
How heavy is your item?
Many wall fixings have a weight classification that comes with them but I’ll make a couple of points on this:
Do you actually have any clue about the weight (or potential weight) of the item you’re hanging on the fixing? I’m not acting superior here, I’ve no clue of the weight of anything I’ve ever put on a fixing. As a for instance, I’ve hung many kitchen cupboards and thought “crikey that feels heavy” as I try and hold it while I put the screws in. And then I go and fill it with a bunch of 1kg bags of sugar, flour, rice, lentils....
So what’s the answer? Well to be honest I usually follow the approach of “what’s the biggest fixing I can get away with?”
And the other point is that the manufacturer probably adds a bit of leeway in terms of maximum load but at the same time their figures will be based on a perfect installation of their product Which might not take into account your 1906 crumbly plaster with the shaky laths holding it up.
Or your Stramit (cardboard encased compressed straw panels) walls that won’t take any fixing at all.
My recommendation is then, go bigger rather than smaller if you’re uncertain.
Let’s discuss the range of fixings available then!
No actually let’s not because there’s hundreds if not thousands. Lets just talk about those that I use and those I’ve tried and don’t use and why.
And if you’ve used fixings over the years but not looked at what’s available recently, throw away any preconceived ideas and read on.
“Traditional” plastic wall plugs into “solid“ walls.
I’ve fitted hundreds over the years and seen some failures (curtain rails were a real bugbear). With a solid wall they're generally fine. So as I said above, if its a wall thats been plastered, great. For a bare brick wall, great. For a bare block wall it depends on what you’re hanging on it. I have lightweight concrete block walls in my garage and to hang heavy stuff like my trestles, wall plugs are useless, they literally just pull out. I’ll talk about special fixings for this further down.
I do use wall plugs for curtain rails and things if I’ve drilled through plasterboard where the “dab” fixing is because it creates a solid mass from the surface through to the wall behind.
But I generally use Corefix fixings if the plasterboard is dot and dab so I’ll talk about them next.
Corefix fixings into dot and dab plasterboard
Oh I wish these had been around sooner!
I've done holes right through plasterboard and void into block and brickwork, I’ve done “frame” fixings in the same way. Both ideas work but Corefix have the addition of a sleeve that supports the plug and screw into the wall. Just drill the hole, tap in the plug followed by the sleeve and then put the screw in. And it doesn’t matter if you find the dab sections or the voids.
Take a look at their video to see how Corefix fixings work
Then just go buy some in the size you need!!
Hollow wall (interset) anchors into plasterboard on a timber frame
These are great for ceilings and stud partition (plasterboard on timber frame) walls
Available in lots of sizes, I use the original Rawlplug version but others are available.
You’ll find people say you need the special install tool for them but I disagree. If you put them in the correct size hole they work fine with a screwdriver, I have a video I’ll add on this.
As I mention in other places on the site, if you can find the timbers behind the plasterboard just use wood screws straight into that. Take a look at the what’s my wall made of page to get tips on this.
One of the reasons I particularly like these Interset fixings is that you can take the screws back out without the fixing dropping off the back and disappearing down the void.
Lightweight aerated concrete blocks (Celcon, Thermalite etc)
For small light items they’re not too much of a drama but if you want something heavy to stay up the only thing I’ve found that seems to work are DeWalt Gasbeton. They’re a bit more specialist because they need a much larger drill bit to make the hole and then a hex key to wing them into the wall
Fischer do a version, they look pretty much identical but I’ve never used them.
The only other thing I’ve ever done is run timbers up the block wall, secured them with plenty of long screws into wall plugs and then hang stuff from the timbers. This works well in a garage if you can fasten the top to the roof truss and the bottom to the floor.
Fastenings I don’t use:
Spiral self screw plasterboard fixings.
In fairness I used these a lot over the years and I don’t hate them like many people do, I just don’t think they’re that great and what really irritates is I can rarely get the screws back out if I need to without the actual fixing itself unscrewing and once it’s done that the hole is useless.
Gripit plasterboard fixings
I really wanted these to be awesome. I liked the cleverness of them and bought a kit and some special tools that go with them.
I just found I was a bit disappointed with them. I’ve found the screwdriver “slot” to position the wings is a bit weak and again I found that if I tried to take the screws back out they loosened to easily. They're ok as a last resort where you're trying to get a new fixing where a previous fixing has failed.
I’ll try them again sometime in the hope that they redeem themselves.
All sorts of other wall plug type fixings
There are any number of wall plug fixings that claim to be good for plasterboard or drywall (same thing, different countries) Once again I’ve never found them very satisfactory. Generally they rely on some means of twisting and spreading once they’ve gone into the void behind the board and I’ve more often than not had them twist loose in the board after which they’re trashed.
There are guys who say the Fischer DuoPower is good, I’ve never tried this specific model but I think it’s good that the kit below comes with the recommended screws because that definitely makes a difference. But for now I’ll definitely stick with the Intersets above
So there you have it, my thoughts on fixings. Now go check out what drill bit to use and how to figure out what you’re drilling and fixing into
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