Rant: I used to think screws in drywall anchors were all the same but nope

For years I grabbed whatever drywall anchor and screw combo pack was cheapest at the hardware store over in Greenwood. Last month I was hanging a heavy shelf in my garage and the whole thing pulled out of the wall after two days. Made me so mad I actually ripped the sheetrock trying to fix it. I asked a buddy who does cabinet work and he told me I needed self-drilling toggle bolts for anything over 20 pounds. He walked me through the installation right there showing me how the wings open up behind the drywall. I tried it on the same spot with the right anchors and that shelf hasn't budged since. Now I see people at the store grabbing those cheap plastic anchors for heavy stuff and I want to stop them. Has anyone else had a similar wake up call about specific hardware?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarcooper1mo ago

Oh man, you're speaking my language. I once hung a big mirror in my hallway using those little plastic expansion anchors and woke up at 2am to a crash that sounded like a car hit the house. That mirror was in a hundred pieces on the floor and I had a dent in the wall that took me three tries to patch right. Felt like a real genius that night. I still grab the wrong anchor sometimes because I think I'm in a hurry and then I remember that sound. It's like a little haunting every time I pass that spot in the hallway now.

faith_thomas1mo ago

Hold up, I gotta say the cheap plastic anchors are just fine for most stuff. People act like they're made of wet paper but I've had a heavy mirror hanging in my bathroom for six years now with those basic white anchors. Screwed them in with my bare hands, no drill, and it's solid as a rock. The real issue isn't the anchor type, it's people not knowing how to install them right or overloading a single anchor instead of using two or three. I'd rather spend two bucks on a pack of twelve than five dollars for two toggles.