How to do it

Weigh or estimate what you are hanging, including what will sit on a shelf, and double it for a safety margin.
Identify the wall: press and tap it, and look at an outlet cutout if you can, to tell drywall, plaster, brick or concrete apart.
Screw into a stud whenever the position allows; it holds more than any anchor.
For light pictures in drywall, use a plastic expansion anchor in a hole of the size printed on the pack.
For medium loads in drywall, use threaded self-drilling anchors driven in with a screwdriver.
For heavy loads between studs, use toggle bolts or strap toggles that open behind the drywall.
For brick or concrete, drill with a masonry bit and use a masonry plug or concrete screw.
Tighten until snug, then pull down firmly on the fixing before you trust it with weight.

Common mistakes

Using the little plastic anchors that come in furniture boxes for a heavy mirror.
Drilling the hole too big, so the anchor spins and never grips.
Overtightening, which crushes drywall around a plastic anchor.
Forgetting that shelves hold books, plants and people leaning on them.

Three questions. Your last score is kept in this browser.

A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.

Anchor manufacturer's rating on the package, per product. Checked September 28, 2026.

Last reviewed September 28, 2026. First published September 28, 2026.