Drywall Hangers

Question

Have you any suggestions for the BEST methods for hanging shelves or other heavy objects from drywall where using a stud won't work?

Answer

The best anchor is a screw in the stud. Sometimes I put a small 90 degree angle bracket on the top of the shelf unit or under a shelf screwed into the shelf as well as into the stud.

There are anchors for drywall which hold quite well. My favorite is a plastic E-Z drywall anchor that is screwed into the drywall, then a screw is screwed into it, as shown in the picture. It is designed to drill its own hole. I use these for towel rod holders, etc.

For hanging pictures there are hangers designed to hold 100 pounds just by fastening to a bracket nailed into the drywall. For heavy weights such as this try to use more than one anchor to spread the weight around.

Dave