Drywall Fasteners & Anchors

Anytime that you need to fasten something, be it a towel bar, shelf or other object to a wall constructed from drywall you must consider the best method to anchor it.

Figure 1 - Assortment of drywall anchors

Every DIY home handyman has faced a home improvement that required fastening an object to drywall, even if you're building a home - the key is to use an anchor that will work for your specific project.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of fasteners and anchors designed for mounting items to drywall.

In this review we will attempt to cover the most popular fasteners and anchors and describe the differences. By no means have we listed every drywall fastener or anchor that exists and there may be some that have been left out that have benefits that the ones we have listed do not.

It should also be noted that many manufactures make the same basic fasteners and anchors and although there are some subtle differences, in order to differentiate their products, the end result, in most cases, is the same.

The reader should not assume that the position in the list represents the quality of the product. The items are listed randomly and their position should not be taken to imply anything what-so-ever.

Drywall Fasteners & Anchors

	Name	Advantages - Disadvantages - Comments
	Threaded Drywall Anchor	Available in a range of styles and sizes to accommodate loads from 30 to 90 lbs. No pre-drilling necessary. Install quickly and easily with a #2 Phillips or cordless screwdriver. Most anchors of this style are removable and reusable. Available in metal and plastic.
	Winged Plastic Anchor	Requires pre-drilled hole Loads to 35 lbs. Wings help prevent pull-out from the drywall. Available with specialty fittings incorporated in head - shelving standards, peg board hooks, wire shelf anchors, picture hook, double sheet drywall
	Plug Anchor	Requires pre-drilled holes Comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate numerous screw sizes. Also available without a top rim, allowing it to be inserted into drywall flush with the surface. Least expensive of all the anchors.
	Expansion Anchor (Hollow Wall Anchors)	Sleeve type, expansion or hollow wall anchor designed for use in base materials such as plaster, wallboard, concrete block, hollow tile or plywood. Requires pre-drilled hole. Must use mounting bolt thread size supplied. Available 1/8, 3/16 & 1/4 inch bolt sizes.
	Drive-In Expansion Anchor	As Above, but it is designed to be driven into the wall with a hammer.
	Toggle Bolt	Requires pre-drilled hole, larger than head of screw - washer may be required. Strongest of all the drywall fasteners. Excellent choice for overhead mountings
	One Piece Threaded Fastener	One-piece screw anchor. Leaves a much smaller hole than toggles or other systems. Available in two color finishes: white and chrome; and in two head styles: pan and oval. No pre-drilling is required, the anchor is inserted through the fixture and screwed in with an ordinary Phillips screwdriver.
	Expansion Anchor	Fast, easy to use expansion anchor designed for use in wallboard. The anchor has a pierce point, requiring no pre-drilling. Removal of the anchor, if required, is easy. Once removed, the anchor leaves a small slit in the wallboard.
	Strap Toggle Anchor	A pre-assembled anchor consisting of a carbon steel wing and a locking cap / ratchet leg assembly molded from engineered plastic. When compared to traditional toggles, this unique anchor can be installed through a smaller hole and does not require a fixture or screw to set it.