How to Hang Heavy Items on Walls, Cont'd

Learn how to hang just about anything on your walls; includes details on picture hangers, plastic anchors, molly and toggle bolts.

4. Molly bolts To prevent the anchor from pulling out of the wall, Ron needed something that gripped the wall from the back. This type of anchor is called a hollow wall anchor, also known as a molly bolt.

Ron drilled another hole in the wall.

He pushed the anchor into the wall and tapped it with a hammer.

Ron then demonstrated what happened when he tightened the bolt with his driver.

The molly bolt flared out on the backside of the wall.

After Ron flared the anchors out on the backside of the wall, he reversed the drill and removed the screws.

He used the same screws that he had just taken out, and he put them back through the holes of the bracket to form a snug and secure connection to the wall.

5. Toggle bolts When hanging very heavy objects like big books or large stereo speakers, or when hanging something from the ceiling, Ron recommended using toggle bolts.

When drilling the holes for toggle bolts, it is important to pick a bit that's the same diameter as the folded toggle.

Ron squeezed the wings of the toggle together and gently pushed it into the hole.

When the bolt came through the backside of the wall, it sprung out and caught on the backside of the wall.

Then Ron tightened the bolts.

The result was a bracket that was incredibly strong.

RESULTS: Ron certainly doesn't recommend doing chin-ups on a bracket that's put up with toggle bolts, but as he demonstrated, both types of anchors can support a lot of weight! He had almost a hundred pounds up on the shelf. So whether you want to hang a five-pound picture, or put up a shelf that can support a hundred pounds or more, now you have the know-how to do it.