Heavy wall hangings need strong anchor

Q: I put up a wood strip with several pegs in the entrance hallway of our apartment last fall so we could hang up coats and scarves to dry. Over the winter the strip went from being tight against the wall to drooping and loose, so we can’t hang anything heavy on it. Why did it do this? — Tammy, Topeka, Kansas

A: It’s a case of the screws not being anchored properly to the wall, Tammy. Heavy wall-mounted objects, including coat hangers, large pictures, plant hangers and so on, can’t be held in place by drywall, which is designed to cover up the framing and electrical/plumbing work of a home.

•Several methods of anchoring items to the wall — from lightweight towel hangers to heavyweight wooden shelves — are available at the home-improvement store. You just need to figure out which anchor to use.

•For very light objects, a plastic wall anchor tapped into a pre-drilled hole, followed by the screw, should be enough. Heavier objects can be anchored by Molly bolts or toggle bolts, which expand behind the drywall to provide greater surface coverage and a stronger hold. Very heavy objects, including your coat pegboard that holds varying degrees of weight, should be anchored directly to a stud, if possible.

•A stud is a vertical wooden support behind the drywall. The side against the drywall is usually 1 to 2 inches thick. Studs are typically spaced 16 inches apart. Locate the stud by tapping sideways along the wall; a hollow sound means you are between studs. For a more precise indicator, purchase an electronic stud sensor. Mark the location and width of each stud in the area.

•A stud is much more difficult to drill into than drywall, so you will need to pre-drill the holes and then place the screws. If the studs are located farther apart than the width of your peg hanger, anchor one end of the board to a stud and use a Molly bolt to anchor the other end. If the pre-drilled holes in the peg hanger don’t match the studs exactly, but the board is long enough, drill a new hole where the board will meet the stud.

HOME TIP: Rub beeswax onto the tip of a screwdriver so that screws will stick to it. This works especially well for small brass or stainless-steel screws.